Best Practice

How to handle criticism on social media

Many schools are now using social media to reach out and engage with their community, but it can also open us up to criticism and unfounded allegations from parents and others. Stephen James advises on how to handle these tricky situations


Any school setting with a strong social media presence knows that with increasing numbers of families and older children using it, there can be both positive and negative effects on the reputation of the setting and the school’s community.

While our young adults have had to learn how to deal with negativity through their personal accounts and the nature of growing up in a digital age, as schools and adults it can be much harder to comprehend.

Schools maintain a healthy online presence to reap the benefits of a wider audience, to promote the excellent opportunities that they are providing for their students, or to keep parents up-to-date and informed. However, this also can leave schools open to criticism and negativity and, in the worse cases, false allegations.

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