Safeguarding Children Policy: Code of Conduct and Prevent Duty
Visitors to the school
All visitors to the main school must report to reception when they enter the school. If they need to enter another part of the school they will given a visitors lanyard and escorted by a member of Management staff.
Code of Conduct of Oxford School of English staff and Representatives
It is of the highest importance to Oxford School of English that we provide a safe school with a positive environment for all staff and students alike. In keeping with our equal opportunities policy and to ensure everyone respects and appreciates each other, we need to ensure trust is built between adults and under 18s and among those working with them. While safeguarding and protecting under 18s, we also need to perform our duty to our staff and ensure they are also protected from false allegations arising from misconstrued or misunderstood behaviour or actions. All staff members and representatives of the school are expected to:
Adopt a high standard of personal conduct
Maintain confidence in their ability to safeguard the welfare and best interests of under 18s with whom they are in contact
Providing excellent role models for under 18s
Instil in under 18s trust and confidence for the adults working with them
Demonstrate integrity, maturity and good judgement
Demonstrate the understanding of professional boundaries.
All Oxford School of English staff and representatives of the school should:
Be positive and use praise for good behaviour.
Always be even in dealing with under 18s ensuring no individual is singled out negatively or given disproportionate attention.
Use appropriate language at all times and refrain from swearing or using curses, even in humour.
Avoid physical contact unless unavoidable or necessary.
Not behave in a manner which would lead any reasonable person to question their suitability to work with under 18s.
Avoid spending excessive amounts of time alone with an under 18 away from others.
Not carry under 18s in their car without other people’s prior knowledge.
Not meet under 18s outside of scheduled teaching sessions if they are teachers or duties such as excursions if they are activity leaders.
Not become too involved with the emotional or personal problems of under 18s outside the area of professional competence.
Not exchange personal contact details with under 18s or upon leaving the school.
Respect the privacy and boundaries of under 18s.
All Oxford School of English staff and representatives of the school MUST NOT:
Make sexual remarks to an under 18 or vulnerable adult (including email, text messages, phone or letter).
Touch an under 18 or vulnerable adult in a way which may be considered indecent (even well-intentioned physical contact may be misconstrued).
Make (or encourage others to make) unprofessional personal comments which scapegoat, demean or humiliate, or might be interpreted as such.
Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
Discriminate against any student due to their nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious belief or lack thereof, appearance, intellectual level or any other characteristic.
Dress and Appearance
Members of staff and representatives of the school should ensure they are dressed decently, safely and appropriately for the tasks they undertake. Those who dress or appear in a manner which could be considered as inappropriate could render themselves vulnerable to criticism or allegation.
Adults should wear clothing which:
Promotes a positive and professional image
Is appropriate to their role
Is not likely to be viewed as offensive, revealing or sexually provocative
Does not distract, cause embarrassment or give rise to misunderstanding
Is absent of any political or otherwise contentious slogans
Is not considered to be discriminatory
Is appropriate to the activity, whether social or academic
Is appropriate to the time of day and context of the situation
Alcohol and Drugs
Students are advised of the addictive nature of alcohol and drugs during induction and informed that the school does not permit under-18s to consume alcohol and that all drugs are illegal in the UK. Any student found to be, or to have consumed alcohol risks immediate expulsion from the school.
IT and social networks
The use of IT and Social networks is hard to regulate and students often find ways to access sites that they wish to view. Students are advised during induction not to give out personal details through social network sites, and not to meet people they only know online.
Cyber bulling, as with any form of bullying is not tolerated and any reports of such are dealt with immediately as reflected in the general welfare policy.
Prevent Duty
Prevent is part of safeguarding learners and OSE has a duty to safeguard their learners from all aspects of abuse, exploitation and radicalisation. Implementing the Prevent Duty can be a sensitive issue for some learners & communities and it is important to reiterate this is not about spying on learners or staff or about stopping conversations on controversial or sensitive topics. The Prevent Duty is intended to safeguard providers, learners & staff from being exposed to exploitation or radicalisation and to support the discussion and understanding of complex and controversial issues.
OSE will provide all staff and delivery partners with the support they need to implement the Prevent Duty. This will include annual safeguarding & Prevent heath checks & risk assessments, arranging training, awareness sessions for staff & management, sharing good practice from the sector and ensuring communication is frequent and open.
More information about the responsibilities and requirements of OSE in relation to Prevent can be found in the school's Prevent Policy.
June 2023
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis. However, if any issues relating to the policy should arise, the policy will be reviewed immediately.
Date of next scheduled review: June 2024