With the cooperation of parents and carers, Cirencester Creative Dance Academy (CCDA) ensures, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of the pupils (under the age of 18) as well as any vulnerable adults whom CCDA provides a service to teach dance/performing arts. We take steps to ensure that our statutory duties are met. The successful implementation of health and safety requires commitment from all teaching staff. In addition, each pupil has an obligation to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and for the safety of others who may be affected by their actions and to follow any guidelines issued by CCDA in that respect.
Responsibilities
Principal: Katherine-Lucy Bates
- Ensuring that CCDA is kept up to date with technical skills, qualifications, and insurance.
- Ensuring this policy is brought to the attention of all teaching staff, volunteers, and parents/guardians.
- Ensuring, where reasonably practicable, that no pupil is discriminated against, in terms of any medical condition, disability, or ethnicity.
- Responsible for ensuring that any issue/concern brought to her attention is dealt with and handled thoroughly and sensitively.
- Responsible for setting out clear health and safety guidelines.
Teaching Staff
- Ensuring at all times, that they act in the best interest of the pupils in their care.
- Follow sensible health and safety guidelines as set out by the principal.
- Ensuring at all times that their teaching methods are anatomically safe.
- Due to the nature of dance training, physical corrections are sometimes required, which will be carried out appropriately and sensitively.
- Follow CCDA’s safeguarding procedures, in the event of concerns over a child’s wellbeing.
Parents/Carers
- Informing the Principal, in writing, of any issues, including medical conditions that may affect their child’s health and safety while in the care of CCDA.
- Ensuring the health and safety of their child whilst on the premises (before, between, or after lessons).
- Ensuring children register their attendance on arrival, with the CCDA representative.
- Ensuring their child is respectful of basic health and safety rules whilst at any teaching venue, festival, theatre, or anywhere that CCDA is performing.
- Parents have a responsibility to ensure CCDA is kept up-to-date with all contact details.
- Parents have a responsibility to ensure all steps have been completed on enrolment and that they have completed opting in forms for Data needed to administer the classes attended.
Health & Safety Responsibility of Pupils
- Personal belongings are stored away – please use lockers at the Leisure centre.
- Bags and shoes are never left on the floor.
- No hot drinks in studios – only water allowed.
- No jewellery.
- Hair to be tied up neatly in a bun or plaited ponytail.
- Ensure all students warm up correctly so as not to cause injury and are appropriately attired.
Photography/Filming
CCDA has a website as well as both private and public Facebook pages and a YouTube channel. CCDA teachers and authorized personnel, only with prior consent from principal, may periodically film the pupils dancing as a legitimate coaching aid and sometimes post videos and photographs onto these pages. Performances such as presentation and the summer show are also filmed and captured in photography. Please ensure you have ticked the permission form for these activities.
Bullying
CCDA takes a no-tolerance approach to bullying. Students and parents should be assured that known incidents of bullying will be responded to. The ethos of CCDA fosters high expectations of outstanding behaviour and we will consistently challenge any behaviour that falls below this. Our full anti-bullying policy is available for parents and students to read on the CCDA website.
Safeguarding procedures
Designated Safeguarding Officer, Katherine-Lucy Bates.
- If a child is in immediate danger, teaching staff should call the police on 999.
- If a child is not in immediate danger, teaching staff should notify Katherine-Lucy Bates of any concerns over a child’s safety and wellbeing, having followed the procedure to take a disclosure.
- If a member of staff takes a disclosure they should:
- Reassure the child that they’ve done the right thing in telling the teacher.
- Make sure the child knows that abuse is never their fault.
- Never talk to the alleged perpetrator about the child’s disclosure.
- Keep accurate and detailed notes on any concerns they have about a child.
Whistleblowing
If any member of staff has concerns over the wellbeing of anyone under 18, who they think is being abused or neglected, or that a child and their family need help and support and wishes to take advice from Gloucestershire County Council, they should call 01452 426565.
If you witness something which affects other people within CCDA– groups of colleagues, service users, members of the public or the organisation itself, please contact Gloucestershire Shire Hall HR on 01452 425888 for advice.
Legislation & Guidance
Supporting this policy:
- The Children Act 1989
- The Policy Act 1997
- The Data Protection Act 2018
- The Human Rights Act 1998
- The Protection of Children Act 1999
- The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000
Child Protection Policy Part 2
For Rehearsal and Performance.
(To be read in conjunction with Part 1, attached.)
Policy Statement
Cirencester Creative Dance Academy Principal, teachers and show team, will ensure; while planning and running performances; that they have measures in place to protect the safety and wellbeing of their pupils, by following the guidance issued by Gloucestershire County Council on Children in Performance.
Staffing
The principal has the responsibility to establish systems to ensure:
- All backstage helpers/teachers are DBS checked and have received briefing on their roles and responsibilities.
- There is a clear rota for all teachers/helper’s backstage with signing in and out sheets. No one will be allowed backstage/changing rooms unless they have an enhanced children DBS certificate that has been checked in advance of the performance, and a record kept of the certificate number and issue date.
- All backstage helpers have identification badges on Lanyards with their role identified by colour coding.
- Performance licenses are obtained for any child that meets the criteria.
- Any children who have performance licenses will have a registered chaperone allocated to them for each performance.
- In the event of a BOPA only DBS registered parents will be allowed backstage. For each show performance there will be at least one local authority chaperone present.
Safeguarding
The principal has the responsibility to ensure:
- There is a designated Safeguarding lead in place.
- Systems are in place for signing pupils in and out of their designated changing rooms.
- There is a record of emergency contact details for each pupil.
- Suitable changing rooms/toileting facilities are provided in line with safeguarding, to allow for gender, age differences and to promote privacy and dignity.
- All children, irrespective of whether they have a chaperone or not, will be clear who their responsible adult is for that rehearsal/performance and any changes/handovers are clearly communicated.
- There are clear plans in place for pupils to be escorted from changing rooms to stage and back, avoiding public areas.
- Systems are in place for excluding mobile phones, tablets, cameras from backstage areas. (Lead for each room to have emergency phone)
Health and Safety
- A risk assessment of the venue will be completed in collaboration with the designated health and safety officer from the venue, prior to the performance. (appendix 1a)
- A health and safety brief will be undertaken by the principal and venue representative prior to rehearsal and a reminder brief by each Lead backstage helper prior to each performance.
- A warm up session will be run by teachers for all pupils prior to rehearsal and each performance.
- A minimum of two certified first aiders will be in attendance for every rehearsal and performance, and they will have access to approved first aid kit.
- A record of pupils who have particular health requirements will be kept by the designated lead backstage helper for each room, and a master copy held by the principal.
Record Keeping, Storage and Disposal
Any person identifiable records required during the performances will be the responsibility of designated lead Backstage helpers, and the principal. These records will be kept in folders.
- The records will be stored between performances in a secure place on site, with the principal responsible for the key.
- Any written records will be kept for a year in a secure place identified by the principal, and then destroyed.
Policy Review
The policy will be reviewed annually and revised as required. Updated FEBRUARY 2024.
