1. Joanne Jones 1200284 CW2213 Media Writing
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Nativity No-No
I love Christmas. I love everything about it from buying and wrapping gifts to food shopping
and decorating the house. However, there is one thing about Christmas that tops it all…the
nativity play.
I am always proud of my children, but when I see them singing ‘Rudolph the Red Nose
Reindeer’ and twirling as a twinkling star, my heart could just burst. I love to watch them
having fun and enjoying themselves. I love the look on their faces when they see me beaming
at them from the audience.
It should be a snapshot moment; a memory eternalised - but it comes at a cost. There are
forms to sign, exclusions to adhere to and grey areas to wade through, and that’s if you’re
lucky.
There are many parents who are affected by the de facto photography ban in primary schools
and although such extreme bans are rare, the issue of photography in schools has become
fraught all over Britain.
Surely the nativity play is the epitome of innocence, and yet every click of the camera is
scrutinised and frowned upon, with some parents tut-tutting like you are committing a terrible
crime.
Photography in schools is not a crime and never has been. The schools involved often spout
the ‘Data Protection Act 1998,’ or the ‘Children Act 2004,’ but neither one states that you are
not permitted to take photographs. The Information Commissioners Office states ‘The Data
Protection Act is unlikely to apply in most cases where photographs or videos are taken in
schools and other educational institutions. If photos are taken for personal use they are not
covered by the Act.’

2. Joanne Jones 1200284 CW2213 Media Writing
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Schools are known for their lengthy policies regarding photography but all these seem to do
is bamboozle the parents into thinking it is a Data Protection issue. The Information
Commissioners Office goes on to say, ‘If a school has a policy in place regarding taking
photographs of children, it will have nothing to do with Data Protection, but more to do with
their own preferences.’
Unfortunately, this was the case for Alison Duncan-Mercy of Hampshire, who wanted to
record her son’s first nativity play to show her husband who was serving in Afghanistan.
Alison was refused permission to record the event, causing her great upset and
disappointment. She says, “As someone who was told I couldn't video my sons first nativity
play so I could send it to my husband in Afghanistan, I think this is a very sad indictment of a
PC world gone mad!” A statement I have to agree with.
Photography bans cannot be traced to a specific law or event but seems to have come to a
head in the early 2000s when sports organisations began to ban cameras at children’s sports
events. However, the ‘Child Protection in Sport Unit’ only recommends that you ‘avoid full-
face and body shots’ and that children in swimming costumes should only be shown ‘from
waist or shoulder up’.
This recommendation, over the years, has mutated into a blanket ban of photography in
public swimming pools, sports events and eventually nativity plays.
The restrictions have very little to do with child abusers, but more to do with the assumptions
people have regarding adult-child relationships. Although I understand why this mentality is
commonplace, the bans do not affect the abusers who, let’s face it, have so many more less
conspicuous options to choose from. It is the parents who want nothing more than to make a
memory last forever, who suffer the most.

3. Joanne Jones 1200284 CW2213 Media Writing
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It is a shame that photographs are not seen as a way of validating children’s experiences and
achievements as well as recording all aspects of school life but more as a potential threat to
our children’s safety.
I do count myself lucky that I am at least permitted to take photographs of my children but
this is under the strictest of conditions; singling out my own child as much as possible, if this
is not possible the pictures cannot be posted on social media websites. Videos are not
permitted, however you can purchase the school DVD for a bargain £12.00!
It is slightly ridiculous. I am not a criminal, I have no interest in anyone else’s child, and I am
not sneaking around the school in a dark mackintosh taking random shots of children. I am a
parent who wants to record my children’s achievements, to be able to look back on these
moments twenty years down the line and still feel proud. I also want to sit with my children
and look at all the faces of their friends who played such a huge part in their life, because,
let’s face it you have some pretty great friends when you are eight.
So, this year I will be taking my camera, I will be snapping away at my son as he parades
around the stage as Joseph, but I do have to ask...will it be the same without Mary and the
Donkey in the picture?
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