Permissions and Policies

Permissions, Safety and Behaviour

By submitting your details you are registering your child to attend and take part in Nice Swan Academy classes. You acknowledge the need for obedience and good behaviour on his/her part whilst attending and the need for him/her to take special note of any safety instruction given. You are satisfied that all reasonable care will be taken for safety of youngsters and that adequate staffing and other insurance safety measures have been taken. All Nice Swan Academy staff and chaperones are fully DBS checked and qualified to teach our classes and we always follow the correct staff to student ratios.

Medical Information and Special Requirements

You are required to give details of any medical condition, disability, disorder or special requirements Nice Swan Academy staff should be aware of including allergies and any medication your child may need to take whilst attending. This information should be provided on your initial registration.

Photography and Videos

You give permission for your child to be photographed or recorded in class for any necessary promotion purposes in print, press, social media and any marketing material unless you have informed us otherwise.

Uniform

Please see below the uniform guidelines on what uniform students are required to wear for each class. We actively encourage a smart appearance at all times. Uniform can be ordered online using our online shop. Payment must be made when placing the order. All uniform is non refundable but we are happy to exchange for a different size where possible. T-Shirts are large fitting and we always recommend trying on sample t-shirt in class before buying.

Performing Arts classes

Purple Academy t-shirt (compulsory)
Purple Academy Hoodie
Black Leotard
Black leggings, joggers or shorts which are not heavily branded or patterned
Academy Hair Scrunchie or Bow
Black Split Sole Jazz Shoes (compulsory-laced or slip on)

Drama classes/LAMDA classes

Purple Academy t-shirt (compulsory)
Purple Academy Hoodie
Black leggings, joggers or shorts which are not heavily branded or patterned
Academy Hair Scrunchie or bow
Appropriate indoor footwear

Mini Performers/Mini Commercial classes

White Academy t-shirt (compulsory)
Purple Academy Hoodie
Black leggings, joggers or shorts which are not heavily branded or patterned.
Academy Bow or Scrunchie
Appropriate indoor footwear

Acro Gymnastics

Black leotard (compulsory)
Purple velour shorts (compulsory)
Optional Purple T-shirt/Hoodie
Academy Bow or Scrunchie
Appropriate indoor footwear

Mini Ballet

Purple skirted leotard (compulsory)
Pink satin ballet shoes (compulsory)
Pink ballet socks
Academy Bow or Scrunchie

Tap

Purple Academy t-shirt (compulsory)
Purple Academy Hoodie
Black leggings, joggers or shorts which are not heavily branded or patterned
Academy Hair Scrunchie or bow
Black tap shoes (compulsory)

All uniform is available to order via our online shop where we are able to offer the most competitive prices

Please ensure uniform is clean and looks presentable. We do not allow jewellery or jeans and no outdoor footwear should be worn within the studios. All uniform and shoes should be clearly labelled with your child’s full name. Please also ensure any water bottles are clearly named. We do not allow other branded t-shirts or hoodies/jumpers from any other school or dance school. We allow show t-shirts to be worn for show terms only. Hair should be tied neatly off the face for every lesson in a bun or high ponytail. It is preferred that all students wear our scrunchies or bow with subtle hair coloured pins or grips if required. Please no excessive make up or long false nails.

Payments

Term fees will be invoiced at the beginning of the period and are to be paid for in half or full term blocks. Fees can be paid in class by cash/cheque (made payable to Nice Swan Academy Ltd – please note the invoice number on the back), online by bank transfer (please use invoice number as reference) or using our online payment portal. Fees are to be paid before the second lesson of the term. Any fees paid after this time without any prior communication will incur a 10% administration fee. We encourage any parent or carer to contact us should they have any problems with block payments and we will do what we can to support. If payments are continually late your child will not be permitted to attend class until outstanding fees are paid up to date. We do not refund for classes that are missed due to absence or illness. Invoices are non-refundable once payment is made. If your child decides to leave the Academy part way through a term you are required to pay any outstanding invoices in full.

