Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy
Performers College Juniors believes that it is always unacceptable for a child or young adult to experience abuse of any kind and recognises it's responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to practice a good solid system of safeguarding.
We recognise that:
The purpose of the policy:
The policy applies to all staff and students, and anyone working on behalf of Performers College Juniors.
We seek to safeguard children and young people by:
Performers College Juniors' Safeguarding Lead is Aimee Dwight and all incidents and concerns should be reported to her. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for monitoring and managing incidents or concerns and leasing with the relevant safeguarding agencies. Performers College Juniors aims to meet legislative requirements and good practice in safeguarding.
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
We recognise that:
- The welfare of the child/young person is paramount
- All children and young people regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm and abuse.
- Students and staff need to feel confident that they can study and work in an environment where they feel safe, respected and listened to, and where they can be confident to speak out and know they will be heard.
The purpose of the policy:
- To provide protection for children and young people who attend Performers College Juniors.
- To provide staff with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of harm.
The policy applies to all staff and students, and anyone working on behalf of Performers College Juniors.
We seek to safeguard children and young people by:
- Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
- Recruiting staff safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made, and that key members of staff receive the appropriate training in Safer Recruitment.
- Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with staff and students.
- Providing effective management for staff through support and training.
Performers College Juniors' Safeguarding Lead is Aimee Dwight and all incidents and concerns should be reported to her. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for monitoring and managing incidents or concerns and leasing with the relevant safeguarding agencies. Performers College Juniors aims to meet legislative requirements and good practice in safeguarding.
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
GDPR Policy
Privacy Notice
(How we use pupil information)
The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:
- Personal information (such as name, DOB, address, phone numbers and email addresses)
- Medical conditions (helping us to keep the children safe and protect them whilst in our care)
- Attendance information (such as sessions attended and number of absences)
- Photo permission (for use on social media and our website)
Why we collect and use this information
We use the pupil data:
- To provide care and safety of our pupils, understanding their needs
- To inform parents and students of school information, notices and upcoming events via our
newsletter - To enter students for exams with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD)
- To comply with the child protection laws and regulations when putting on productions in
accordance to performance licensing laws - To comply with the law regarding data sharing
The lawful basis on which we use this information
We collect and use pupil information under the following lawful bases (linked to the above processing purposes)
- Legitimate interests
- Consent
- Public task
- Legal obligation
Collecting pupil information
Whilst the majority of pupil information you provide us in mandatory, some of it is provided on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we will inform you whether you are required to provide us with certain pupil information or if you have a choice in this. The lawful basis for this data will be consent and we will wait until your consent has been given before processing this data.
Storing pupil data
Performers College Juniors use a software called DanceBiz, hosted by ThinkSmart Software, to manage your personal information. This is an online software where all data is stored on dedicated servers (backed up several times per day) in a dedicated UK data warehouse.
Information is encrypted to ensure compliance with principle of confidentiality/integrity. The data can be accessed from one place by anyone with authority. Parents can maintain their own data accuracy easily whenever required. This complies with access rights, rectification, amendment and erasure, together with lawfulness, fairness and transparency.
Paper copies of pupil personal data is kept in a locked filing cabinet at Performers College and these records remain here at all times. These records are shredded once the pupil has left the school.
Performers College Juniors stores personal data held visually in photographs, video clips or as sound recordings. No names are stored with images in photo albums, displays, on the website or on Performers College Juniors social media sites.
All pupil data will be held only for the duration that they are a current pupil at the school. These records will then be securely disposed of.
Who we share pupil information with
We have to share pupil information with:
Why we share pupil information
We share pupil information to the examination board above and the local authorities under the lawful basis of public task in order for us to enter students for exams and involve them in shows. We do not share information about our pupils with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
Requesting access to your personal data
Under the data protection legislation, parents and pupils have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, please contact the manager, Aimee Dwight.
Performers College Juniors use a software called DanceBiz, hosted by ThinkSmart Software, to manage your personal information. This is an online software where all data is stored on dedicated servers (backed up several times per day) in a dedicated UK data warehouse.
Information is encrypted to ensure compliance with principle of confidentiality/integrity. The data can be accessed from one place by anyone with authority. Parents can maintain their own data accuracy easily whenever required. This complies with access rights, rectification, amendment and erasure, together with lawfulness, fairness and transparency.
Paper copies of pupil personal data is kept in a locked filing cabinet at Performers College and these records remain here at all times. These records are shredded once the pupil has left the school.
Performers College Juniors stores personal data held visually in photographs, video clips or as sound recordings. No names are stored with images in photo albums, displays, on the website or on Performers College Juniors social media sites.
All pupil data will be held only for the duration that they are a current pupil at the school. These records will then be securely disposed of.
Who we share pupil information with
We have to share pupil information with:
- Our examination board; ISTD
- Our local authority
Why we share pupil information
We share pupil information to the examination board above and the local authorities under the lawful basis of public task in order for us to enter students for exams and involve them in shows. We do not share information about our pupils with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
Requesting access to your personal data
Under the data protection legislation, parents and pupils have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, please contact the manager, Aimee Dwight.
You also have the right to:
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact the Performers College Juniors Manager
[email protected]
- Object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
- Prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
- Object to decisions being taken by automated means
- In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed
- Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact the Performers College Juniors Manager
[email protected]