General School Visitor Safeguarding and Etiquette
If you’re visiting a school, you need to make sure everything goes safely and smoothly.
Before your visit:
-
A date must be arranged for your visit giving ample notice to the school. (+2 weeks)
-
Confirm the date and time of your visit with the school. Make sure you know who to ask for when you arrive.
-
If you plan to photograph children and young people as part of your work, you must seek prior permission from the school, ensuring parental consent has been gained for those children.
-
Photographs should not be on personal devices but organization devices.
-
Inform the school either through an email/phone call/letter stating the exact purpose of your visit.
-
Ensure you are aware of school holiday dates: https://www.gov.im//media/750665/school-hol-dates-2019-2022-v2.pdf
During the visit:
-
Arrive on time. Schools are busy places.
-
Be prepared to show identification when you arrive.
-
Ensure you sign in and out of the visitors book.
-
If you are issued with a visitors badge, wear it for the duration of your visit.
-
Only go into areas of the school you’ve been permitted to enter.
-
Ensure you are not left alone with a child/children at any time.
-
If you smoke/vape this is to be done off school premises out of eye sight of the children.
-
Language should be appropriate to the environment, even if you are working with adults and not children.
Visitors are not allowed to do the following activities:
-
Take responsibility for all or some of the whole class.
-
Take children off the school site without a teacher in charge.
-
Deal with behaviour of a child in school.
-
Be out of the sight of a member of staff, alone with a child.
-
Physically restrain a child.
-
In some cases you may know a child personally, but you must continue to follow the process above.
During your visit if you think a child is in need because they are suffering or are likely to suffer significant harm you MUST do the following:
1. Make a note (but not in your personal diary/notebook) of what you have seen or been told. You can ask for the school logging concern form from the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
2. Don’t make assumptions, keep an open mind.
3. Do not question the child.
4. Don’t physically examine the child.
5. Never promise to keep secrets.
6. Be discreet - do not say anything that may place the child or yourself at risk.
7. Act quickly and share the information with the Designated and /or Deputy DSL in the school. You can ask for them via the school office.
8. If the disclosure or your concern relates to a member of staff, this must, as soon as possible, be shared with the Headteacher and nothing should be said to the adult involved.
Always check with the school you are visiting if there are any additions or changes to the above safeguarding advice.