School admits 'robust procedures' didn't work

Thursday 14 February 2019

St Sampson's High School has admitted that procedures put in place to protect pupils working online failed to stop a young girl being left at risk of 'grooming'.

The 11-year-old was asked to use an App for her art work which the school installed. She then received a message from someone she didn't know, asking her to send them nude photographs of herself.

Pictured: St Sampson's High issues iPads to all students for school and homework. 

Despite the school's IT technician previously removing the App Store, at her parents' request, so new ones couldn't be installed, her art teacher allegedly asked for the 'PicsArt' app to be put on it, along with all of her classmates. It was when the girl was using that app at home one night last week that she told her mother someone had messaged her asking her to send them nude images.

Her father contacted the school immediately the following morning and says he was told that a warning would be sent to other parents advising them to check their own child's iPad. The school only did that three days later. 

Pictured: The message St Sampson's High sent to parents after the alert had been raised about the PicsArt App. 

In a further statement, St Sampson’s Head teacher Annabel Bolt also told Express:

“The application in question has been removed from school devices. We are working to establish the exact circumstances around how this situation occurred, and until we can be certain it will not happen again, the app will not be re-installed. The safety and well-being of our students is a priority and the school is carrying out a full and thorough investigation.”

Pictured: The PicsArt app was downloaded to students iPads so they could use it for art work. It's rated 12 but was given to pupils aged 11 to use.   

The High school is believed to be the only secondary school in the island to issue iPads to all pupils so they can use them for school and homework. Parents are asked to sign a consent form.

In this case, the Year 7 pupil's parents did sign the consent form when she joined the school last September, but her dad had asked for her iPad to be restricted last year so she couldn't access social media apps like Tik Tok. Despite him raising concerns with the school then, and saying he didn't want his daughter using the iPad for anything bar school work, her art teacher had the PicsArt App installed on her device without her parents' knowledge.

That App is for children aged 12 and over and has a messaging function. Her dad is still angry that it was installed on his 11-year-old daughter's iPad and that he and his daughter's mum weren't made aware these type of Apps were being installed so they could keep an eye on what she was doing.

At the time he said; "I want other parents to know the risks these iPads have, even with precautions put in place - they aren't tough enough precautions.

"The security of it just isn't that good and other parents need to be warned.

"You think if the school is putting these apps on the iPad why aren't they checking them? Are they meant to check them or are precautions not put in place?"

Pictured: St Sampson's High is believed to be the only secondary school to provide all pupils with iPads as part of the learning tools. 

Express sent the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture a series of questions about its policies on iPad use and other devices. 

While there wasn't a response to questions aimed directly at St Sampson's High, ESC Chief Secretary Colette Falla issued a statement which outlined what the island's policy is.

“We take online security very seriously, which is why we have in place policies designed specifically to protect all pupils from online dangers," she said.

"Any report that these procedures have not kept pupils safe is taken extremely seriously and we will take swift action to ensure any potential problem is isolated until we fully understand what has happened. We cannot comment further in what is an ongoing investigation, but we want to reassure parents we have acted to protect our pupils, as well as alerting parents in case the app was available on any personal devices beyond the school’s control."

Guernsey Police had been notified about the child being asked for nude images last week, when her father made his initial complaint. At the time Guernsey Police said an investigation was under way.

Ms Falla said school procedures are now under review as a result of this family's situation. This work is being done in conjunction with wider changes to policies ahead of the move from a Grammar School and three High Schools to one school over two sites. 

“Our systems and procedures are always under constant review, to ensure we are alert to threats before they arise. In circumstances such as these, where it appears even our robust procedures may not have worked as intended, an element of the investigation will be how we can best learn from it and put in place extra steps to prevent a repeat.

“In developing our new One School a review of the provision and use of digital technology will take place. This work will be underpinned by the development of the Digital Roadmap and informed by evidence based research and lessons learned.”

The father told Express he still isn't happy. He has questioned the procedures the school has in place and who was at fault on this occasion.

"I've still got some concerns. These procedures that are in place, what are they? They didn't work then so why would they work now?

"Who didn't follow them? How can you reassure us it isn't going to happen again?"