Recording of teaching in schools


The use of electronic recording systems for classroom observations in schools is also on the increase.


In the 2015 NASUWT surveillance survey, 16% of teachers said that there are digital and video-based recording evaluating systems used in their schools.


For example, the IRIS system is being introduced in several schools. It is used to record teaching, ostensibly for training and professional development purposes. The idea behind the system is that it is controlled by the individual teacher, participation is voluntary and the recordings and data are the property of the teacher and can be saved or deleted by the teacher on a password-protected website.


However, the NASUWT says that schools are purchasing the IRIS system, in many cases without any discussion with teachers, and are introducing it with an expectation that teachers will participate and that senior staff are able to log in and view the recordings. Some schools have also failed to ensure that data generated and stored by IRIS is managed in accordance with their data protection policies.


According to the NASUWT survey, nearly a quarter (24%) of teachers said that they had no choice over the use of these systems in their school, and nearly one in five teachers (18%) cannot switch these systems off themselves.


The union cites complaints that the recordings have been used as part of competency procedures against teachers — as have CCTV clips — and that refusals to participate in the recording system have led to more punitive alternatives, such as increased classroom observations from senior staff. 


One member said: “We have been told we have to use IRIS in our classrooms and these will be part of our observations in the future. Teachers’ opinions and feelings have not been taken into account. Life will be made difficult for us if we don't use them”;


The NASUWT advises members not to participate in the use of IRIS unless there is a protocol in the school agreed by the union which ensures that teachers have full control of the recordings and that access by others is only with the permission of the teacher. Members concerned about the use of IRIS in their schools should seek further guidance from the NASUWT.


In August 2015, NASUWT, the ASCL school and college leaders’ union and the makers of IRIS agreed a protocol on the appropriate use of the system. This states that cameras should only be turned on “with the explicit permission of the individual teacher.”


The protocol states that video is uploaded to the user account of the teacher who wishes to participate “in the process of self-reflection”, and the individual teacher “retains complete control over who has access to their data”. The teacher retains the right to delete the video at any time, and the system “does not assign administrator rights to any person to enable them to remotely view or subsequently view a video belonging to an individual teacher without their permission.”


The protocol also includes a model Code of Practice to be adopted by schools, which refers to full consultation with trade unions on the implementation of the system, and emphasises that the system is used for “personal reflection” and “remains under the control of the individual teacher at all stages and in all circumstances.”