Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has published for teachers on the use of social media.

Part two of the Teachers’ Standards, published in 2011, defines the behaviour and attitudes which set the required standard for personal and professional conduct throughout a teacher’s career.

The Standards are clear that teachers uphold public trust in the profession and should maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school. This includes showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others; not undermining fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect; and showing tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

The Teaching Regulation Agency uses the conduct elements of the Teachers’ Standards as a reference point when considering whether a teacher’s conduct has fallen significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher.