NKYO Safeguarding Policy

Online Lessons: Safeguarding Advice & Policy for NKYO

 

This policy should be read in conjunction with NKYO’s Child and Young Person Safeguarding Policy, Procedures & Code of Conduct.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, contact the NKYO Director, Ilana Cravitz, on klezmeryouth@gmail.com*

 

LAST UPDATED 19 July 2021

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NKYO policy re administration, communication and attendance at online sessions

 

Security

 

a) Online NKYO sessions will be scheduled in advance in writing and held in a password-protected event on Zoom.

b) Invitations to NKYO workshops will come from the Director or a mandated staff member. The list of email addresses from which you may receive notifications is at the bottom of this page.**

c) For all online NKYO group sessions the Director will hold an agreed list compiled in advance of teachers and students attending, and no-one else will be admitted.

d) Online sessions with groups of children may involve more than one music teacher. In such cases the Director guarantees that that all NKYO-approved teachers attending are DBS-checked.

e) It is expected that no-one other than registered attendees and the young people’s p/g/cs should be in the room if it would not be appropriate for them to be in the same educational setting as the student e.g. it would not be appropriate for a non-DBS checked adult visitor to a student’s home be in the room.

f) The ‘chat’ function at any given online session will be set to ensure that students can only communicate directly with ‘everyone’ and those granted ‘host’ or ‘co-host’ status by the NKYO staff member in charge.

 

Guidance for staff, parents & carers

 

1. A p/g/c MUST be on the premises. As good practice, the Director / teacher should greet a young participant’s p/g/c before the session commences.***

2. There should be no direct communication of any kind between NKYO teachers and the students outside of the lesson/workshop in the absence of written permission from the p/g/c. Any necessary communication, aside from the lesson itself, should be made through the p/g/c.***

3. Sessions and lessons will operate an ‘open-door’ policy for p/g/c, and teachers may expect some small interruption from them during the session.

4. The teachers will consider that, during the lesson, they have effectively turned the room from which they are conducting the lesson into an educational setting. They will therefore dress and behave applicably; use appropriate language; ensure that nothing inappropriate

can be seen in the background by the student.

5. All NKYO staff will be made aware of the specific circumstances in which taking photos, videos or any image of any child on any device is permitted, and no teacher or session leader will take take photographs, video or any image of any child on any device at an NKYO session unless permission has been granted.

6. Any teacher should feel confident and able to stop lessons if they feel the student is not meeting expectations or behaving appropriately.

 

Teachers will be strongly advised to take the following steps when leading or participating in NKYO sessions:

1. Close down all tabs/web browsers not in direct use for the session.

2. Set computer to ‘do not disturb’.

3. Ensure that there is nothing of any personal nature within the screen shot – keep it as professional as possible, and as clear as possible.

4. Provide structure in the lessons. Know what is going to happen during your lesson and what is needed.

 

Guidance and policy for students attending online sessions

 

1. NKYO asks that students dress appropriately for an educational environment and that the student’s p/g/c takes responsibility for communicating this to them.

2. A p/g/c or student should feel confident and able to stop lessons if they feel the teacher is not meeting expectations or behaving appropriately.

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*At present the Director is also the Designated Safeguarding Officer, responsible for managing and/or having oversight dealing with any concerns about the protection of children who have come to sessions via either of two permission forms:

 

https://forms.gle/EExTy5t66X6PQcq66 

or

www.musicmasters.org.uk/klezmer.

 

If your child is coming to NKYO sessions direct via their instrumental teacher or an organisation, that person or body is responsible for responding to safeguarding questions and issues that you would like to raise.

 

** Notifications of NKYO events will come from one of these email addresses: klezmeryouth@gmail.com; ilanacravitz@gmail.com

 

*** Parents/carers of older students, such as those in Year 12 or 13, will often ask the students themselves to make the arrangements for their instrumental lessons. We strongly advise against this, but should it be unavoidable, the teacher should comply strictly with the

following guidance:

 

- The teacher should ensure that they have explicit written consent from the p/g/c to make such arrangements directly with the student.

 

- Communications should be kept to an absolute minimum; must only be made via email (not text messages or whatsapp); and use only written communication e.g. avoid the use of emoji or gifs, as these can easily be misconstrued

 

- the p/g/c must always be copied into any direct communication between the teacher and the student – it is the responsibility of the teacher (not the student) to ensure that the p/g/c is receiving such emails and aware of the arrangements.