Wells School of Dancing
© The Wells School of Dancing
Our
mission
at
Wells
School
of
Dancing
is
to
maintain
a
high
standard
of
tuition
at
affordable
prices
whilst
providing
a
safe
learning environment for all of our students.
We
at
Wells
School
of
Dancing
recognise
that
the
welfare
of
a
child
is
paramount
(Children
Act
1989)
and
we
have
an
explicit
duty
to
safeguard
and
protect
children
from
abuse
as
defined
in
the
Children
Act
2004
and
the
Education
Act
2002.
The
Health
and
Safety
Act
1974
also
imposes
a
duty
on
staff
to
take
care
of
themselves
and
anyone
else
who
may
be
affected by their actions or failings.
This
policy
applies
to
all
paid
staff,
volunteers,
sessional
workers,
agency
staff,
students
or
anyone
working
on
behalf
of
Wells
School
of Dancing.
For
the
purpose
of
this
policy,
personnel
refers
to
any
person
employed
by
the
school,
sessional
workers
or
volunteers
and
student
refers
to
any
child,
young
person
or
adult
engaged
in
any
activity provided by Wells School of Dancing.
The purpose of this policy is:
to
protect
students
and
users
who
receive
services
from
Wells School of Dancing.
to
provide
personnel
with
the
overarching
principle
that
guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection.
Wells
School
of
Dancing
believes
that
a
student
should
never
experience
abuse
of
any
kind.
We
have
a
responsibility
to
promote
the
welfare
of
all
students
and
to
keep
them
safe.
We
are
committed
to practice in a way that protects them.
We
acknowledge
the
duty
of
care
to
safeguard
and
promote
the
welfare
of
students
and
are
committed
to
ensuring
safeguarding
practice
reflects
statutory
responsibilities,
government
guidance
and
complies with best practices and legislative requirements.
This
policy
recognises
that
the
welfare
and
interests
of
students
are
paramount
in
all
circumstances.
It
aims
to
ensure
that
regardless
of
age,
ability
or
disability,
gender,
racial
heritage,
religious
belief,
sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all students:
have
a
positive
and
enjoyable
experience
at
Wells
School
of
Dancing in a safe and learning centred environment.
are
protected
from
abuse
whilst
participating
in
any
of
our
classes,
workshops,
shows
or
any
other
activity
provide
by
Wells School of Dancing.
Wells
School
of
Dancing
acknowledges
that
some
children,
including
disabled
children
and
young
people
or
those
from
ethnic
minority
communities,
can
be
particularly
vulnerable
to
abuse
and
we
accept
the
responsibility
to
take
reasonable
and
appropriate
steps
to
ensure their welfare.
As part of our safeguarding policy Wells School of Dancing will:
promote
and
prioritise
the
safety
and
wellbeing
of
students,
including valuing, listening to and respecting them.
ensure
everyone
representing
Wells
School
of
Dancing
understands
their
roles
and
responsibilities
in
respect
of
safeguarding
and
is
provided
with
appropriate
learning
opportunities
to
recognise,
identify
and
respond
to
signs
of
abuse,
neglect
and
other
safeguarding
concerns
relating
to
children, young people and vulnerable adults.
ensure
appropriate
action
is
taken
in
the
event
of
incidents/concerns
of
abuse
and
support
provided
to
the
individual/s who raise or disclose the concern.
ensure
that
confidential,
detailed
and
accurate
records
of
all
safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored.
prevent
the
use
of
unsuitable
individuals
through
the
robust
use
of
Disclosure
and
Barring
arrangements
within
the
UK
and
the
application
of
best
practice
in
the
safe
recruitment
of personnel working with our students.
ensure
robust
safeguarding
arrangements
and
procedures
are in operation.
The
policy
and
procedures
will
be
promoted
and
are
mandatory
for
everyone
involved
in
Wells
School
of
Dancing.
Failure
to
comply
with
the
policy
and
procedures
will
be
addressed
without
delay
and
may
ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
Monitoring
The
policy
will
be
reviewed
a
year
after
development
and
then
every
three years, or in the following circumstances:
changes in legislation and/or government guidance.
as a result of any other significant change or event.
In Practice
Sarah
Wells
(the
Principal
of
Wells
School
of
Dancing)
is
responsible
for
the
Safeguarding
of
Students
and
will
deal
with
any
Child
Protection
or
Safeguarding
issues
that
may
arise.
The
Principal
will
ensure
that
she
is
knowledgeable
about
child
protection
and
safeguarding
and
will
undertake
any
training
considered
necessary
to keep her updated on new developments.