Phones and Personal Belongings

We do not permit phones in any of our lessons. Phones should be kept in dance bags at all times on silent and only used during allocated break times. We are not responsible for any valuable or personal belongings that are brought to the Academy.

Shows/Events

We produce multiple shows and events throughout the year for your child to be involved in. Whilst they aren't compulsory we'd always encourage students to get involved. Tickets for shows are sold at an additional cost and are available to friends and family of the Academy. Tickets are normally sold via our website or in class and are non transferable or refundable. You may be required to support with additional costume hire fees or provide additional items such at dance shoes, tights or leotards for specific events should your child wish to take part. Details of this will be communicated in advance.

Holiday Activities

We regularly run holiday activities when children aren't at school or taking part in their normal timetable. Our holiday camps are very popular not just with our own students but the whole community and generally run at Easter, Summer and Christmas for a number of days. We work with Gateshead Council to be able to provide a number of funded places to support local families during the holidays with extra spaces available at a small, affordable cost once these have been allocated based on a specific criteria. Should payment be made for any holiday activities the same payment terms apply to our normal classes as outlined above.

Lateness

It is essential that we minimise interruptions to our lessons from latecomers. Our lateness policy is therefore crucial as it ensures that the lessons remain focused and productive. Our lateness policy is as follows:

If your child is more than 5 minutes late they must wait at the front desk until we have consulted the member of teaching staff - the teacher will decide whether or not they can participate in or alternatively watch the lesson; the teacher’s decision will depend on:

How late the child is
How often the child has been late before
The stage of the class and exercises and/or choreography planned for the remainder of the lesson

The teacher’s decision should be respected for the child’s safety and in consideration of the other class members (each case will be considered on an individual basis) Please note the teacher may not allow the student to participate in class until the next lesson in the day.

Absence/Illness

We encourage regular attendance at all times and students should only be absent due to illness or sickness. If your child is sick they should not return to the Academy until at least 48hrs after becoming ill. If your child is well enough to attend class but may have a physical injury preventing them from performing we encourage them to attend and sit out to take note of any choreography or blocking to avoid falling behind. We do not refund for any missed classes due to illness.

Commitment

We expect all of our students to be fully committed to the Academy including weekly classes, shows and events and where possible should always prioritise them. Whilst we encourage our students to take part in shows and events outside of the Academy with their school or other external organisations we ask that you ask or inform us before committing to be involved. Loyalty is important to us and we try to avoid any clash of interest or instances which have an affect on your child taking part in events in our own calendar.

Class Cancellation/Extreme Weather

We very rarely have to cancel our classes however in some cases such as heavy snowfall/storms it can make it difficult to access to the building or car parks. We assess each circumstance individually for accessibility and safety and try to inform our parents at least a 2 hours before the lesson start time. This will be communicated by text and/or email and across our social media platforms.

Timetable/Schedule

We publish a new timetable and lesson schedule for each term and send this to parents at least 4 weeks in advance. It is the parent responsibility to check the timetable for dates, times and venues. In some cases we are required to move venue at certain times of the year.

Safeguarding

Our aim is to ensure every child at Nice Swan Academy is safe and protected from harm. This means we will always work to:

protect children from maltreatment
prevent impairment of children’s health or development
ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe and effective care
take action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Our policy gives clear direction to staff, chaperones, visitors and parents about the expected behaviour and our legal responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children at our organisation. Nice Swan Academy fully recognises the contribution it can make to protecting children from harm and supporting and promoting the welfare of all children. The elements of our policy are prevention, protection and support.

We believe that no child or young person should be the subject of neglectful or abusive behaviour. We will promote and maintain the welfare of every child in our care and seek to protect them from harm regardless of race, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief or any other form of identity or creed. We will create a safe and welcoming environment for all.

This policy applies to all our staff, chaperones, visitors and covers children under the age of 18. To protect children and young people in our care, we will:

Value and respect children and listen to what they have to say
Work with children, parents and relevant organisations.
Share our policy with all staff, parents and students.
Ensure all required checks are made when hiring staff and that those in regular contact with children hold a current DBS check (or non-UK equivalent).
Provide appropriate training and support to all staff.
Take responsibility for children and young people’s safety when in our care.
Seek permission from parents before taking images (photographs or film) of students and inform them how and where the images will be used.
Report suspected neglect or abuse to the nominated member of staff, relevant organisation, or police (for UK members an appropriate relevant organisation will be their local council’s Safeguarding Team).
Ensure that this policy is regularly updated.

Nice Swan Academy will establish and maintain an ethos where our children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, are listened to and are safe. Children will be able to talk freely to any member of staff within our Academy if they are worried or concerned about something.

All staff and chaperones know how to recognise a disclosure from a child and will know how to manage this. Every child will know what the adult will do with whatever they have been told. We will provide activities and opportunities that will equip our children with the skills they need to stay safe. At all times we will work in partnership and try to establish effective working relationships with parents, carers and colleagues from other agencies, organisations and the local council.

When new staff or chaperones join our organisation they will be informed of the safeguarding arrangements in place. They will be given a copy of our Academy safeguarding policy and told who our Designated Safeguarding Officer for Safeguarding is. They will also be shown the recording format, given information on how to complete it and who to pass it to.

Every new member of staff or volunteer will have an induction period of 3 months that will include essential safeguarding information. This programme will include safeguarding training relating to signs and symptoms of abuse, how to manage a disclosure from a child, how to record and issues of confidentiality. The induction will also remind staff and volunteers of their responsibility to safeguard all children and the remit of the role of the Designated Safeguarding Officer.

Parents will sign a consent form at the start of their child’s involvement with the Nice Swan Academy, which includes any vital health or otherwise notable information. It also requests permission for photographs to be taken for promotional purposes only. This will also include a statement making parents/carers aware by signing they consent to us sharing information with the relevant authorities if we have concerns about the welfare of their child/children, but that we do not have to seek consent If there are serious concerns about harm or likely harm to their child/children.

If we are concerned about the welfare or safety of any child in our organisation we will record our concerns immediately on the agreed report form and give this to the Designated Safeguarding Officer. Any information recorded will be kept in a secure cabinet a These files will be the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Officer and information will only be shared within the organisation on a need to know basis for the protection of the child. Any safeguarding information will be kept in the file and will be added to. All information is confidential, however if there is a safeguarding or child protection concern about a child, then information can be shared with other agencies, namely the Police or Children’s Services.

Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers

All adults who come into contact with our children have a duty of care to safeguard and promote their welfare. There is a legal duty placed upon us to ensure that all adults who work with or on behalf of our children are competent, confident and safe to do so. We ensure we adhere to the principles of safer recruitment and ensure that we:

Carefully consider the job description and person specification
Circulate all vacancies widely
Prepare an information pack
Ask for a written application form
Define our selection criteria
Ask for a written declaration with regards to criminal convictions, spent or otherwise
Ask for identification
Ask for originals of any qualifications
Conduct interviews with at least two people present
Ask for at least two references, including the last employer
Gain enhanced DBS checks where current Government guidance requires us to

Safety Regulations

Casual visitors should not have access to children without the presence of Nice Swan Academy staff. Similarly parents are not permitted to enter any lessons or studios unless otherwise authorised to do so.
Children under 12 years old will not be permitted to leave the class without a responsible parent/guardian. Children over 12 years old are permitted to make their own way home with written consent of a parent/guardian. It must be made clear that Nice Swan Academy will not be held responsible for child safety once they have left our building. For every lesson we complete a digital register which records which children are in the building. At the end of the lesson the child is automatically signed out. It is important that you inform us at the beginning of a lesson should your child need to leave early so that we can note this on the system in case of emergency. Should you wish to allow your child under 12 to leave the building and walk to a vehicle in the car-park you must provide written consent
We ask that parents inform us should they make alternative arrangements to collect their child (i.e friend, grandparents).
We ask that should a parent/guardian find they are running late, they contact us by telephone at least 5 minutes before the class expected finish time so that we are aware of the situation.

Behavior

At Nice Swan Academy we do not accept any form of bad behavior, rudeness or violence towards any other students or members of staff. Our process of managing behavior in class will depend on the severity however in any instance where we are concerned about a child's general attitude or behavior we will:

The member of teaching staff will give a first warning in the classroom setting.
The member of teaching staff will give a second warning and in some instances ask the child to sit or stand out of the lesson.
The member of teaching staff will give a third and final warning and ask the child to sit or stand out of the lesson. Management and other teaching staff will be informed of the incident and it will be closely monitored in all lessons.
The students parent/guardian will be informed by telephone and followed up with an email. In some instances the parent/guardian may be invited into the Academy to discuss the concerns with a hope of putting a stop to it.
In extreme instances, students may be suspended from class for a period of time or in a worst case scenario excluded from the Academy completely.

Bullying

At Nice Swan Academy we do not tolerate any form of bullying. If bullying is suspected, the following actions will take place to help the victim and to prevent bullying:

All signs of bullying will be taken very seriously. All children will be encouraged to speak about their concerns. The victim will be helped to speak out and to tell someone in authority.
All allegations will be investigated and actions taken to ensure the safety of the victim. Victims and alleged bullies will be spoken to separately and where necessary both parents/guardians will be involved.
Victims will be reassured that they can trust who they are speaking to and they will be helped. Any concerns must be reported to management immediately.
If any form of bullying is suspected between students outside of the Academy we must be informed ASAP so that we can closely monitor this within our classes.
Bullying on social media outside of class is taken very seriously and all activity online is closely monitored where possible.
Any student who is seen to be bullying may be suspended from our classes or in extreme cases be asked to leave permanently.

Online Learning

Safeguarding and child protection is just as important to us when teaching online as it is face to face.

• In most cases multiple members of staff will be in video lessons – whether this be visible or simply monitoring the session remotely.
• Video teaching is to be used for lessons only and is not a platform for contact or communication between staff and children for any other purpose nor should it be used for photos or general messaging.
• We encourage students to restrict their profiles so that they can only receive meetings and calls from known contacts.
• Our staff will be dressed appropriately in normal teaching attire and we encourage students to do the same. Where possible wear uniform and do not wear excessively informal or minimal attire.
• Most of our online sessions will be conducted from our dance or singing studios however in some cases where access is restricted our tutors may have to do this from home.
• All lessons must take place on a secure wifi connection to ensure the child and tutor are protected from hacking and they have privacy.
• Students that take part in online learning should have their camera on and be visible to the tutor taking the lesson. We do not permit students to take part in the session without video.

• If a student’s was to dress or behave inappropriately the call will be terminated or they will be blocked from taking part.

• The same rules apply online as they do to our normal lessons and we will not tolerate bad attitude or behaviour and our tutors should be respected
• Sessions must take place in a neutral location living room, kitchen or office and not in a student’s bedroom.
• Children should take part in lessons in an empty space with a practical flooring surface and where possible a clear plain background.
• Parents are not required to be in the room but should be aware when children are active and online and be in the premises
• Parents will be required to set up and start video lessons for younger children and in some cases may want to take part or get involved.
• Times and content of sessions will be communicated to parents in advance and will always be conducted and taught by Nice Swan Academy staff.
• Anything untoward or suspicious content online should be reported to the management immediately.
• We do not expect children who are suffering with symptoms of the virus to take part in lessons until they feel better.

At Nice Swan Academy we are fully committed to the protection and safeguarding of our students whether this be online or in the studios.

Data Protection

By completing a registration form you give permission to keep your personal data on record for 12 months for the purposes of emergency and internal advertising/communication after which time your details will be disposed of securely. Parents are required to complete a new registration at the start of every academic year. We do not share your personal information with any third parties. It is the parent’s responsibility to inform us of any change in information including telephone numbers and addresses.

Declaration

On behalf of Nice Swan Academy we, will oversee the implementation of the above and take all necessary steps to ensure our policies are adhered to. Nice Swan Academy has a dedicated team that aims to provide a safe and fun experience for everyone who is participating or involved in classes, shows, events and activities. By completing a registration with us, you agree to all of the above policies and regulations.

Last updated: 18th October 2023

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