Safeguarding and Procedural Policies
Blommaert Ballet School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all young people that access our teaching services. We honour our statutory responsibility to follow the guidelines outlined by the Department for Education in the Keeping Children Safe in Education publication.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and BBS expects that all staff members, visitors, and parents familiarise themselves with our safeguarding policy, all policies hereby referred to, and thereby uphold our commitment.
Any type of maltreatment or bullying, whether physical, verbal, psychological or cyber is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. All concerns raised will be investigated immediately and in full through the appropriate designated channels. Our designated safeguarding lead is Sander Blommaert (Founder), and the deputy safeguarding lead is Denise Horsley. If you have concerns regarding the safety of any BBS pupil you must report these to the designated safeguarding lead. If you have any concerns regarding the conduct of any member of the teaching staff, again this must be reported to the safeguarding team.
All staff members are fully qualified ballet teachers who hold Personal Insurance, an Enhanced DBS Certificate, and engage in annual safeguarding training.
The aims of our Safeguarding Policy are to:
Provide a safe and nurturing environment for all young people, in which trust and openness are valued and upheld.
Ensure that all teachers take the lead in ensuring that safeguarding policies are implemented effectively and actively promote positive attitudes and behaviours in relation to the maintenance of fairness and equality.
All concerns raised will be acted upon and investigated swiftly, fairly and with consistency.
All concerns and reports will be recorded in full.
The main objectives of the Safeguarding Policy are to ensure that all parties, teachers, parents and pupils understand what bullying and maltreatment are, how they might manifest themselves in this context, and how to raise concerns in the knowledge they will be supported, with all reports upheld, recorded and investigated thoroughly.
Safeguarding Information Specifically for Online Classes via Zoom Platform
Online classes should not take place in the child’s bedroom but in a suitable communal area set aside for the class.
Ensure you create as much available space as you can for the class, removing any items from the floor that may present a trip hazard.
A smooth, even floor is best for ballet, and far preferable to carpet, which is not recommended. Roll out dance floors may be used, ensuring that the corners do not present a trip hazard. Aside from this simple advice, BBS accepts no responsibility for the suitability of the space and the flooring during home sessions via Zoom.
All members of the household need to be made aware of the class taking place to avoid any intrusive or embarrassing incidents.
No images, moving or photographic, will be used in any capacity without first obtaining parental consent.
Please do not record classes without prior consent.
When entering the waiting room for a class, please ensure the child’s name is entered.
Parents and Guardians are warmly invited and encouraged to be present, particularly during the assessment session if they would like to.
Introductory Assessment Class Policy / Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Policy
All prospective students will be invited to participate in an Introductory Assessment Class in order to discuss and consider the students aims and goals in relation to BBS’s mission statement and ensure a good match between our teaching expertise and the individual student’s requirements, needs and goals.
BBS maintains an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Policy in its approach to student participation; no student will be excluded on the grounds of disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or racial background.
Our Commitment to Best Practice / Medical Disclaimer Policy
All teaching faculty at Blommaert Ballet School are highly qualified, highly trained, experienced practitioners who offer advice and training that draws upon this, advocating a commitment to best practice. We are not medical practitioners and our teachings should never replace seeking the advice of a medical practitioner where relevant, as in the case of injury for example.
Blommaert Ballet School always advise students to seek the advice of a medical professional in any such scenario.
Kinaesthetic Feedback - Appropriate Physical Contact Policy
The implementation of kinaesthetic* feedback is an essential teaching strategy in the facilitation of classical ballet technique during in-person sessions. It is necessary to use physical touch in order to convey the correct placing of the body.
BBS acknowledges that this area of teaching has the potential to be both sensitive and complex, and this policy serves to be both informative and to reinforce the schools’ commitment to the safeguarding and welfare of both students and teachers within the school.
BBS tailors all teaching practice to the needs of the individual, respecting the wishes of the student and paying due diligence in ensuring that contact is implemented with sensitivity and care.
Both students and parents are encouraged to raise and discuss any concerns regarding kinaesthetic feedback either with Sander Blommaert (Founder) or a member of the teaching faculty, ideally prior to participating and thereafter at any point. BBS actively encourages all concerns to be raised with the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
*Kinaesthetic – Tactile learning. Active engagement in which learning takes place directly through physical means rather than through listening or watching a demonstration. 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.
The kinaesthetic pathway in one of the main three pathways to the brain and is used as a teaching strategy in combination with visual and auditory learning styles in order to deliver balanced, multi-sensory learning in order to both meet and challenge the needs of each individual student.
GDPR Policy
It is necessary for BBS to keep and store information relating to pupils on a computer data base that is kept securely and has password protection. The purposes of this information relate to administrative ease and consistency, and to issues of safeguarding and matters in relation to medical wellbeing. The personal information held in relation to you can be viewed at any time. BBS will not share any your personal details with any third party without your express permission, aside from where the law allows. This complies with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Pupil Code of Conduct Policy
It is expected that students will be punctual, and will perform their own warm-up prior to class.
It is expected that students will dress in appropriate dancewear to enable the contours of the body to be visible in line with the implementation and facilitation of safe practice. The wearing of jewellery is not recommended.
It is expected that all medical conditions and injuries will be declared within the introductory assessment class, and it follows that any injuries that arise during the course of tutoring within BBS will be declared and discussed with the teacher at the beginning of the following class.
Payment and Cancellation Policy for weekly/fortnightly classes
Classes cancelled less than 24 hours before the start time will not be refunded.
Advance payment must be made for your class prior to the start time. Any classes not paid for at least 30 minutes prior to the start time will not take place and will need to be rescheduled.
For online sessions, a zoom invitation with a link will be sent by email at least one day prior the scheduled session, excepting cases where the lesson is booked or rescheduled on the day.