Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Introduction
1) The Study Pod is a solely traded educational business run by:
Sonal Sudra (Founder)
2) The Study Pod is based remotely; however uses the business address:
124-128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NJ
3) The Study Pod is committed to developing good practice and safe procedures. We aim to ensure that any child protection concerns are handled with sensitivity, appropriate and professional care, to cater and protect all children in our care.
4) This safeguarding policy aims to provide clear direction to all staff involved and expects every adult working or helping at The Study Pod to support and comply with the expected codes of practice and behaviour in dealing with child protection matters.
Policy
1) The Study Pod is committed to creating a proactive culture of safeguarding. All staff at The Study Pod are committed to ensuring that:
(a) the welfare of the child is paramount;
(b) all children, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity are able to receive the benefit of tutoring in a safe environment;
(c) all reasonable steps are taken to protect children from harm, discrimination and demeaning treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings;
(d) all suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to appropriately;
(e) all members who work with children will be recruited with regard to their suitability for that responsibility, and will seek guidance and/or training in good practice and child protection procedures;
(f) they work in partnership with parents and children – which is essential for the protection of children.
2) All staff and parents must read this document and ensure this policy is adhered to. Please see compliance section for any body who does not adhere to the policy.
Statement of intent
The Study Pod will:
• Ensure that there is a designated senior person for child protection (Sonal Sudra) who has received appropriate training and support and regularly updates their knowledge.
• Ensure that all team members know the identity of the designated person (Sonal Sudra).
• Ensure that team members are alert to the signs of abuse, and understand their responsibilities to refer their concerns to the senior designated person.
• Ensure that all tutors have the appropriate safeguarding training certificates and will undertaken refresher courses as necessary.
• Ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibility placed on the organisation and team members for child protection.
• Keep written records of concern about pupils, even where there is no need to refer the matter immediately.
• Ensure all records are kept securely.
• Develop and follow procedures where an allegation is made against a member of the team.
• Ensure safe recruitment practices are always followed.
• Ensure that the Child Protection Policy is updated and reviewed on an annual basis.
• Ensure that appropriate safety checks are carried out on staff from other agencies who are present in the class.
Safeguarding children during educational support:
1) We offer educational support services to:
· Students aged between 5-16 (Reception to Year 11) in group tutoring sessions online. We also offer mindfulness and yoga practices online, in group settings.
The risks to children
We believe children who attend or use any services at The Study Pod are cared for and grow up in a safe and happy environment and it is important not to exaggerate or overestimate dangers. However, it is of utmost importance to us that all children are protected and so we have to be aware of the different types of abuse that unfortunately can occur:
o Sexual abuse
o Online grooming and exploitation
o Physical and emotional abuse and neglect
o Domestic violence
o Inappropriate supervision by staff or volunteers
o Bullying, cyber bullying, acts of violence and aggression within our schools and campuses
o Victimisation
o Self-harm
o Unsafe environments and activities
o Crime
o Exploitation
Recognising abuse
1) To ensure that our pupils are protected from harm, we need to understand what types of behaviour constitute abuse or neglect. Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment. There are four categories of abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.
2) All teachers and tutors are trained to recognise these forms of abuse. It is the responsibility of teachers to report concerns. It is not a teacher’s responsibility to investigate or decide whether a child has been abused.
Action taken
Teachers will fill out a concern form if they are worried about a child and this should then be passed onto Sonal Sudra (designated senior person for child protection) of The Study Pod.
The Study Pod will also ensure that these records will be stored securely, and following best practice guidelines from a variety of safeguarding bodies (including Ofsted and NSPCC), will retain records 6 years after the child turns 18.
Photo and video disclaimer
1)We do not normally take any photographs or video clips during lessons. However, for the purpose of any social media posts or website; we will always ask for consent before posting. When completing the registration process; parents will be asked for their consent.
2)When online sessions take place, pupils will be able to see their tutor on screen as well as the other pupils in the group.
3)Online group tutoring and 1 to 1 remote tutoring lessons will be delivered on Zoom.us, so that tutor and pupils are in view of each other. This will be for the purpose to deliver a quality first teaching experience.
