Planning school event filming and pupil permissions

The school runs the permission process, and the crew follows the instructions the school gives. This guide shows how to turn those instructions into a short brief for filming, and how to review names and identifying details before a video is shared. If the school is unsure about a rule, ask school leadership. For a legal question, ask a qualified adviser.

Our school event videography service covers the filming itself. This page is about the permissions around it.

How do school permissions become coverage decisions?

Different pupils may have different permissions. Some may be cleared for the school’s internal use only. Some may not be cleared at all. The crew cannot read a permission form on the day, so the school translates it into simple instructions.

Write a one-page brief that answers four questions:

1. Where can the crew film? The stage, the audience, the corridor, the field.
2. Where should it avoid? A marked seating area, a class, a backstage room.
3. Who stays out of close shots? Described by class, group or marker, not by a list of names.
4. What is the video for? Parents only, school archive, or public posting. Each use may need a different decision.

Here is an illustrative example.

For a school concert, the teacher in charge marks one row of seats with a coloured card. The crew is told not to point the lens at that row. Two performers who are not cleared for sharing are placed at the back during group numbers. The class teacher confirms the arrangement the day before.

What should the school keep, and what do we need?

Keep the permission records inside the school. A public form, a chat group or an email to the crew is not the place for children’s details.

Only collect what you need. The more detail circulates, the more places it can leak from. If a tool or form asks for pupil details, check that the school has approved it first.

Handling pupil names and identifying details in school event outputs

Names on screen can identify a child as clearly as a face. Before the video is shared, the school reviews what it shows.

Check the finished video for:

• Name captions and lower-thirds, such as a pupil’s name under their face.
• Spoken names, in emcee announcements or prize lists.
• Name tags, uniforms and banners that show a pupil’s name, class or school details.
• File names and descriptions, which may repeat a name in public. The guide on participant information in file names and galleries covers this.

Which details are acceptable depends on the school’s current policy and any advice it takes. A useful habit is to review the first cut with the person who knows the policy, and ask for changes before the final video is shared.

Who does what?

What we confirm for your event

• How the crew keeps to each marked area during a busy performance.
• Whether names and captions stay off the video until the school has reviewed it.
• Which school contact receives the files, and who else may access them.
• Whether a private version for parents is kept separate from any public version.

The filming and publication responsibilities checklist helps the school write these decisions down. For the school setting, see our guides on schools and youth events and permissions to discuss before filming. For a specific occasion, see school concert videography.