Evidence, consent, and the public post
Three students run a 90-minute 'culture swap' at a nearby primary school for their Connections task. They photograph 24 children and plan to publish the images on the secondary school's public Instagram as evidence. The day before posting, their teacher sees two children wearing 'no photo' wristbands and learns that no written consent was collected from parents. The students argue the event 'built a real connection' and that the photos are 'the whole evidence base.' The task requires evidence of connection and ethical conduct. The primary school's policy says images of students may be used only with written parental consent and never on public social media.
1. What must happen before any image is posted, and why?
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No posting should occur. The primary school's policy requires written parental consent and prohibits public social media, and two children have 'no photo' wristbands, which is a direct refusal. Consent cannot be inferred from a fun event; the children are minors and the images would be public and permanent. The students' claim that the photos are 'the whole evidence base' is a design problem, not a justification.
The teacher should secure or delete the images, inform the primary school contact, and treat the matter as an ethical breach to resolve before assessment. The breach does not automatically fail the Connections task, but it must be addressed. Ethical conduct is part of the standard, not an optional extra.
2. How can the students build convincing Connections evidence without photographs of children?
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Triangulate partner testimony, artefacts, and reflection.
- a signed statement from the primary teacher describing the session and the students' role;
- a consent-cleared audio interview with the teacher, with no children present;
- the lesson plan, resources, and anonymised response cards;
- the students' contemporaneous notes and reflective log;
- a follow-up letter from the primary school.
They can photograph the empty classroom setup or their own materials. The students should also describe the interaction patterns they observed and what they would change. A short ethics paragraph explaining what they would do differently strengthens the Connections judgement because it shows understanding of the community's rights and the school's obligations.
3. What should the teacher's written feedback say about the relationship between ethical conduct and evidence?
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Separate the quality of the connection from the quality of the evidence, but do not ignore either. The feedback should state plainly that the event may have built a genuine connection, but that publishing identifiable images without consent would have breached the partner's policy and the children's rights. It should also state that the absence of photographs does not weaken the claim if other evidence is strong; in fact, respecting consent can demonstrate a more mature understanding of community.
The teacher should name the specific evidence that will count, require the ethics paragraph, and avoid letting the students treat the breach as a minor administrative issue. The tone should be firm and educative: the standard requires ethical conduct, and the assessment will judge how the students respond to the problem, not just whether the original activity was enjoyable.