TRAVEL POLICY

 

Students who travel to and from the Music school need to be aware that Transport for London (TfL) have devised a Behaviour Code which they expect all young people to adhere to at all times when they are travelling on public transport.

This code is in place to ensure everyone travels safely with due respect for fellow passengers, staff and property and failure to adhere to the expected behaviours can result in this free concession being withdrawn.

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Please check Transport for London's website to view all related  documents (TfL) outlining their expectations and definitions of unacceptable antisocial  behaviour on .

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ATTENDANCE

(REGULATING STUDENT ATTENDANCE)

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Punctuality and regular attendance is essential for each and every student in order to fully grasp every single drop of knowledge Bishopsaxz Music School has to offer. Regular attendance ensures students have continuity of learning, can develop and maintain relationships with their peer groups and staff whilst also developing a pattern of commitment, which will create a positive attitude and ethos to support their transition into the world of further education, training, performance or employment. Students who maintain regular attendance also benefit from participating in the attendance reward system, specific to each individual.

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Students might have inconsistent pattern of attendance due to circumstances out of their control. In addition they may have also spent time out of lessons for misbehaviour or even refused to enter a class. Each and every one on these experiences has a clear and sometimes drastic impact on each child’s educational progress, which then compounds any difficulties they may already have. The school will follow the attendance procedures in order to address and improve that student’s attendance. .

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It is an expectation that Bishopsaxz Music school and all relevant linked agencies will work in partnership to achieve and maintain excellent Centre attendance and punctuality. In order to ensure consistency, accuracy of recorded attendance and access to appropriate early help and intervention, the Centre must mirror respite attendance upon receipt of the weekly attendance.

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Bishopsaxz Music school representative will liaise with all related external agencies in relation to individual student punctuality and attendance updates and are expected to work jointly to remove barriers preventing each student achieving above 95% attendance. The consequential process will work in partnership with BMS allocated staff and carers of the child.

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​Our ethos is to work on an early intervention basis by promptly identifying barriers and initiating specific support and guidance to enable students and parents to fully benefit from what Bishopsaxz Music School has to offer. Therefore, working in partnership with families and carers is an essential element of our work. We adopt a consistent, robust and honest approach to communication to ensure parents/carers have information and access to the support we can provide.

 

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SAFEGUARDING

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BMS has a Designated Safeguarding Lead who has overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection within the Centre and can be contacted directly in order to discuss any concerns.

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The BMS Safeguarding Lead who has gone through a thorough safeguarding training to ensure we maintain every student’s safety and welfare supports each Safeguarding Lead in their role. Training (this includes annual training) delivered to staff relates to Child Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, Children Missing Education, Prevent and British Values in addition to a clear structured support for staff to address challenging and complex safeguarding concerns.

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Mr King David Aygapong is our Designated Safeguarding Governor/Lead who regularly participates and monitors our Policy and practice the Centre, which will be updated and adapted in line with Local and National changes in legislation outside of the regular annual review.

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ALLEGATIONS

(PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING AN ALLEGATIONS)

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Any allegation of abuse to a student by a teacher must be reported to the relevant designated Safeguarding Lead. It is then their responsibility to immediately inform the Head(s) of Service, or the Head(s) of Centre. Should the initial allegation first be made to any other member of staff then that member of staff must either request the person raising the allegation to report it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or if that is not possible to pass details directly to Head of Service or The Head(s) of Centre.

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The school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads will not investigate allegations made against members of staff, as this is the duty of the Head(s) of Service in partnership with Head(s) of Centre and Board when appropriate.

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Should an allegation be made against the Designated Safeguarding Leads or Operation Manager it should be brought to the attention of the Heads immediately.

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Should an allegation be made against the Head(s) of Service then this should be brought to the attention of the Chair of Board.

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Should the allegation meet any of the following criteria then the Head(s) of Centre should report the allegation to the local authority designated officer the same day that the allegation is received. An ‘allegation’ refers to any information or concern which suggests an adult who works with children has:

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• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child

• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he would pose a risk of harm if they work regularly or closely with children living outside the family. The concern or allegation could relate to a current or historical concern.

• An allegation can be made in a number of ways:

• Directly by the child

• Indirectly, for example by friends of the child

• Complaint from a parent/career to Head of Centre, Social Care or the Police

• Report from a colleague or another agency

• Anonymously Initial Consideration All allegations are taken seriously and acted upon. The management of allegations sits within an effective cycle of good practice, which exists both to protect our students and those who work with them. Upon receipt of any allegation or concern the Head(s) of Service and Head(s) of Centre should not investigate the allegation at this stage. Together they will consider the nature, content and context of the allegation and agree whether there is sufficient evidence to establish whether the allegation is false or unfounded and agree the course of action to be taken. If agreed a referral will take place within 1 working day. The Head(s) of Service or Head(s) of Centre will discuss the matter with the ‘local authority designated officer’ and provide any further details of the allegation and the circumstances in which it was made. If the allegation is not patently false and there is cause to suspect that a student is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, the local authority designated officer will immediately refer to children’s social care and ask for a strategy discussion in accordance with Working Together to safeguard Children to be convened straight away. In those circumstances the strategy discussion should include the local authority designated officer and the Head(s) of Service and Head(s) of Centre. If there is no cause to suspect that “significant harm” is an issue, but a criminal offence might have been committed, the local authority designated officer should immediately inform the police and convene a similar discussion to decide whether a police investigation is needed. That discussion will also involve the student and any other agencies involved with the student.

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BMS CAREERS GUIDANCE

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BMS is committed to promoting high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance as an integral part of every student’s education. Our dedicated HR and Safeguarding Lead delivers this.

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Aims of Careers Education and Guidance:

• To provide careers, financial and enterprise awareness throughout the BMS schools.

• To use a variety of platforms and tools to engage and inspire students including IT and performing arts.

• To prepare students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of a seasoned musician and also adult life.

• To arm students with music and performance information in a variety of formats to meet individual needs e.g. achieving ABRSM Level 8 in any desired instrument.

• To enable students to understand and interpret local and national careers information to assist them in making informed choices.

• To help students develop their further education and career awareness to enable them to manage personal career development and make appropriate choices.

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EQUALITY ACT POLICY

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Bishopsaxz music School is committed to upholding all elements of the Equality Act October 2010.

We have adopted a Policy and through our action plan continually review and seek to improve our provision in this regard.

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The new General Duty replaces the three existing public sector equality duties for disability, race and gender. It covers all protected characteristics and has three main aims requiring public bodies to have due regard to the need for:

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1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010.

2. Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

3. Foster good relations between persons who share a protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

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