Safeguarding, Child Protection & Staff Conduct Policy

The Trail Academy recognises our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children, and all individuals, are respected and valued. We are alert to the signs of isolation, rejection or prejudice and follow clear procedures to ensure that children receive effective support and protection. Child protection forms part of the Trail Academy’s safeguarding responsibilities.

1. Introduction

  • The Owners take seriously the responsibility under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements within the company to identify, assess, and support those children who are suffering harm.

  • This policy applies to all members of staff in the Trail Academy.

2. Policy Principles

  • The welfare of the child is paramount

  • All children regardless of age, gender, culture, language, race, ability, sexual identity or religion have equal rights to protection, safeguarding and opportunities.

  • We recognise that all staff have a full and active part to play in protecting children from harm and have an equal responsibility to act on any suspicion or disclosure that may suggest a child is at risk of harm;

  • All staff adhere to the principle that the Trail Academy should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating environment that promotes the development of the individual child.

3. Policy Aims

  • To demonstrate the Trail Academy’s commitment with regard to safeguarding and child protection to pupils, parents and other partners.

  • To support the child’s development in ways that will foster security, confidence and independence.

  • To provide an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued and respected.

  • To emphasise the need for good levels of communication between all members of staff.

  • To develop and promote effective working relationships with other agencies, especially the Police and Emergency Services if needed.

  • To ensure that all staff working within the Trail Academy,  who have substantial access to children, have been checked as to their suitability, including verification of their identity, qualifications, and a satisfactory DBS check (according to guidance), and a single central record is kept for audit.

Our Values

1. Supporting Children

  • The Trail Academy will support all children by:

  • Encouraging self-esteem and self-assertiveness, through the coaching as well as our relationships, whilst not condoning aggression nor bullying.

  • Promoting a caring, safe and positive environment within the coaching sessions.

  • Responding sympathetically to any requests for time out to deal with distress and anxiety.

2. Prevention / Protection

The Trail Academy will:

  • Work to establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are always listened to.

  • Ensure that all children know there is an adult in the Trail Academy whom they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty.

  • Ensure all staff are aware of Trail Academy guidance for their use of mobile technology and have discussed safeguarding issues around the use of mobile technologies and their associated risks. 

Safe Trail Academy, Safe Staff

 We will ensure that;

  • All staff receive information about the Trail Academy’s safeguarding arrangements, the Trail Academy’s safeguarding statement, child protection policy - all staff receive safeguarding and child protection training

  • The child protection policy is made available via the Trail Academy website or other means and that parents/carers are made aware of this policy. 

 

1. Roles and Responsibilities

All members of The Trail Academy understand and fulfil their responsibilities, namely to ensure that;

  • There is a Child Protection and Safeguarding policy;

  • Ensures that all staff including temporary staff and volunteers are provided with the child protection policy;

  • The Trail Academy operates a recruitment procedure that includes statutory checks on staff suitability to work with children and disqualification by association regulations;

  • All other staff have safeguarding training updated as appropriate;

  • Enhanced DBS checks are in place for all staff;

  • Any weaknesses in Child Protection are remedied immediately;

The Owners will ensure that;

  • The Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and procedures are implemented and followed by all staff;

  • All staff feel able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice and that such concerns are handled sensitively and in accordance with whistle-blowing procedures;

All Trail Academy Staff will;

●     Understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and that they have a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action;

●     Consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child;

●     Will provide a safe environment in which children can learn.

 

 

Participant Welfare and Risk Management

It is at the discretion of the coach whether any individual within the coached group is acting in a way that either endangers themselves and/or any other within the group and/or the coaches of the group.

This may include but not be limited to:

  • failing to follow clear instructions

  • acting in a way that directly or indirectly contradicts a clear instruction

  • deliberately or without thought of direct consequence cause another participant to crash, fall from bike or obtain an injury that would otherwise have been avoidable

  • leave the direct view of the coach and/or coaches without direct instruction to do so

It is at the discretion of the coach whether any individual within the coached group is struggling to enjoy, develop skills in, commit to learning during or fully participate in a coaching session.

This may be due to but not be limited to:

  • relative experience and ability

  • adverse weather, e.g. wet, cold, heat, dehydration

  • pre-existing injury

  • injury sustained within the session

  • allergic reaction

 

The coach has the right to contact parents and ask for the child/children to be collected if one or more of the above referenced criteria are met.

Duty of Care (in loco parentis)

All Trail Academy staff take responsibility for participants for the duration of the coached session.

A register must be taken at the start of every coached session and at the end when participants are collected.

Without direct parental guidance, all Trail Academy staff must act in a manner that has the best interests of the participant at its core. All Trail Academy staff are expected to put the needs of individuals within the group before their own unless doing so endangers one or more of the group

The individual needs of every participant is greater than the shared needs of the group: coaches will take the decision to stop the coached session if one individual’s needs are such that collection by parent, extraction by emergency services or another serious unforeseen situation should arise.

Appropriate touch

The nature of coaching requires modelled skills and on occasions physical guidance. All Trail Academy staff must ask permission to touch any individual when such contact is required to support effective learning. Touch must be obvious, non-sexual in origin and clearly intended to facilitate learning for the individual. This may include but not be limited to:

  • hands on the shoulders or upper back to support

  • hands over hands on the handlebars to model grip

  • hands on shoes to model foot position

  • hands on the helmet to model directed sight whilst riding

Positive reward, in the form of a high-five, a fist-bump or a hand on the upper back is also acceptable providing that the participant has indicated that they are happy with this.

 

Staff Conduct

All Trail Academy staff must behave in a way that provides a positive moral example for all participants. Effective learning takes place within a construct of trust, acceptable risk, encouragement, clear boundaries and enjoyment.

All Trail Academy staff are expected to dress appropriately for the coaching session.

All Trail Academy staff are expected to use appropriate language at all times.

All Trail Academy staff are expected to uphold the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

All Trail Academy staff are expected to promote through action, word or decision the values of respect, tolerance, resilience, cooperation and honesty.

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