The
Principal
is
the
link
between
the
members
of
the
public
and
personnel and will:
be
an
advisor
to
all
organisation
and
freelance
staff
or
volunteers
working
with
Wells
School
of
Dancing
on
best
practice
in
regard
to
the
child
protection
and
safeguarding
policy.
agree incident reporting procedures.
keep
records
of
incidents
and
reports,
together
with
any
other relevant information.
report
incidents
to
the
Statutory
Authorities
and
ensure
that
appropriate
information
is
available
at
the
time
of
referral
and
that
the
referral
is
confirmed
in
writing
and
is
confidential.
ensure
that
individual
case
records
are
maintained
of
any
complaint, injury or action taken by the organisation.
Everyone
at
Wells
School
of
Dancing
shares
an
objective
to
help
keep students safe by:
providing
a
secure
environment
to
learn
in
where
every
student
feels
valued
and
able
to
articulate
their
wishes
and
feelings
in
their
preferred
method
of
communication
in
an
atmosphere of acceptance and trust.
identifying
and
responding
to
students
in
need
of
support
and / or protection.
supporting
student’s
development
in
ways
which
will
foster
a
sense of self-esteem and independence.
We
at
Wells
School
of
Dancing
endeavour
to
ensure
that
students
are
protected
from
harm
while
they
visit
or
are
attending
classes.
We
will do this by:
1
.
ensuring
all
our
personnel
are
appropriately
trained
in
issues
of
child
protection
and
undergo
an
Enhanced
Disclosure
and
Barring
Service
check
(formerly
known
as
a
CRB check).
2
.
establishing
and
maintaining
an
ethos
where
students
feel
secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
3
.
taking
all
reasonable
steps
to
ensure
the
health,
safety
and
welfare of any student in contact with us.
4
.
taking
all
reasonable
steps
to
prevent
any
personnel
or
member
of
the
public
from
putting
any
student
in
a
situation
in
which
there
is
an
unreasonable
risk
to
their
health
and
safety.
5
.
reporting
to
the
Principal
any
incidents
relating
to
child
protection and safeguarding.
6
.
referring
to
statutory
authorities
all
incidents
reported
to
the
Principal.
7
.
everyone
working
or
applying
to
work
for
Wells
School
of
Dancing is made aware of our safeguarding policy.
Copies
of
the
policy
will
be
held
by
the
Principal
and
are
also
available in our Studio and on our website.
General Duties for ALL Personnel
In
regard
to
the
safety
and
welfare
of
students
accessing
our
services, all personnel are required to:
undergo an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.
take
all
reasonable
steps
to
protect
all
students
from
hazards.
strictly observe the code of behaviour in this document.
take appropriate action if an accident occurs.
take
all
reasonable
steps
to
prevent
abuse
of
students
in
contact with anyone within the organisation.
report any incident or suspicion of abuse.
Roles and Responsibilities for ALL Personnel
1
.
Safety
of
participants
and
personnel
is
of
prime
consideration at all times.
2
.
All
accidents
involving
anyone
should
be
recorded
in
the
accident
book
immediately
or
as
soon
as
practicably
possible.
3
.
Personnel
are
responsible
for
familiarising
themselves
with
building/facility
safety
issues,
such
as,
fire
procedures,
location
of
emergency
exits,
location
of
emergency
telephones and first aid equipment.
4
.
Personnel
are
responsible
for
reporting
suspected
cases
of
child abuse to the Principal and/or agencies.
5
.
Appropriate
Personnel
have
access
to
parent
consent/emergency
contact
forms
for
all
children
taking
part
in
any
activities
(this
information
is
confidential
and
kept
in
a
secure place in keeping with Data Protection Act 1998)
.
6
.
Personnel
are
expected
to
promote,
demonstrate
and
incorporate
the
values
of
fair
play,
trust
and
ethics
throughout their classes
Code of Conduct for ALL Personnel
All
personnel
must
observe
the
following
Do’s
and
Don’ts
for
Working with Children.
DO:
Behave professionally
Listen to all students and users of Wells School services
Treat everyone with respect
Communicate at an appropriate level
Be aware of policy and procedures
Report any suspicions within our guidelines
Be aware, approachable and understanding
DO NOT:
Harm or frighten a student
Touch inappropriately
Use inappropriate language
Threaten, shout or be aggressive
Force a student to do something they do not want to do
Mistreat, demean, ignore, or make fun of
Show
favouritism
to
any
one
individual
or
groups
of
individuals
Let a student expose him/herself to danger
Make
racist,
sexist
or
any
other
remark
which
upsets
or
humiliates
Take photos of students without permission
You
have
a
strict
duty
never
to
subject
any
student
to
any
form
of
harm
or
abuse.
Failure
to
adhere
to
these
procedures
will
be
treated
as gross misconduct.
