Technology ‘being weaponised’ against schools and teachers – union leader

Smartphones and social media are increasingly “being weaponised” against schools and teachers, a headteachers’ union leader will say.

Manny Botwe, president of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), will say technology has a “darker side” and leaves a “trail of harm”.

In a speech at the union’s annual conference on Friday, Mr Botwe will warn that “disgruntled parents” are using online sites to target school staff.

Mr Botwe will call for an end to the “chaos” caused by social media and he will say it is time to bring social media platforms to “heel”.

His comments come as a survey for ASCL found that 71% of teachers said pupils were using social media below the minimum age requirement.

The poll by the Teacher Tapp app asked 6,409 teachers and leaders in schools in England in February what social media-related issues they had noticed since September.

More than two in five (43%) teachers – in primary and secondary schools – said parents had made negative comments about their school or staff online.

Three in 10 (30%) of secondary school teachers noticed signs of students having accessed pornographic or violent content, while 18% noticed signs of students accessing extremist content.

Almost half (46%) of secondary school teachers said students had recorded teachers or other pupils without their permission.

More than one in 10 (11%) of secondary school teachers said deepfake imagery or audio had been used maliciously against staff or students.

Nearly three in four (73%) secondary school teachers reported that students had been bullied by peers on social media.

The president of the ASCL will call the survey findings “deeply troubling” on Friday.

Addressing around 1,000 school and college leaders at the Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) in Liverpool, Mr Botwe will say young people’s worlds are shaped by smartphones, social media, memes and influencers.

Mr Botwe is expected to warn: “It leaves a trail of harm – safeguarding concerns, fractured friendships, bullying, anxiety and the spread of extremist ideologies.

“And increasingly, it is being weaponised against schools and teachers, with disgruntled parents using it as a platform to target staff.”

Mr Botwe, head of Tytherington School in Macclesfield, Cheshire, will add: “For too long, tech billionaires have been given immense power without accountability.

“They hide behind the defence that they are champions of free speech while profiting from platforms that allow harm to fester.

“But enough is enough. It is time to bring these platforms to heel and force them to police their own spaces.

“While we welcome the Online Safety Act we have yet to see its protections come into force and or how effective they prove in practice.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver are also due to address school and college leaders at ASCL’s annual conference in Liverpool on Friday.

Mr Botwe will criticise the Government’s proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill for being “fragmented” and he will describe it a “smorgasbord of policies” which lacks a clear, overarching vision.

On the Government’s plans for free breakfast clubs in primary schools, he will say that a basic daily funding rate of 60p per pupil is “absurd”.

Mr Botwe will add: “You can’t promise parents a nutritious meal and 30 minutes of childcare, then expect schools to deliver it for less than half the price of a Greggs sausage roll.”

The ASCL president will also highlight concerns about teacher shortages, the funding “crisis” facing schools, a lack of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and a “punitive” accountability system.

Last month, Ofsted announced plans to grade schools across a variety of different areas using a colour-coded five-point scale.

In his speech, Mr Botwe will say the planned changes for the new report card system “feel like a kick in the teeth” and he will call on the Government and Ofsted to “rethink” their consultation proposals.

He will add: “More high-stakes accountability is not the answer.

“We need a system that is genuinely supportive, a framework that helps schools and colleges improve rather than simply judging them.

“Inspection must be about collaboration and support, not fear and punishment.”