Teacher registration
1) The Study Pod ensures that all teachers are fully registered and disclosed prior to working with children online.
2) Parental and student personal details will be kept private and under the terms of the privacy policy by all teachers tutoring at The Study Pod.
Disclosure and Barring
1) Our policy requires all teachers to undergo an Enhanced DBS and/or police checks under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. No teacher working for The Study Pod has any criminal records and all teacher tutors have signed a declaration form to indicate so.
Roles and Responsibilities of all teachers/ tutors at The Study Pod
1) Ensure the teaching environment does not display any inappropriate images.
2) Ensure that all teaching material is safe and prohibits any inappropriate content and images, treating all clients in a professional, safe and fairly, without prejudice or discrimination manner.
3) Ensure language is appropriate and not offensive or discriminatory when in contact with the student.
4) Not make any improper suggestions to a student/s.
5) Not send unsolicited communications to the student or parent/responsible adult.
6) Report any dispute with a student or parent/responsible adult to (Sonal Sudra), in accordance with the Safeguarding procedures.
7) Report any inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity identified by a student or third party.
Students must:
1) Always treat the teacher and any staff members with respect.
2) Not make any improper suggestions to the teacher, or use inappropriate or abusive language.
3) Have no communication with the teacher outside the educational support session.
4) Report any dispute with a teacher to a parent/responsible adult in accordance with the Safeguarding procedures.
5) Report any inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity by a teacher within a session in accordance with the Safeguarding procedures.
Parents/Guardians must:
1) Be available to contact during any learning session, where the child needs support remotely.
2) Make the tutor aware of any learning difficulties/medical needs to ensure that the environment for the child is appropriate and meets their needs.
3) Ensure that teachers are treated with respect and fairness by their child.
4) Ensure the student has no inappropriate communication with the teacher.
5) Report any dispute with a tutor to Sonal Sudra at The Study Pod in accordance with procedures set out in this document.
6) Report any inappropriate behaviour or illegal activity by a teacher in accordance with procedures set out in this document.
7) Parents/guardians should also notify The Study Pod of any changes in their child’s circumstances (e.g., if the child is in a vulnerable situation or has experienced trauma), so that we can provide the right support going forward.
8) Parents are encouraged to supervise online sessions and educate themselves on maintaining a safe home learning environment and online safety. More details can be found on gov.uk – ‘Keeping your child safe online.’
Policy on the prevention of bullying
Under no circumstances will The Study Pod tolerate the bullying of children either by adults or by other children. If any incident of child-on-child bullying should arise at any Study Pod service, those involved will be separated immediately and the parents of the children involved will be asked to deal with the matter. The Study Pod will review all incidents of child-on-child bullying and assess the likely future risk to children. If appropriate, The Study Pod will consider banning a child from future support services, depending on the level of severity. The Study Pod will also offer support for the victim (e.g., counselling or academic support) and ensure the perpetrator understands the consequences of their actions.
If peer-on-peer abuse is suspected or disclosed - we will follow the same procedures as set out above for responding to child abuse.
Compliance
1)All persons including tutors and parents who use any services delivered by The Study Pod, have a responsibility to familiarise themselves with the Safeguarding Policy.
2)Any staff member working for The Study Pod will be suspended from providing any further services, if there has been a reported breach of the Safeguarding Policy. Until the incident has been investigated by the appropriate authority, it is expected that the staff member will not teach for The Study Pod.
3)The final decision on action taken for minor breaches of the Safeguarding Policy will be the responsibility of Sonal Sudra of The Study Pod.
4)Any person reported for illegal activity whilst using The Study Pod services will be reported to police and will be barred from the service.
5)Any person reported for causing harm to a student or subjecting the student to sexual abuse will be reported to police and barred from the service.
Review
The Safeguarding Policy and procedures will be reviewed by The Study Pod annually to ensure it is adequate and relevant to national safeguarding standards. We will also accept feedback from parents, tutors and children (if appropriate) when reviewing our policy. This will help to ensure the policy remains relevant and effective.
Last updated August 30th 2025.
