Safeguarding policy.

1. Our commitment

Edviro Academy teaches GCSE students, most of whom are under 18. The welfare of every child we teach comes first. Every child has the right to learn safely, free from harm, abuse and exploitation, online and offline.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility at Edviro. Everyone who works with us understands their duty to protect students and to act on any concern, however small it seems.

2. Who this policy covers

This policy applies to all teachers, staff, contractors and volunteers who work with Edviro students, whether employed or freelance. It covers every part of our service: live lessons, lesson recordings, homework and marking, the Edviro Student Community, and all communication with students and parents.

3. The law and guidance we follow

• The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
• Keeping Children Safe in Education, which we follow as best practice for an education provider
• The Prevent duty guidance
• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018

4. Our safeguarding leads

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Name and role to add

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Name and role to add

How to reach them

Email info@edviroacademy.co.uk with “Safeguarding” in the subject line, or WhatsApp +44 7454 178698

The Designated Safeguarding Lead receives and records concerns, decides whether to seek advice from or refer to children’s social care or the police, makes sure everyone who works with us is trained, and reviews this policy. The deputy acts in their absence.

5. Safer recruitment and training

• Before anyone teaches with us, we check their identity, qualifications, right to work and references.
• Teachers who work with our students have an enhanced DBS check, including a barred list check where they are eligible.
• Everyone completes safeguarding training when they join, with regular updates. Our safeguarding leads refresh their training at least every two years.
• Everyone who works with us reads and agrees to this policy and our staff code of conduct.

6. How our live lessons keep students safe

• Lessons run as webinars on Edviro’s official platforms. Students join with their camera and microphone off, so they cannot be seen or heard by other students, and they ask questions in the lesson chat.
• Teachers do not hold private video calls with individual students. All teaching takes place in scheduled Edviro sessions.
• Every live lesson is recorded for teaching and safeguarding purposes.
• The teacher monitors the chat. Unkind, unsafe or inappropriate messages are removed and followed up.
• Lesson links are personal to registered students and must not be shared, as set out in our Terms and Conditions.

7. The Edviro Student Community

• The Edviro Student Community is open only to registered students and is organised by year group.
• It is moderated by the Edviro team. Posts that are unkind, unsafe or unrelated to learning are removed.
• Teachers answer questions in the community itself, for example with a video solution. Staff do not move conversations with students into private channels.
• Students can report any post that worries them, and serious concerns go straight to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

8. How our staff communicate

• Staff contact students only through Edviro’s official channels, and messages about arrangements go to parents.
• Staff never share personal phone numbers, email addresses or social media accounts with students, and never connect with students on social media.
• Staff never meet students in person or arrange lessons outside Edviro.
• Staff do not take photos or recordings of students, other than Edviro’s lesson recordings.
• Staff keep their language and behaviour professional at all times, and report any concern about a colleague.

9. Recognising a concern

Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual, or take the form of neglect. Children can also be harmed online, through bullying, grooming, sexual or criminal exploitation and radicalisation, and some young people are at risk of harming themselves.

Signs that something may be wrong include a sudden change in a student’s behaviour, mood or engagement; something they say in the chat, the community or their homework; comments suggesting they are being hurt, frightened or controlled; or an adult taking an unusual interest in them. Staff do not investigate: they listen, record and pass the concern on.

10. What to do if you are worried

If you work with us

• If a child is in immediate danger, call 999, then tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• If a student tells you something worrying, stay calm and listen. Do not promise to keep it secret, do not ask leading questions, and reassure them they were right to tell you.
• Write down what was said or seen as soon as you can, in the student’s own words, with the date and time.
• Tell the Designated Safeguarding Lead the same day.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead decides what happens next. That can mean seeking advice from, or referring to, children’s social care in the area where the child lives, contacting the police if a crime may have been committed, and telling parents, unless doing so could put the child at greater risk.

If you are a parent or student

Contact us at info@edviroacademy.co.uk or on WhatsApp +44 7454 178698, with “Safeguarding” in your message. You can also contact the NSPCC, Childline or CEOP directly (see section 14).

11. Concerns about a member of staff

Any concern that someone who works with us may have harmed a child, or may pose a risk to children, must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead straight away, or to the deputy if the concern is about the Designated Safeguarding Lead. We contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day and follow their advice. The person concerned may be stopped from teaching while the concern is looked into. Where we remove someone for safeguarding reasons, we refer them to the Disclosure and Barring Service, as the law requires.

12. Records, recordings and confidentiality

Safeguarding records are kept securely, separately from other student records, and only the safeguarding leads can see them. We share information only with people who need it, and with other agencies when it is needed to protect a child: data protection law never prevents sharing information to keep a child safe. Lesson recordings are stored securely and kept as set out in our Privacy Policy.

13. Whistleblowing

Anyone who works with us can raise a concern about how we keep children safe without fear of being treated unfairly. If you do not feel able to raise it with us, you can call the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285.

14. Useful contacts

Emergency

999

NSPCC Helpline (adults worried about a child)

0808 800 5000 · help@nspcc.org.uk

Childline (children and young people)

0800 1111 · childline.org.uk

CEOP (report online sexual abuse or grooming)

ceop.police.uk

Children’s social care

Through the council where the child lives

15. Reviewing this policy

The Designated Safeguarding Lead reviews this policy at least once a year, and sooner if the law or guidance changes or after a significant incident. Draft prepared October 2026. Next review: date to add.