Safeguarding and Procedural Policies

Please familiarise yourself with our Safeguarding and Procedural Policies and do not hesitate to get in touch with any queries or questions that may arise.

Here at Joanne Penner Dance Coaching we are committed to safeguarding, and promoting the welfare, of all our students and staff. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and Joanne Penner Dance Coaching expects that all staff members, visitors, and parents familiarise themselves with our safeguarding policy, as well as all other polices, and thereby uphold our commitment. We honour our statutory responsibility to follow the guidelines outlined by the Department for Education in the Keeping Children Safe in Education publication.

Maltreatment, bullying or abuse of any kind (whether physical, verbal, psychological, or cyber) is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Any and all concerns raised will be investigated immediately and in full. Our designated safeguarding lead is Joanne Penner (Founder), and if you develop concerns regarding the safety of any student at Joanne Penner Coaching you must report these to the designated safeguarding lead. Equally if you have any worries regarding the conduct of any member of the teaching staff, this must also be reported to the safeguarding lead.

Joanne Penner (Founder) is a fully qualified ballet teacher who holds Personal Liability Insurance, an Enhanced DBS Certificate, and completes annual safeguarding training.

Aims of our Safeguarding Policy:

• to protect children from maltreatment of any type by ensuring all staff members understand in full their responsibilities and promote positive and supportive behaviours,

• to prevent impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development by listening to and caring for the needs of each student as priority and treat individuals with fairness and respect at all times,

• to ensure that children grow and learn in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care by creating a learning environment that values trust and openness in the highest regard,

• to act immediately, and appropriately, to all safeguarding concerns.

The primary objectives of our Safeguarding Policy are therefore to ensure that all parties understand what maltreatment, bullying, and abuse are, how they might manifest in this context, and how to raise concerns in the knowledge they will be supported, with all reports upheld, recorded and investigated thoroughly.

At Joanne Penner Coaching we are dedicated to upholding an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity Policy that promotes fair treatment for all students, parents, and staff. In absolutely no circumstance will an individual be excluded on the grounds of disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or racial background. We wish to encourage diversity within the dance and arts sectors and welcome all current and prospective students.

Joanne Penner (Founder) is a highly qualified, highly trained, and experienced practitioner who offers training and knowledge that draws upon this. At Joanne Penner Dance Coaching we endeavour to always provide only the best, and safest, dance practice. However we are not medical professionals and we should therefore never replace seeking the advice of a medical practitioner where relevant or necessary, for example in the case of unavoidable accident or injury.

Joanne Penner Dance Coaching always advises students to seek the advice of a medical professional in any such scenario.

Dance is a practical art form and therefore it is sometimes required that a teacher uses and gives Kinaesthetic* Feedback (physical contact) when providing corrections to ensure accurate placement of the body. Kinaesthetic feedback will be used only when strictly necessary and any student who does not wish to receive this form of correction is not obliged to do so - please ensure you inform Joanne Penner (Founder) prior to engagement or at any point thereafter if this is the case.

At Joanne Penner Dance Coaching we acknowledge that this area of teaching can be both sensitive and complex, and this policy therefore aims to be both informative and to reinforce our commitment to the safeguarding and welfare of all parties.

*Kinaesthetic learning, or tactile learning, is a learning style which takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations. The student develops awareness of both position and movement of the parts of the body and their relation to each other (alignment) by means of the sensory organs (proprioceptors) in the muscles and joints.

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and replaces the previous Data Protection. GDPR states that personal data should be ‘processed fairly & lawfully’ and ‘collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes’ and that individuals data is not processed without their knowledge and are only processed with their ‘explicit’ consent. GDPR covers personal data relating to individuals.

Joanne Penner Dance Coaching is committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals with respect to the processing of children’s, parent’s, visitor’s, and staff’s personal data. The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them. It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly.

It is necessary for Joanne Penner Dance Coaching to keep and store information relating to students that is kept securely and has password protection. The purposes of holding this information is to ensure administrative ease and consistency, and to support issues of safeguarding and matters in relation to medical wellbeing. Personal information held in relation to you can be viewed at any time. Joanne Penner Dance Coaching will not share your personal details with any third party without your express permission, aside from where the law allows.

At Joanne Penner Dance Coaching we only want the best for all our students, our code of conduct consists of some simple guidelines we expect all dancers to follow. They are designed to keep everyone safe, having fun, and dancing to the best of their ability! We ask that you familiarise yourself with these guidelines prior to participation and thereafter whenever necessary.

Aggressive, abusive, anti-social behaviour, or bullying will not be tolerated from anyone, in any circumstance. Please always conduct yourself in an appropriate manner and treat those around you with kindness and respect. Older students should remember they are role models for the younger dancers!
It is vital that students arrive for their classes in good time - at least five minutes prior to the advertised start time. Those arriving late for class they may miss important information, impede the learning of others, and risk injury due to a lack of warm up.
Students must arrive dressed and ready for class in the appropriate uniform in order to be able to work correctly and safely in class, and to present a professional appearance. For ballet all students should have their hair in a neat bun, and in all instances hair should be secured up and away from the face.
Always bring a full bottle of water and a suitable snack to dancing. It is imperative to stay hydrated and well-fuelled throughout your training - dancing is hard work!
Have fun and ask if you need help! We are all here because we love dancing and at Joanne Penner Dance Coaching we are here to support you in any way we can.

JOANNE PENNER

DANCE COACHING

Safeguarding and Procedural Policies