Bluebell Meadow Primary School

Visitors Policy

and Visiting Speakers’ Agreement

Adopted April 2018 Review April 2020

Visitors Policy and Visiting speakers agreement

This policy should be read with the following policies:

Health And Safety Policy

Keeping Children Safe in Education – Safeguarding and Children Protection

Prevent Policy

E-Safety Policy

Data Protection Policy

Behaviour Policy

Governor's Monitoring Visit Policy

Mobile Device Policy

Confidential Reporting Code

At Bluebell Meadow Primary School our vision is to provide a safe, supportive, caring and stimulating learning environment where our children achieve their full potential in all areas of development, fostering a love and enjoyment of learning which will equip them for every future challenge.

Introduction

Visitors are welcome to Bluebell Meadow Primary School. They make a contribution to the life and work of the school in many different ways. The learning opportunities and experience they bring are encouraged and appreciated. It is the school’s responsibility, however, to ensure that the security and welfare of its pupils is not compromised at any time. It is also important that all data and information held in school is secure. The school is equally responsible to the whole school community for ensuring that visitors comply with the guidelines.

It is our aim to safeguard all children under this school’s responsibility both during school time and in extra-curricular activities which are arranged by the school. The ultimate aim is to ensure the pupils of Bluebell Meadow Primary School can learn and enjoy extra-curricular experiences, in an environment where they are safe from harm.

It is our objective to establish a clear protocol and procedure for the admittance of external visitors to the school which is understood by all staff, governors, visitors and parents and conforms to child protection guidelines and Data Protection policy.

The school is deemed to have control and responsibility for its pupils anywhere on the school site, during normal school hours, during after school activities and on school organised (and supervised) off-site activities.

For the purposes of this policy a ‘visitor’ refers to anyone who is not employed directly by the school not including Taylor Shaw catering staff. It does not apply to parents/carers delivering and collecting children from school or delivery personnel.

We identify our visitors into 5 specific categories:

Volunteer

Working

Training

Meeting

Governor

Each category of visitor, whilst following the general principles of this policy, may have slightly different protocols to enable them to carry out their work.

Where possible permission should be granted by the Headteacher before any visitor comes into school. The Headteacher and/or members of the Senior Leadership Team should be given a clear explanation as to the relevance and purpose of the visit and intended date and time for the visit.

All visitors must:

Report to reception first-they must not enter the school via any other entrance.

At reception, all visitors must state the purpose of their visit and who their point of contact is.

Sign in using the school visitor book (Appendix A).

Be given a copy of the ‘Visitor Information Leaflet’ (Appendix B).

Wear a visitor’s lanyard visibly during their entire visit (special permission can be

granted if the visitor is wearing a costume or for health and safety reasons the

lanyard would be inappropriate).

Make their way directly to the assembly point in the junior playground, in the

event of a fire alarm/drill.

Leave via reception, sign out using the school visitor book and return their

lanyard to the office.

Not enter the school office.

Follow the school mobile device policy.

Adhere to confidentiality protocols regarding children, staff and information at

the school.

Specific Protocols:

Volunteer

Requires a DBS to be issued through the school office and be registered on the Single Central Record (SCR).

Must work in public areas of the school if they are working on a 1:1 basis with a child.

Must be escorted to the named contact or their named contact will be asked to come to reception to receive the visitor. The contact will then be responsible for them while they are on site.

Complete a Disqualification by Association check.

Completed an Induction checklist for volunteers (Appendix C) with the named contact

Working

Be part of a Durham County Council approved provider or registered company.

Needs to show formal identification.

Have been DBS checked through their provider and school have evidence of this.

Issued a key only if their work requires this. The key must be signed in and out via the school office.

Provide a report regarding their visit.

Training

Be part of an accredited training provider.

Show formal identification.

Have been DBS checked through their training provider and school must have evidence of this.

Complete Induction Checklist (Appendix C) alongside their named contact in school.

On their first visit to the school they must be escorted to the named contact or their named contact will be asked to come to reception to receive the visitor. The contact will then be responsible for them while they are on site.

Meeting

Must be escorted to the named contact or their named contact will be asked to come to reception to receive the visitor. The contact will then be responsible for them while they are on site.

Must not be left alone with children.

Governor

Requires a DBS to be issued through the school office and be registered on the Single Central Record (SCR)

Must have the visit approved by the Head teacher.

Complete a Governor Monitoring Form (Appendix D) following the visit which must be presented at the next available Full Governors Meeting. (Governor Monitoring form does not need to be filled in for a Full Governor meeting or committee meeting but their presence must be minuted).

