Policies & Procedures

The Academy (A&S Dance Ltd) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expects all staff, volunteers and parents to share this commitment, as outlined by the DFE in its publication ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.

 

This means that The Academy must protect children from maltreatment, prevent impairment of children’s health or development, ensure that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provisions of safe and effective care and take action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in life. Our safeguarding officers are Mrs Sarah Cosgrove (Director) & Mrs Amy Appleton (Director).

 

We ensure that all members of staff and volunteers who come into contact with the children and their families is clear on the role that they play in safeguarding children. We promote an ethos where children and parents feel comfortable sharing their concerns about their safety and wellbeing of others.

 

If you are concerned about the safety of any child in our dance school, you must report this to the designated safeguarding officers.

 

Policies last updated 28th August 2023.

 

The Academy Policies & Procedures – Contents

 

  1. Child Protection Policy
  2. Photography & Videography Policy
  3. Behaviour Policy
  4. Anti-Bullying Policy
  5. Equal Opportunities Policy
  6. Disability Policy
  7. Health and Safety Policy
  8. COVID Procedures
  9. First Aid
  10. Fire Risk Assessment
  11. GDPR, Data Protection & Privacy
  12. Administration Policy
  13. Uniform Policy
  14. Unsupervised Children Policy
  15. Collecting your Child
  16. Communal Areas
  17. Lost Property
  18. Payment Policy
  19. Absence
  20. Smoking Policy
  21. Public Insurance Liability
  22. Other Policies
  23. Legal Framework

 

01. Child Protection Policy

The Academy fully recognises its responsibilities for child protection.

 

Our policy applies to all teachers and volunteers working at The Academy. There are three main elements to our policy:

 

    1. Ensuring we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff to work with children – this is achieved by running a DBS (formerly CRB) check against all new employees.
    2. Raising awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe.
    3. Establishing a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.

 

The Academy will endeavour to:

  • Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
  • Ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried.

 

This policy is applied to both children under 18 years and vulnerable adults.

 

The Academy has a duty of care to safeguard all children from harm whilst involved in tuition, practice and performance during the time they are in class under supervision.

 

Our Child Protection Policy is to follow good practice guidelines. These guidelines cover physical injury, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and staff are made aware of their responsibilities which include avoiding unnecessary physical contact and/or private or unobserved situations.

Continued in our Full Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.

 

02. Photography & Videography

On registering any child for any of The Academy’s classes, there is a disclaimer for all parents/guardians/carers to give their permission for photographs and/or video recordings to be taken from time to time by staff or appointed professionals for promotional material for the school and social media.

 

We often take photos and videos to include in our printed and online publicity materials. These could be published on our website / social media or a partner’s website / social media (such as Lowther Pavilion).

 

These permissions can be updated at any time by contacting us via email info@the-academy-uk.com. Photographs must not be taken (or recordings made) whilst on site unless authorised by The Academy to do so. Child permissions have been logged and can be changed by the child or parent at any time.

 

All images will be held in accordance with data protection and the recordings/images are copyright of The Academy. You can ask The Academy to stop using these images of you / your child at any time via the email address above, in which case they will not be used in future publications but may continue to appear in publications already in circulation.

Continued in our Full Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.

 

03. Behaviour Policy

Standards of Behaviour expected: All members of the The Academy community are expected to:

  • Be responsible for their own actions and know how to behave
  • Show self-discipline and support others
  • Have good manners and be polite
  • Show understanding and respect towards each other and others’ property
  • Display positive attitudes to work which emphasises high standards.

 

The Academy teachers and volunteers are responsible for modelling good behaviour and have high expectations of all children with regard to their behaviour.

 

04. Anti-Bullying Policy

We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and It is expected that parents will support The Academy in encouraging their children to show respect and support us when disciplining its pupils. Any incident of apparent bullying is investigated. DfE guidance defines bullying as “actions that are meant to be hurtful and which happen on a regular basis. Bullying can be direct or indirect.”

 

We are committed to working with staff, pupils, parents and carers to create and maintain a happy, family friendly atmosphere where all forms of bullying will not be tolerated, including when bullying is motivated by prejudice or negative attitudes towards a person’s race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation (LGBTQ+).