Photographing Children
Photographs
of
students
should
only
be
used
if
written
consent
has
been
obtained
from
a
parent,
guardian
or
has
been
authorised
by
the
Principal.
General
group
photographs
may
be
used
if
no
individual
can
be
identified
by
reason
of
any
attached
data.
Permission
should
be
obtained
firstly
to
take
the
photograph
and
secondly
for
permission
from
the
parent
if
the
photograph
is
to
be
reproduced.
What to do if an accident occurs
Depending
on
your
judgment
of
the
situation,
go
to
the
scene
immediately
if
possible
and/or
summon
First
Aid
assistance
and/or
contact
the
emergency
services.
With
children
it
can
be
hard
to
assess
whether
they
have
been
injured
or
the
extent
of
the
seriousness
of
an
injury.
If
you
have
any
doubt
about
this,
you
should
err
on
the
side
of
caution
and
contact
the
emergency
services.
Even
if
a
child
is
accompanied
and
you
think
an
accident
is
not
being
treated
seriously
enough,
get
medical
assistance
on
your
own
initiative
if
necessary.
All
accidents
should
be
reported
in
the
accident book.
First Aid
First
Aid
should
not
be
administered
without
the
permission
of
the
child’s
parent
or
accompanying
adult.
A
child
cannot
give
consent.
If
the
parent
is
not
at
the
premises,
obtain
their
phone
number
and
try
and
make
contact.
However,
if
a
child
is
alone
and
seriously
injured
or
unconscious,
the
situation
will
need
to
be
dealt
with
immediately.
If
at
all
possible,
treatment
should
only
be
given
by
a
trained
First
Aider.
Provided
this
does
not
in
itself
put
the
child
at
risk,
always
try
to
administer
First
Aid
with
another
adult
present.
Always
tell
the
child
exactly what you are doing and why.
Unless
it
is
irrelevant,
ask
the
child
if
they
use
medication
(e.g.
for
asthma,
diabetes,
and
epilepsy)
or
have
any
allergies.
Some
children
have allergic reactions to stings.
For
minor
injuries,
you
may
not
offer
any
medication,
including
antiseptics
or
pills
of
any
kind.
If
you
have
any
doubts
about
helping
someone
to
use
their
own
medication,
seek
the
advice
of
the
parents/guardian or contact the NHS helpline on 111.
Any
treatment
should
be
as
little
as
necessary
without
threatening
the
child’s
wellbeing.If
a
child
comes
to
you
for
comfort
because
of
a
minor
accident
or
fright,
it
is
acceptable
with
the
Code
of
Behaviour
to hold their hand or put your arm around them. Just ensure:
you know about any injury and do nothing to make it worse
physical
contact
is
what
the
child
wants,
and
the
kind
of
contact
between
you
is
appropriate
to
their
age
and
stage
of
development
you do your best to stay in sight of other adults
If a child needs a doctor or hospital, call the emergency services.
It
is
nearly
always
best
to
stay
with
them
and
wait
for
the
ambulance.
You
should
only
take
the
risk
of
bringing
in
the
child
yourself
if
the
emergency
services
ask
you
to
do
so
because
of
exceptional circumstances.
DBS Disclosure
All
personnel
including
teachers,
sessional
workers,
administrational
and
ancillary
staff
will
undertake
an
Enhanced
DBS
disclosure
which
will
be
kept
up-to-date.
It
is
the
Principal’s
responsibility
to
view
the
contents
of
the
Enhanced
DBS
disclosure
and
make
a
decision
about
whether
that
person
should
be
excluded
from
working
with
young
people within their organisation.
Admission Procedures
A
register
of
names,
addresses,
next
of
kin
and
contact
addresses
and telephone numbers for emergencies will be kept.
Parents
or
carers,
and
where
appropriate
older
children,
will
be
given
a
copy
of
a
written
statement
which
specifies
the
action
which
will
be
taken
in
the
event
of
a
child
becoming
ill
or
being
injured
and
which
indicates
that
any
information
which
suggests
that
a
child
has
been
abused
will
be
passed
on
to
the
Social
Services
Department
and/or the police.
Sources of Further Information
The
government
inter-agency
statutory
guidance
booklet
‘Working
together
to
safeguard
children’
is
available
from
the
Home
Office
website
at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-
together-to-safeguard-children--2
The
NSPCC
is
a
registered
charity
established
to
prevent
cruelty
to
children.Help
line
for
the
NSPCC
is
0808
800
5000
or
further
information
and
resources
available
on
their
website
at
https://www.nspcc.org.uk
Contact Details
Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)
Sarah Wells
Principal
07767 790970
01375 643574
office@wellsschool.co.uk
Deputy DSO(s)
Rula Merrell
School Administrator
07507 246437
admin@wellsschool.co.uk
Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy