Introduction
This document is intended to give informative and friendly advice to all those who enter and use Norfolk Community Primary School. The protocol is also intended to ensure that everyone knows the procedures, class lessons are not interrupted and pupil’s safety is guaranteed.
In preparing this policy particular consideration has been given to the following:
SHEFFIELD SAFEGUARDING GUIDANCE LETTER TO SCHOOLS - JANUARY 2010
As with all aspects of Ofsted inspections, it is important for the school to “lead” the inspection with confidence. In order to ensure that you and your school meet this challenge, we offer the following pointers:
13. Have an access control system in your school so that all visitors need to sign in and out, identity can be checked if necessary and the movement of the visitor controlled appropriately to their status. It is advisable to have some sort of visitor badge system in place.
The policy applies to:
· All teaching and non-teaching staff employed by the school
· All external visitors entering the school site during the school day or for after school activities (including peripatetic tutors, sports coaches, and curriculum related visitors, e.g. authors, journalists)
· All governors of the school
· All parents (particularly parent helpers)
· All pupils
· Education personnel (LA Advisors, Inspectors)
· Building & Maintenance Contractors
· Employees of Carillion & Taylor Shaw
General Overview
All visitors must report to the main office upon entering the school premises – they should not enter the school via any other entrance.
All visitors, whether parents, curriculum visitors or other professionals should not enter the main part of the building without having first reported to reception.
When inviting visitors to the school they should be asked to bring formal verifiable documentation with them at the time of their visit and be informed of the procedure for visitors as set out below. On arrival, they will be asked to state the purpose of their visit and to confirm their status, by producing verifiable identification.
The staff member dealing with the visitor at reception will record what identification has been seen and by whom and on what date.
If suitable documentation is not available they will, if appropriate, be allowed to access the school, but must be accompanied at all times by a member of staff.
If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of this information, they will not be allowed entrance to the building and the Headteacher or a member of the senior management team will be informed. The latter person may then contact the authorities, if he/she deems this necessary.
All visitors to school shall be welcomed in a cordial confidential, efficient and purposeful manner.
Returning the badge and signing out
On completion of their visit, the visitor will return to reception and will hand in their pass. The time they have left the building should be entered in the visitor’s book.
In the event of an evacuation of the building, the receptionist will take the visitors book to the assembly point to ensure all visitors are out of the building.
Visitors Invited to the School
All visitors who come to the school to meet with school staff and then pupils should report to the main Reception desk where a visitor’s pass will be issued to them. Before the pass is issued to them, they will be requested to sign it. A copy of the pass will be retained on the reception desk on the master sheets.
The receptionist will then ensure the visitor is delivered to the correct part of school. The member of staff should remain with the visitor at all times when they are in school, on rare occasions this may not be appropriate but should be discussed with a senior member of staff first.
Curriculum Visitors
Before a visitor is invited to the school, the Head should be informed with a clear explanation as to the relevance and purpose of the visit and intended date and time for the visit. Permission must be granted by the Head before a visitor is asked to come into school.
This does not apply to other professional visitors, e.g. physiotherapist, social services.
Separate guidance is available about ‘Making the most of Visits and Visitors in PSHE and Citizenship’.
Parents bringing pupils into school
All parents must sign in and collect a visitors badge before entering the school premises at all times no matter how well they think they are known to staff.
This will also be the case even if they have pre–arranged meetings with teachers and other professionals. They must abide by all procedures as they will not be known by everyone on site and will therefore be challenged by personnel if they are not known (this is of our responsibility and duty of care to the pupils).
Parents and carers must not walk through the building without a badge or enter classes during lesson times without prior arrangement, as this could be detrimental to the balance of lessons and the concentration of pupils and staff alike.
The exception is in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 where parents are welcome into the classroom until 8.50 am. They must then leave by the outside classroom door, not via the corridors.
Parents with children in different phases of the school must always drop them off at the pupil entrance or outside classroom entrances not via the corridors.
Parents who wish to speak with someone in the main office, should drop off their children first and then proceed to the main reception area around the outside of the building. They cannot walk through the corridors without a visitor’s badge.
Parents bringing pupils into school after the start of the school day
Parents who bring pupils into school after the start of the school day due to hospital, dental appointments, etc. need to register at reception.
They must not leave their child without seeing the office staff or someone in authority thereby ensuring that their child has been handed over into the safety and jurisdiction of a member of the school staff.
Parents and other visitors wishing to speak to staff
If parents wish to discuss issues with staff they can do so via letters, or request that staff phone them or speak to the office staff and make an appointment. Staff are happy to meet parents and carers after school. Discussion can not take place in class in front of pupils or during lesson time.
Parents as volunteers and other volunteers
Parents and other persons who are assisting in school as volunteers will receive a volunteer pass at their induction session. On arrival at school each visit, they must sign in and wear their volunteer badge. There is no requirement to have a new visitors pass issued each day.
Parents attending for Coffee mornings
Normal visitor arrangements apply, e.g. to sign in and wear a visitors badge.
Tutors, parents and others on learner courses
Each of these visitors must sign in and wear a visitors badge in the same way as all other visitors invited into school. They then must be escorted to their learning environment and must not walk through other areas of the building without prior arrangement.
Regular authority visitors
E.g. Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists, Educational Psychologists, Social Workers, Complex Special Needs Team etc.