Complete a Disqualification by Association check.

DBS

All visitors must have a current DBS check there are very few exceptions when this may not be possible but these cases must be approved by the Head teacher and must be escorted at all times.

Confidentiality

We recognise that for staff and parents of other children to be confident about helpers in school all volunteers will need to agree to a protocol about confidentiality and conduct. Volunteers and parent helpers will be asked to sign a ‘Volunteer Helpers Protocol,’ (see appendix F) a copy of which will be kept in school. The staff room is out of bounds for parent helpers and volunteers so at break times please feel free to let a member of staff know what you would like to drink, then they will bring it to you in an agreed place.

Volunteer Helpers Volunteer helpers support the school in a number of ways:

Supporting individual children within classrooms.

Hearing children read.

Helping with classroom organisation.

Helping with supervision of children on school trips.

Helping with group work.

Helping with art or other practical subjects (i.e. cooking etc.).

Volunteer helpers are not allowed to do the following activities:

Take responsibility for all or some of the class.

Supervise children changing.

Supervise children engaged in P.E. or other specialist activities.

Take children off the school site without a teacher in charge.

Be alone with a child or children.

The responsibility for the health and welfare of the student’s remains with the teacher at all times.

Parents Evenings, School Fair and Discos

It is usual that these happen outside of school teaching hours and so visitors to these events are exempt from this policy. The Head teacher will consider any additional measures that need to be put in place for individual situations.

Identification Badges

Only staff will be issued with ID badges. These should be worn at all times in school. It is also advised that they are used when visiting other establishments on formal school business. ID badges must be returned to the school office when a member of staff or student leaves the school.

Keys

Only directly employed members of staff should have a key for the school. The Unit manager for Taylor Shaw will also be issued with one key.

Fire

In the event of a fire the Office manager will be responsible for registering the visitors using the visitor’s book as a point of reference.

Holiday time

For health and safety reasons visitors and staff members (other than holiday club staff) will be required to sign in and out during holiday periods.

Use of External Agencies and Speakers

At Bluebell Meadow Primary School we encourage the use of external agencies or speakers to enrich the experiences of our pupils; however we will positively vet those external agencies, individuals or speakers who we engage to provide such learning opportunities or experiences for our pupils.

We ensure that we do not unwittingly use agencies that contradict each other with their messages or that are inconsistent with, or are in complete opposition to, the school’s values and ethos. We must be aware that in some instances the work of external agencies may not directly be connected with the rest of the school curriculum so we need to ensure that this work is of benefit to our pupils.

All External Agencies and Speakers must read the Visiting speakers agreement. (Appendix E)

Our school will assess the suitability and effectiveness of input from external agencies or individuals to ensure that:

Any messages communicated to pupils support fundamental British Values and our school values.

Any messages communicated to pupils are consistent with the ethos of the school and do not marginalise any communities, groups or individuals.

Any messages communicated to pupils do not seek to glorify criminal activity or violent extremism or seek to radicalise pupils through extreme or narrow views of faith, religion or culture or other ideologies.

Activities are properly embedded in the curriculum and clearly mapped to schemes of work to avoid contradictory messages or duplication.

Activities are matched to the needs of pupils.

We recognise, however, that the ethos of our school is to encourage pupils to understand opposing views and ideologies, appropriate to their age, understanding and abilities, and to be able to actively engage with them in informed debate, and we may use external agencies or speakers to facilitate and support this. Therefore by delivering a broad and balanced curriculum, augmented by the use of external sources where

appropriate, we will strive to ensure our pupils recognise risk and build resilience to manage any such risk themselves where appropriate to their age and ability but also to help pupils develop the critical thinking skills needed to engage in informed debate.

Unknown/uninvited Visitors to the School

Any visitor to the school site who is not wearing an identity badge should be challenged politely to enquire who they are and their business on the school site.

They should then be escorted to reception to sign in and be issued with a visitor’s badge.

In the event that the visitor refuses to comply, they should be asked to leave the site immediately and the Headteacher should be informed immediately.

The Headteacher and/or members of the Senior Leadership Team will consider the situation and decide if it is necessary to inform the police.

If an unknown/uninvited visitor becomes abusive or aggressive, they will be asked to leave the site immediately and warned that if they fail to leave the school grounds, police assistance will be called for.

