Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School

 

Policy for Enabling Pupils to Take Problems or Concerns to Staff

This policy needs to be read in conjunction with the following sources of

School policies and documentation –

$1·         Child Protection Policy

$1·         Complaints Policy

$1·         Permissible Sanctions

$1·         Code of Conduct

$1·         Whistle Blowing Policy

$1·         Staffing Policy

$1·         Working with Boarders of the Opposite Sex

Under Standards 2 and 17 of the Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, it is expected that “each boarders has a choice of staff to whom he/she can turn for personal guidance or for help with a personal problem.” Also “pupils are not penalised for raising a concern or making a complaint in good faith”.

Within the School we operate a system, whereby all boarders have a range of people, easy accessible, which whom to share their thoughts and concerns.

The staffing of the boarding department is based upon the following establishment:

Housemaster (Mr Whittles), supported by the residential staff which includes the Headmaster (Mr Dodgson), Headmaster’s wife (Mrs Dodgson) and the Matrons for the houses are Mrs Hart, Mrs Bavester, Mrs Clifton (Girls) and Mrs Rozier (Boys).

All those involved in residential care have a role to ensure that individual children are aware of the support that is available to them which may address issues around-

$1·          Emotional needs

$1·          Fears around bullying

$1·          Concerns around health care issues

$1·          Academic issues and the monitoring of progress

$1·          Supporting children to resolve complaints

$1·          Any other issue significant to the child

Flexibility is built into the system so as to ensure that additional needs such as emotional/behavioural demands are reflected in the overall staff: boarder ratio.

With respect to pastoral support and staffing implications for boarders of the opposite sex, staff should read the detailed practice guidelines on this issue. It is the School’s policy that male staff should not be involved in the physical care of female students. Staffing levels and deployments must always take this issue into consideration. We follow the principle that if a male/female student requests the support of a member of staff of the same gender, the request should be respected.

When a member of the boarding staff receives a complaint from a boarder, s/he should listen carefully to the nature and substance of the complaint, give due consideration and full account to its content and advise the boarder of the formal and informal avenues to obtain consideration of the complaint. If the staff member is in any doubt as to what is the appropriate action in relation to any complaint, s/he shall seek the guidance of professional colleagues.

When a staff member has reason to believe that a boarder or her/his family is in need of help or advice which the staff member is not competent or able to give (by reason of circumstances beyond her/his control), s/he shall inform the child (or the child’s family) and give such assistance as s/he can towards obtaining the appropriate help, treatment or advice.

In a professional relationship between a Housemaster/Mistress and a child, it is the responsibility of the adult to identify if and when that relationship no longer serves the aims and objectives of the School. It is the staff member’s responsibility to make themselves fully aware of the social, legal and professional consequences of any action requested by the child which may be professionally, morally, legally or ethically questionable.

All boarders have the opportunity to contact an adult(s) outside the School in order to talk through issues that feel unable to raise with School staff.

Throughout the School, and in particular in the boarding area, there are posters highlighting a child’s right to make a complaint or suggestion.  If they prefer, they can contact Childline who are independent of the School and it has a specific responsibility to follow up complaints. The School will always prominently display how they can be contacted by having posters by the side of payphones and on notice boards by the office.

Whilst wanting to ensure that boarders have one or more members of staff to whom he or she can turn for personal guidance or with a personal problem, the issue of confidentiality needs to be clarified. In issues concerning child protection staff are reminded of the extensive practice guidelines contained in the Child Protection Policy. In particular, the following should be noted:

If a child starts to disclose abuse: -

$1·         Re-assure the child that s/he is right to tell and is not to blame

$1·         Do not promise not to tell anyone else; explain that you have to make sure the child is safe and may need to ask other adults to help you to do this.

NO MEMBER OF STAFF SHOULD OFFER ANY CHILD CONFIDENTIALITY IN MATTERS WHICH COULD OR HAVE AFFECTED THE CHILD’S PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL OR SEXUAL WELLBEING.