 

The Academy’s anti-bullying policy has been developed with due regard for our duties and obligations under existing legislation for the safeguarding and wellbeing of all our pupils and we will take all steps to ensure their safety.

 

The Academy aims to build a feeling of confidence in children and parents so that they know that all reports or suspicions of bullying will be investigated.

Continued in our Full Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.

 

05. Equal Opportunities Policy

The Academy actively promotes diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of its work and seeks to prevent discrimination against any individual or group within The Academy, on the grounds of racial/ethnic heritages, religious or political belief, socio- economic and marital status, physical attributes, disablement, gender, sexual orientation and age.

 

06. Disability Policy

The Academy recognises that it has clear obligations towards all its students to ensure that they are all afforded the opportunity to realise their full potential.

 

The Academy tries to anticipate the needs of all students who join with a disability or special need, or who become impaired during their course of study. The aim is that no one should be disadvantaged in any way.

 

If students have impairment, or have special requirements, they are encouraged to inform us as soon as possible (usually on the Initial Contact Registration form or via email). We rely on the parent/student to tell us what is needed. This will give us time to check that we can meet particular needs or, if not, make sure that suitable provision is in place by the time that students arrive. This policy embraces the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

 

07. Health and Safety Policy

The Academy aims to keep the working environment clean, tidy and free from hazards. Our teachers endeavour to conduct dance classes in a safe and proper manner, encouraging good warm-up and cool-down practices. A full risk assessment is regularly carried out to ensure full health and safety for our students.

 

08. COVID Procedures

A full copy of our COVID policy, procedures and risk assessment can be found here.

 

09. First Aid

The Academy will comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

 

An accident book is kept and maintained in the Main Reception. Should an injury occur, the class teacher or a Director will phone the parent of the student and decide the best course of action to treat the injury, if applicable.

 

First Aid packs are located throughout the The Academy premises, checked regularly and where necessary the contents replenished. Where we are off-site for a performance or trip, a travel first aid kit and travel accident book will be kept with the Directors or Visiting Company Manager at all times.

 

10. Fire Risk Assessment

Fire Risk Assessments have been completed for the premises which gives details of the controls in place in order to minimise risk to life in the event of fire. All employees are instructed on the action to be taken in the event of a fire or other emergency. All employees will be fully conversant with procedures for fire prevention, detection and evacuation.

 

11. GDPR, Data Protection & Privacy

The Academy keeps records of pupils on a computer database and the cloud with password protection for the purpose of efficiency and consistency of administration. They can be viewed by you at any time. We will not share any of your personal details without your permission, aside from where the law allows. This complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A full copy of our Privacy Policy can be viewed here. Please note: you must be at least 18 years of age to use this Website. By using the Website and agreeing to these terms and conditions, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age.

A copy of our Privacy Policy can be viewed here.

 

12. Administration Policy

Upon joining The Academy, ALL pupils must complete an online Contact Form, linked from your Welcome Email. This form is completely confidential and is protected under our GDPR, Data Protection & our Privacy Policy. You must ensure that the details provided by you on registration or at any time are correct and complete.

 

You must inform us immediately of any changes to the information that you provide when registering by updating your personal details to ensure we can communicate with you effectively.

 

If you no longer wish to attend a class, then the Directors must be informed immediately, in writing, before invoices are issued for the next month (the third week of the month).

 

We may suspend or cancel your registration with immediate effect for any reasonable purposes or if you breach these terms and conditions.

 

If you wish to leave The Academy, you may cancel your student registration at any time by informing us – with at least 2 weeks written notice, addressed to the Directors. Cancellation or suspension of your registration does not affect any statutory rights.

 

As per our Payment Policy, if you are on a package and your child leaves The Academy part way through the year, as we spread the yearly fee over 11 equal payments, the Directors reserve the right to send an invoice for any outstanding classes to bring payments in-line with completed classes.

 

13. Uniform Policy

After attending the dance school for one month you will be expected to order the correct dance attire and shoes to wear in lessons and for examinations and performances. Please see our size guide and price list here. Students need to ensure they are wearing the The Academy branded uniform for examinations and our annual Showcase. This uniform can (and should) also be worn in lessons. To ensure health and safety is met during lessons students should not wear jewellery, tie their hair back and for Ballet, hair should be up in a classical bun. Chewing gum or eating food is not allowed during lessons.