These visitors should be wearing the standard visitor’s identification badge which states their details and is worn on a ribbon around the neck. They should still enter their details in the visitor’s book and be compliant with our regulations.
Visitors before and after school hours
Breakfast Club
All parents should sign in if attending breakfast club. At 8.40am they must leave via the dining room entrance. If they have pupils in Key Stage 1/2 or Foundation Stage they should accompany them around the outside of the school building to the Key Stage 1/2 or Foundation Stage classroom entrances. Parents should not walk down the corridors to the classrooms in the mornings without a visitor’s badge.
A member of staff will also be available to accompany all pupils in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 to their classrooms.
After school clubs
Parents picking up pupils from after school clubs should wait in the reception area to where the pupils will be brought.
Exceptions to visitor’s requirements
Parents or visitors who have been invited to visit school as part of a scheduled parents evening, special event, scheduled performance by a class, team or group, or other adult participants in organized and school approved activities during out of-school hours are exempt from requirements.
Late arrivals
Any pupils arriving at school after the doors have been locked must enter the building via the main entrance and their late arrival will be recorded in the ‘Late Book’.
Visitors without badges (known as well as unknown)
Remember that infrequent visitors, even volunteers etc. will not be known by all staff and therefore need to be wearing a badge.
Any visitor to the school site who is not wearing an identity badge should be challenged politely to enquire who they are and their business on the school site. Further more detailed information regarding ‘Challenging Intruder’ is included at appendix A.
They should then be escorted to reception to sign the visitor’s book and be issued with an identity badge.
No occasional visitor should be issued with, or loaned a foyer door lock fob by any member of staff.
Occasional visitors should be challenged if trying to wedge doors open for their convenience, e.g. workmen wishing to bring equipment into school.
Workmen/women on site
Workmen will generally ask for the assistance of the Buildings Supervisor but they should still meet our security requirements as staff and pupils may still be on site due to after schools clubs and extended schools projects.
Prams and buggies
Parents should be encouraged not to bring prams and buggies into the building. This not only causes congestion and blocks escape routes, but also makes the entrance area difficult to supervise.
Appendix A
Challenging Intruders
Staff at the school should either challenge any visitor not wearing a visitors badge or immediately report the matter to the Head, pupils should be encouraged to inform their teacher if they see any stranger in the school who does not wear the schools visitors badge.
All staff should feel confident in issuing a polite challenge to any visitors; “Can I help you?” or “Are you lost?” will cover most situations. If any member of staff or pupil feels uneasy about the presence or behaviour of any visitor they should report their concerns immediately to the Head or member of SMT asking the visitor to accompany them to the office. Any serious concerns or threats should follow the procedures below.
Assess the Risk
Try to categorise the intruder and the degree and type of threat posed. Any knowledge of the intruder, their motivation or background, will be of help for the school and possibly the emergency services should they become involved.
· Walk in opportunist thief.
· Former pupils.
· Parents.
· Non-custodial parent seeking access to children or seeking to remove children from school.
· Armed intruder.
· Unknown quantity.
Look out for people who are not staff but appear to have authority to be there. Wearing a suit, carrying a clipboard or wearing overalls are all good cover for a sneak thief.
Challenging the Intruder
· Do not stand too close or invade personal space, this could trigger violent confrontation.
· Avoid an aggressive stance such as finger wagging or folded arms.
· Be polite. Stay calm; speak gently, slowly and clearly.
· Explain your authority to challenge them if it is questioned.
· Always tell another person when going to speak to possible intruders.
· Avoid arguments.
· Never place your hand on a potentially aggressive intruder.
· Do not turn your back, and if you leave the room, do so backwards.
· Try to leave yourself an escape route which you have planned on entry to the area.
· Be on the look out for weapons.
· If there is more than one intruder, do not confront them on your own, seek support first or enlist the help of the police.
· If you do not feel sufficiently confident to challenge an intruder, do not do it. Seek help; no-one will think the less of you.
Contacting the Emergency Services
Whilst we have a good working relationship with the local police the emergency number should always be used in the following circumstances –
· There is any danger to life.
· Actual or expected threat of violence.
· Threat of damage to property.
· A crime is in progress.
· A further crime may occur.
· There is any other incident which in your judgement requires an immediate response.
During the Event
If there is any question of a risk to pupils and/or staff, evacuate the school using normal fire evacuation procedures. There may be situations where evacuation would increase the risk or exacerbate a sensitive situation. Circumstances will dictate the action to be taken and either the Head or individual members of staff will have to take the responsibility of making a judgement as to the right course of action. If there is a physical threat to staff or pupils always call the police using 999.
Nobody should attempt, or feel that they are expected, to “have a go” if there is any question of their being at risk of injury as a result. If there is a risk of equipment being stolen it is better to lose such equipment rather than risk a violent incident. Similarly, if there is a risk of assault, an intruder could claim you used unreasonable or unjustified force on them.
Avoid direct confrontation until the police arrive. Where staff or pupils are not in immediate danger from an intruder, try to keep track of their movements and inform the police of their whereabouts when they arrive.
In the case of attempted abduction or direct physical threat to a pupil you will be required to make an immediate judgement. Consider –
· Will the victim be in greater danger or lesser danger if the intruder is confronted?