School Videos Without Student Faces: Our Approach at St Peter’s Epping
How can a school showcase the warmth, learning and connection of its community without showing student faces? At School Presence, we use thoughtful camera angles, over-the-shoulder perspectives and activity-focused storytelling to help schools share their stories while limiting students’ exposure online.
Our recent filming day at St Peter’s Primary School Epping brought this approach to life. Working within the school’s decision to no longer feature identifiable student faces online, we approached two promotional reels with a clear creative challenge: capture authentic school life while keeping student safety central to every shot.
The brief: tell the school’s story with a different perspective
The two reels focused on Religious Education, Learning and Teaching, and Wellbeing. Filmed vertically, they were created for the school’s new website and social media channels.
These are meaningful parts of a school’s story. Families want to understand how children learn, how they are supported and what the school values.
Our task was to make those experiences visible within St Peter’s approach to student privacy. That required careful planning, deliberate framing and a willingness to rethink familiar ways of filming.
How we captured school life without showing student faces
We shifted the focus towards what students were doing, the experiences they were sharing and the learning happening around them.
Our approach included:
Over-the-shoulder perspectives that invite viewers into the learning experience.
Close-ups of hands and activities that show participation, creativity and discovery.
Carefully chosen camera angles that keep student faces out of the frame.
Classroom details and learning environments that help communicate the school’s character.
Each shot needed to contribute to the story while respecting the school’s brief.
This took longer to frame and capture. A small change in camera position or a student turning towards the lens could change whether a shot was suitable. Working thoughtfully in the moment was an essential part of the production.
The creative opportunity was to find warmth in other details: children learning together, hands busy with a task and the everyday interactions that make a classroom feel welcoming.
Watch: our approach behind the scenes
Take a look at how we framed the footage at St Peter’s Epping. The video shows how deliberate camera placement and creative perspectives can bring school learning to life without relying on student faces.
Why school content needs to evolve in the age of AI
As technology changes, schools have good reason to reconsider how student images are captured and shared.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has highlighted the potential misuse of school imagery through AI tools, including deepfakes, and encouraged schools to review their image-sharing practices. Its guidance also asks schools to consider identifying details such as names, uniforms, locations and routines.
Keeping faces out of the frame is one practical way to limit what is shared publicly. It does not guarantee anonymity or remove every online risk. Other visual details, voices and accompanying information also need consideration, alongside the school’s permissions and publishing processes.
For School Presence, this means continuing to question and refine our creative approach. The way we have always captured school content should never be the only way we know how to work.
Innovation starts with how we approach the brief
Innovation in school marketing is about more than new equipment or the latest social media trend. It also means adapting our methods when a school’s needs and expectations change.
At St Peter’s, that meant rethinking composition, allowing more time for individual shots and finding different ways to communicate connection.
Our education experience helps us recognise the moments that matter to families. Our marketing and production expertise helps us turn those moments into purposeful content within each school’s requirements.
This shoot is a practical example of that approach: listening carefully, collaborating with staff and evolving how we work.
A shared commitment at St Peter’s Epping
Thank you to Erin, Steph, Elyse and Angela for working alongside us and embracing a thoughtful approach to school storytelling.
St Peter’s has set a clear direction for how it wants students represented online. We were proud to help translate that decision into a creative filming approach that supports the school’s communication goals.
The project demonstrates that schools can continue to share meaningful stories about learning, faith and wellbeing while changing how students appear in their content.
Planning photography or video for your school?
If your school is reviewing how students appear on its website and social media, we can help you explore a different approach to photography and videography.
Contact School Presence to discuss content that tells your school’s story and reflects your approach to student safety.
Frequently asked questions
Can schools create promotional videos without showing student faces?
Yes. Over-the-shoulder footage, close-ups of activities and carefully framed classroom scenes can communicate learning and school life without showing student faces. Planning the story around these perspectives helps the video feel purposeful and engaging.
Does keeping student faces out of videos guarantee privacy?
No. Students may still be identifiable through voices, names, clothing or contextual details. Avoiding faces should form part of a broader approach to permissions, content review and publishing.
Can this approach work for school websites and social media?
Yes. The St Peter’s Epping reels were filmed vertically for use on the school’s website and social media. Intended placements should be discussed before filming so the framing and format suit where the content will appear.
Comments