Keeping Your Child Safe
Above all else, our number one priority at Stage Academy is keeping your child safe and secure during their time with us. We believe in being open and honest about exactly how we do this and strongly encourage all parents to familiarise themselves with our core policies and procedures outlined below. In the interests of transparency you can also download the full Stage Academy policy handbook – just click the button. Should you have any questions regarding safety and security at Stage Academy activities please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Our Staff
Our staff are Stage Academy’s greatest asset – we couldn’t provide our classes without these truly brilliant people. To ensure we only work with the best we have thorough hiring and training processes in place.
- A comprehensive interview process.
- Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service, formally CRB) checks for all staff that come into contact with children.
- Employment and character reference checking.
- Induction and ongoing training in all areas covered by the Stage Academy Policy Handbook.
- Ensuring a minimum of one fully trained paediatric first aider is on hand and available at all times during Stage Academy classes.
Pickup Adults
After a fabulous Stage Academy class, it is vital that we ensure children return home safely to their parents or carers. This is why we have developed our “Pickup Adults” policy.
From the moment you sign your child up for a free trial at a Stage Academy class we will ask for the names of anyone and everyone who you would like to authorise to pick them up, these are your child’s “Pickup Adults”, we will only allow children to go home with someone on the list, this way we can be certain they are going home with the right person.
Children aged ten and over can go home alone from Stage Academy provided we have pre-signed authorisation from their parent or carer – don’t worry, you can authorise this at the same time as signing up for the free trial or at a later date. However, please remember that a parent or carer must drop off and pick up their child for their very first Stage Academy session regardless of age.
Medical Needs
Stage Academy staff are experienced in dealing with individual medical needs in order to ensure as many children as possible can enjoy and benefit from our classes. When you first sign your child up for a free trial we will ask if they have any allergies or medical needs, it is important that you explain any needs in detail so we know how to keep your child safe.
If your child’s needs mean they require medication such as an inhaler, EpiPen or any other medication to be present at class or should your child need any other form of medical assistance while they are with us, we will ask you to fill out a “Medical Needs” form. You will do this when signing up for a free trial session or at a later date should medical needs arise whist your child is already a Stage Academy student. This form will give our staff a full understanding of your child’s needs as well as giving our staff permission to administer any medication that you provide should this be necessary.
Any medication will be kept with Stage Academy staff who can keep them safe and at hand for the duration of our classes. Required medication such as inhalers or EpiPens must be brought to every class or your child will be denied entry.
Although we do everything we can to cater to specific medical needs the final decision will always lie with your Stage Academy Principal who will exercise their discretion to ensure the safety of those involved.
Venue Security and Safety
We have strict criteria in place for selecting Stage Academy venues and only venues that meet all of our criteria make the cut to host classes. Further to this, we complete a comprehensive risk assessment before every single session just in case anything has changed. All venues are different but you can be sure when bringing your child to one of our classes that the space will be clean, appropriate for the planned activities, safe and secure. We also ensure that staff in every venue are well versed in its emergency evacuation procedures.
Parents Responsibilities
Ensuring safety and security at Stage Academy activities relies on the support of our parents and carers. As such there are a few really important things that we need you to do.
- Provide thorough and accurate information - when signing up to a Stage Academy class please fill out the registration form in detail and double-check for any errors. We rely on the accuracy of this information in the unlikely event of an emergency.
- Keep your information up to date - we need to know about any changes to you or your child's personal information as soon as possible especially pick up adults, emergency contacts and medical needs. It is your responsibly as a parent or carer to ensure this information is up to date, please make any changes through your online account.
- Ensure your child is dropped off and picked up from our activities on time and by a registered "Pickup Adult" or if your child is ten and over and you wish for them to go home on their own ensure you have signed the authorisation form for this in advance through your online account.
- Familiarise yourself with the Stage Academy Policy Handbook.
- Report any safety and wellbeing concerns expediently to your Stage Academy principal.
With your help, we can ensure we provide not only the very best classes in the business but also the safest environment around. We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation with our policies.
Bullying and Harassment
Stage Academy adopts a zero tolerance policy in relation to bullying and harassment. We strive to create a safe and welcoming space for children to express their creativity and personality free from judgement, hatred or intolerance. Any cases of bullying or harassment will be investigated thoroughly by Stage Academy, we make it clear to students and parents that they can report any such cases with confidence to a member of Stage Academy staff.
Stage Academy reserves the right to permanently exclude without refund any student found to be engaging in any form of bullying or harassment, regardless of whether the incident took place at a Stage Academy activity.
Safeguarding
Stage Academy is committed to ensuring children in our care are protected from maltreatment, harm and radicalisation. We believe everyone has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practice in a way that protects them. We will make sure that all children and young people have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We have robust procedures in place for recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns, for full details please refer to the Stage Academy Policy Handbook.
Should you wish to report a safeguarding concern please contact the Designated Safeguarding Officer.
Designated Safeguarding Officer
Andrew Howson – andrewhowson@stageacademy.co.uk – 07862128111
Insurance
At Stage Academy, we have full public, products and employers liability insurance covering all of our activities to give our parents and partners absolute confidence and peace of mind. For your reference, you can view the confirmation of our insurance below.