 

14. Unsupervised Children Policy

Children in lessons are under the care and supervision of the teacher and/or any other cover teacher plus a student teacher and/or helper for children under the age of 6.

 

Children who have breaks between classes or wait for classes to start are NOT under the supervision or responsibility of the dance school. Children under the age of 12 years should be supervised during any break times when taking dance classes. It is the parent’s responsibility to put plans into place to find suitable supervision during break times and the child should be informed of this.

 

At dance events like shows and performances, The Academy will ensure all children are supervised by the correct amount of chaperones backstage.

 

At other dance events, like exams, children under the age of 13 years old should be supervised by an adult over the age of 18 years+.

 

15. Collecting your Child

All parents/carers must collect their child from the front door if they are under 12yrs. Young children will not be allowed to walk out into the street by themselves; it is also not the responsibility of teachers to walk students out to their parent/s.

 

16. Communal Areas

All people using the waiting areas, corridors and changing rooms need to show respect to all students. Please ensure that your conversations are child friendly and no student should overhear bad language or swearing.

 

17. Lost Property

The Academy is not responsible for any items or valuables lost during lesson times. Lockers are available and should be used where possible.

 

18. Payment Policy

Classes should be paid for via bank transfer on the 1st of the month. You will be invoiced a few days prior to this date. The charge on this invoice covers all your registered classes for the month, regardless of holidays or absences, to hold your place in the class. If your child has poor attendance they may not be entered for exams or performances.

 

All account details are available on your invoice or by request. Please use your child’s name as a reference.

 

Fees cannot be paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis due to many of our classes being fully subscribed. Fees CANNOT be paid for in arrears and if this happens a late fee may be incurred due to administration costs. Any late payments could result in your child not being admitted into the class.

 

If you are on one of the payment packages offered (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum), please note, the fees associated with the packages are worked out across the weeks of the school year, a loyalty discount is applied and then this fee is divided up and spread across 11 equal monthly payments for ease of setting up a standing order. There is no further discount for months where the school is partially closed i.e. December as this has already been accounted for. We do not charge for classes in August whilst the school is closed completely for the full month.

 

If you are not enrolled in the minimum number of classes per week specified (Bronze – 4+, Silver – 5+, Gold – 6+, Platinum 7+), you do not meet the criteria to be eligible for package payments.

 

Our Senior Musical Theatre classes are charged at a flat rate of £30pm. These classes are only included in our Platinum package and they come at an additional fee for our Bronze, Silver and Gold package students, with a £5 discount applied. These are charged monthly and not weekly to account for extended Saturday classes and additional Sunday rehearsals throughout the academic year.

 

As stated in our Administration Policy, if you no longer wish to attend a class, then the Directors must be informed immediately, in writing before invoices are issued for the next month (the third week of the month). If you wish to leave The Academy, at least 2 weeks written notice, addressed to the Directors applies.

 

Please note: if you are on a package and your child leaves The Academy part way through the year, as we spread the yearly fee over 11 equal payments, the Directors reserve the right to send an invoice for any outstanding classes to bring payments in-line with classes attended.

 

We may suspend or cancel your registration with immediate effect for any reasonable purposes or if you breach these terms and conditions, as detailed in our Administration Policy.

 

19. Absence

If you miss a lesson, you will be charged for the full amount of the classes missed. If your child has poor attendance they may not be entered for exams or performances.

 

20. Smoking Policy

The Academy has a non-smoking policy, and smoking is not permitted anywhere in and around the building where lessons take place. This is due to the health hazards of smoking and passive smoking.

 

21. Public Insurance Liability

The Academy has public liability insurance.  Any locum teacher who teaches classes will be either covered via this insurance, or will have their own personal insurance.

 

22. Other Policies

This page should be read together with the following policies and resources:

 

All employees will be DBS checked.

 

23. Legal Framework

Our Policies have been drawn up in accordance with the following:

  • Children Act 1989
  • United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991
  • General Data Protection Regulation
  • Human Rights Act 1998
  • Sexual Offences Act 2003
  • Children Act 2004
  • Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
  • Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
  • Children and Families Act 2014
  • Special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice – Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014
  • Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services
  • Working together to safeguard children (2019)