Appendix A - School Visitor Book

Appendix B – Visitor Information Leaflet

Appendix C - Induction Checklist for Volunteers and Students

Bluebell Meadow Primary School

Induction checklist for volunteers and students

Content for discussion √ X or N/A Initials

Have you had an overview of buildings and premises and different areas? Tour to include:

Access arrangements

Toilets and washing facilities

Rest areas

Kitchen

Emergency exits and assembly points

Restricted areas

Location of first aid provision

Location of telephones

Location of fire alarms

Their main working area

Do you understand the main activities undertaken in different areas, and basic safety regulations within these?

Do you know who the main people are you are working with, their roles, and who the senior leaders are in school?

Do you understand what to do if you have an emergency, a concern, or feel you may need support if:

There is a behaviour problem?

A child has an accident or injury?

A child says something personal to you/discloses something personal you are worried about?

Do you understand what we mean by suitable dress code?

Do you understand what your main duties are?

Have basic safety rules been explained to you?

Do you understand what your working hours are whilst in school?

Do you feel happy to ask your supervisor for advice if there is anything you are uncertain of?

Do you understand the need for confidentiality?

Are there any other issues you wish to discuss/questions to ask during this initial meeting? (please detail on reverse of sheet)

Do you understand everything in this briefing?

Signed (Student/Volunteer) ……………………………………………………………….. Date: ………………………… Signed (Supervisor) ………………………………………………………………………. Date: ………………………..

Appendix D – Governor Monitoring Visit Form

Bluebell Meadow Primary School

Record of a governor’s school visit

Name: Date:

Governor Responsibility: Staff seen during visit

Focus of previous visit

Reason for this visit

Links with Improvement Priorities

Preparation/background to visit (eg. Reading policy, discussion with HT/teacher, LA focus)

Information gathered during visit (eg. what you saw, what you learned, what you would like clarifying, how long the visit lasted)

Any key issues arising for the Governing Body (eg. The way resources are allocated; the way the school communicates; progress in implementing key policy)

Action following Governing Body meeting (record of any action agreed by the governing body with regard to this visit, eg. training for governors)

Appendix E

Bluebell Meadow Primary School

Visiting Speakers Agreement

At Bluebell Meadow Primary School we understand the importance of visitors and external agencies to enrich the experiences of our pupils.

In order to safeguard our children we expect all visiting speakers to read and adhere to the statements below.

Any messages communicated to pupils support fundamental British Values and our school values.

Any messages communicated to pupils are consistent with the ethos of the school and do not marginalise any communities, groups or individuals

Any messages communicated to pupils do not seek to glorify criminal activity or violent extremism or seek to radicalise pupils through extreme or narrow views of faith, religion or culture or other ideologies

Activities are properly embedded in the curriculum and clearly mapped to schemes of work to avoid contradictory messages or duplication.

Activities are matched to the needs of pupils

Visitors will also be accompanied by a member of staff at all time.

Signed (Visitor)

Signed (School Representative)

Date:

Appendix F Bluebell Meadow Primary School Protocol for parent helpers and volunteers.

Please read and sign the document below to confirm your agreement with the schools expectations as a volunteer or parent helper. The school reserves the right to refuse parent volunteers if they do not adhere to school expectations. As a school, we agree to:

Explain your tasks carefully so that you are clear about what we would like you to do with the children.

Share the school behaviour policy with you to help you understand how we manage behaviour.

Ensure that the children you work with behave and work well.

Treat you with the highest respect and care.

Share relevant information about the children you are working with.

Let you know in advance the overall plan for the day and let you know if this changes.

Treat anything you tell us with confidentiality. We agree not to ask you to:

Deal with difficult or challenging behaviour.

Carry out a task that you feel uncomfortable with.

Headteacher: L. Dollongs As a parent helper or volunteer, I agree to:

Inform the teacher if I see any inappropriate behaviour.

Inform the teacher if I observe anything that concerns me in school.

Treat any information with total confidentiality.

Inform the school by 8.30am in the morning, if I am unable to come in for any reason.

Respect and listen to the guidance of the teacher at all times.

Complete the appropriate DBS safeguarding checks.

Disclose any criminal allegations to the Headteacher prior to starting as a volunteer or parent helper.

Not look at or compare children’s work, records or staff records.

Not share any information about a child or member of staff with anyone outside the school.

Discuss any concerns relating to my child/children at a suitable and pre-arranged time.

Not go onto the playground to see my child/children during break times.

Be an outstanding role model for all pupils.

Volunteer Helper: ………………………………………………… (Print Name) Signed: ………………………………………………………. Date: …………………………….