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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be uncomfortable about school publishing post 18 destinations?

57 replies

Bestseller · 08/10/2018 20:41

So DCs' school have produced a very professional board which is displayed in several locations around the school and referred to at open eves etc which contains a photo of each child, their full name and where they went after A levels. For kids who went to Uni, it has the University name and the subject (plus college for Oxbridge). For those who got jobs or apprenticeships it has the company name, the level of apprenticeship and the subject/qualification.

My DC are not on it but DS1 will be next year (assuming he achieves something they want to bragg about!).

Is this OK, so much personal information on display in these times of GDPR? (or even before, TBH). Not only does it tell people where these young people are now and what they are doing, but it also gives a fairly good indication of what their results were.

OP posts:
Bekabeech · 09/10/2018 10:37

I honestly don’t see the problem with this at all and find it bizarre that anyone would! It’s only on boards at the school, not online as well, right? Unless I’ve missed something?

The problem is it is a breach of privacy, and probably breaches GDPR.

You might see a board saying "Fred got 3 B's and is going to Reading University" as harmless, but what if Fred is deeply embarrassed as he should have got 3 A's and was offered a place at Cambridge. Young people I know put a lot of pressure on themselves to go to a University they perceive as "Good" and could be highly embarrassed. The people going around schools will include the younger siblings and parents of friends and acquaintances.

In a small community something on display at school could be more embarrassing than something in the newspapers, as more people will read it, and there is no chance of mistaken identity.

LibraryLurker · 09/10/2018 16:25

Titch - of course I know they have Certificates. But these are PUBLIC examinations,.like professional qualifications. The Leavers are almost inevitably going to be over 18 so it is their consent that is required, not that of their parents. Surely part of life is accepting that some people will have "better" results than you. Bekabeech - I'd only be embarrassed by results if I knew that I could have done a heck of a lot better but didn't put the effort in to achieve it. My own A level results were not the best but I knew I couldn't have done any better, I wasn't embarrassed and neither were my parents.

DitheringBlidiot · 09/10/2018 16:50

I am trying but I can’t see the issue, I’d be very suprised if the school didn’t ask the candidates for express permission

Bekabeech · 09/10/2018 16:53

I'd only be embarrassed by results if I knew that I could have done a heck of a lot better but didn't put the effort in to achieve it. My own A level results were not the best but I knew I couldn't have done any better, I wasn't embarrassed and neither were my parents.

If I saw this on a school tour knowing what I know now of my DCs mental health, I would exclude that school from my search. My DC have all put themselves under enough pressure - any publicity about their results without their explicit consent (and acknowledgement before that their consent would be obtained for such publicity post exam results) would have just added to this burden.
If my DC's school did such a thing I would be complaining because of the burden it would put on students like my DC.

But no school I know would do such a thing. Yes with their consent they may celebrate particularly high achieving students. But even then when 4 students got 4 A stars at A'level, only details on 3 were released to the local press etc, I presume the other refused publicity.

I have also had DC who managed the time they arrived to collect their results to avoid any press intrusion (actually I think the school advises what times to arrive if they don't mind their photo in the press, and what time to arrive to avoid this).

user1471541711 · 09/10/2018 17:02

What about children who don’t want absent parent to know which uni they are at? They should be able to opt out

pallisers · 09/10/2018 17:05

would people be fine with work putting their annual appraisal results on the boards at work?

If it is by consent - fine. Otherwise, list the next university acceptances but not with the names. I know plenty of parents who expect their kids to go to Harvard but all of whom would bypass a school if they saw that on a tour. It is reducing the student to their college acceptance - surely there is more to them than that?

I have a daughter who tries very hard but doesn't always do very well. She is very much aware that others are better academically than her. Funnily enough she doesn't always just cheerfully accept this as her lot in life but sometimes slightly envies her friends and siblings who find it easier and get the joy of getting As. She'd like to get an A too. She does her best but seeing her name on a list for everyone to read like that would just be pants for her. And I don't see what benefit it is to anyone else.

It is all very well to say "as long as your achievement equals your effort" but in school where often the only measurement IS academic achievement, we expect a lot of forebearance and character from the B and C students. Out in the real world, other things come into play - although, lets face it, the world can often be a lot easier and pay a lot more for those who get very good qualifications from very good universities.

GreenTulips · 09/10/2018 17:07

They publish all the GCSE results here in the papers

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