- Alcester Office +44 (0)1789 765522
- Bedford Office +44 (0)1234 400000
- Birmingham, New St. Office +44 (0)121 270 5666
- Birmingham, Newhall St. Office +44 (0)121 703 2606
- Bristol Office +44 (0)1454 275 190
- Cardiff Office +44 (0)29 2240 8700
- Evesham Office +44 (0)1386 425300
- Gatwick Office +44 (0)1293 602890
- Harrow Office +44 (0)20 8907 4366
- Leicester Office +44 (0)116 255 9911
- Leigh Office +44 (0)1942 673311
- Lichfield Office +44 (0)1543 414426
- Luton Office +44 (0)1582 720175
- Northampton Office +44 (0)1604 233 200
- Redditch Office +44 (0)1527 406363
- Solihull Office +44 (0)121 705 2255
- Stopsley Office +44 (0)1582 453 366
- Sutton Coldfield Office +44 (0)121 355 6118
- Tunbridge Wells Office +44 (0)1892 553090
- Walkden Office +44 (0)161 790 1411
- Walsall Office +44 (0)1922 720000
- Warrington Office +44 (0)1925 632267
- Westhoughton Office +44 (0)1942 816515
- Whitefield Office +44 (0)161 796 7920
- Wigan Office +44 (0)1942 244294
School Exclusions & Social Media
Offensive videos of teachers and pupils are now circulating social media platforms such as TikTok, and subsequently, we are seeing an increasing number of both fixed term and permanent exclusions as a result.
This is now a widely reported issue, becoming far more prevalent in today’s society. For example, the media are regularly reporting the possibility of pupils facing exclusion for filming TikTok videos at school, and it has been described as a “national trend”. Understandably, with more young children gaining access to social media, misuse is becoming increasingly common. Many of the popular social media applications, such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, do not require proof of age and concerns about under-age users are on the rise.
With just the click of a button, numerous examples of cases can be found online. There has even been calls for government action; namely, to work alongside social media organisations in an attempt to crackdown on offensive videos aimed at teachers. The Minister for North Wales, Lesley Griffiths, is quoted here, discussing the “devastating impact” that this current trend is having on individuals. However, with the social media companies’ somewhat idle stance, this does not appear to be a problem that is going away anytime soon.
Evidently, what began as an unprecedented issue in today’s society has now become a widely circulating social media trend. Should your child happen to be facing a fixed term or permanent exclusion due to their conduct on social media, HCB is able to assist you. We are education law specialists and understand how this can be an extremely difficult and worrying time for families and we aim to utilise our expertise to guide you through the process seamlessly. There are a number of potential avenues for us to explore – for example, are there underlying circumstances that could explain your child’s conduct and if so, were these taken into account by the school? Did the school act proportionately? What steps did the school take to address the issue? Was the investigation conducted fairly and in line with procedure? Was exclusion the last resort?
As education law specialists, we have the requisite knowledge and expertise to assist you with your child’s exclusion. We have vast experience of dealing with such cases and we can help you to challenge the school’s decision, from providing initial advice on your position, to drafting a robust appeal on your behalf to give you the best possible chance of success.
To discuss your matter further with one of our specialist education legal team, please contact us on 0333 202 7175 or education@hcbgroup.com