1.0 SAFEGUARDING AND SAFER RECRUITMENT

COMPLIANCE REPORT

British School of St Petersburg successfully met Standards one to five of the COBIS Compliance system.

1.0 SAFEGUARDING AND SAFER RECRUITMENT

The school places a high priority on the safeguarding of students and staff, including child protection, and the safe recruitment of appropriately qualified and experienced staff.

1A STANDARD

The school recruitment process is fair, thorough and transparent and applies to all appointments consistently

COMMENTARY

The school has a robust Safer Recruitment Policy and is committed to safer recruitment procedures, with the safeguarding and well-being of children as a priority. The school recruitment process is fair and transparent and ensures that appropriate staff are appointed. Key members of staff and the Board of Trustees have completed the COBIS-recognised safer recruitment training through EduCare.

All vacancies are advertised on the TES website, and local hire advertisements through Headhunter recruitment. All advertisements and forms make clear the school’s commitment to safeguarding. Candidates are selected against the person specification for the post. A minimum of two people is required on the Selection and Recruitment Panel. At least one member of the Selection and Recruitment Panel will have successfully completed recognised training in safer recruitment and child protection.

Where possible, teaching staff may be asked to teach a lesson as part of the interview process. Interview questions and tasks are agreed in advance. Safeguarding questions have been added to the interview process. Notes are taken and copies are kept, ensuring consistency in appointments and in feedback given to candidates. Written records are kept for the entire recruitment process and all staff information is stored on Salesforce.

Three references are usually requested, with a mandatory minimum of two required, one of which must be from the applicant’s current or most recent employer. References are requested before the selection stage, so that any discrepancies may be investigated during this stage of the procedure. After references are received, referees are also contacted by telephone to verify the information given. The identity of every referee is identified and recorded on the reference sheet in the SCR.

Records are kept of these verification checks. Appropriate checks are also carried out to confirm identity, right to work in the country, previous employment history and qualifications. The school also demands all original, or apostilled copies, of birth certificates and copies of these are found in the SCR.

The successful candidate is required to provide a police criminal background check from any country that they have resided in during the past 5 years. In the case of UK nationals, the certificate required will be the ICPC and DBS Enhanced Level check. Where staff are locally employed, they undergo the same rigorous process as staff employed from abroad.

The school has a robust induction plan for new staff, including the requirement to receive safeguarding training prior to commencing employment. This provision should continue to be monitored and adapted to meet the needs of new staff and any new developments in legislation.

The school also has an Equality and Diversity Policy, confirming that it is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and other members of the community.

The Single Central Record is well maintained, with all required documents found to be in order. During the compliance visit a total of 9 document files were inspected, which represents approximately 56% of the total staff currently employed. Detailed files are kept of all current employees of the school, both local and international, along with those of the Board of Trustees and previous employees. Records are also in evidence for contracted staff and were inspected during the visit. There are currently no temporary staff or supply teachers.

All checks carried out, regardless of the country that they were carried out in, are required by law to be forwarded to the relevant Russian authorities before a contract and work visa can be issued. Documents are also required to be notarised, have an apostille and be translated for the authorities.

COMMENDATION

The school should be commended for their robust approach to safer recruitment.

NEXT STEPS

None noted.

1B STANDARD

All staff within the school including volunteers and supply staff meet high standards of child protection and the safeguarding of students

COMMENTARY

The school has a Child Protection Policy that reflects the context of British Schools Overseas and Russian guidelines. The school recognises its duty and responsibilities to protect and safeguard the interests of all children. A copy of the policy can be found on the school website. Posters are displayed around the whole school to identify the designated safeguarding leads to staff, students, parents and visitors to the school, but no further documentation is given to visitors of the school. There is not currently a leaflet for reception to give to visitors which outlines the Safeguarding Policy, Visitor Code of Conduct and identifies the designated safeguarding leads. This leaflet should be devised for reception to give to visitors, outlining Safeguarding and Visitor policies, plus the fire evacuation procedures.

There are two designated safeguarding leads in school and one nominated member of the Board of Trustees. All are trained to Level Three in safeguarding and child protection. At present they have been unable to all complete face to face training, due to the current pandemic restrictions, however, this is scheduled to take place as soon as it is possible. Guidelines regarding procedures following disclosures, including allegations involving staff, are evident. The designated safeguarding leads meet regularly with the link Board member. There are regular meetings between the two school designated safeguarding leads and the designated Board member.

To date, there have been no safeguarding cases that have needed to be recorded or referred. Consistent methods of recording and storing disclosures need to be investigated fully, as at present they can be paper or digitally

based. Should there be any incident that requires onward referral, this would be passed on to the Russian authorities, who would deal with it appropriately.

All staff are provided with mandatory training in safeguarding and child protection through EduCare. For those members of staff who speak only Russian, training is provided on a face-to-face basis in their native language. This training is extended to contracted staff, for example the cleaning, transport and kitchen staff. Those involved in recruitment procedures are also given safer recruitment training.

Online Safety is also of paramount concern to the school, with staff and students receiving training and advice in this area. The school has a strict policy of not allowing staff to add students on social media platforms.

All staff, parents, and visitors to the school wear colour coded lanyards for identification. Visitors must sign in on arrival and are never left unsupervised in school. The school does not have any supply staff and any volunteers visiting the school for events are supervised by teaching staff.

There is currently construction work being completed on the third floor of the building. There is a separate entrance and exit for all construction workers, who have no contact with the students, therefore posing no safeguarding risk.

NEXT STEPS

Headteacher to monitor the SCR each term and keep records of findings.

Devise a leaflet for reception to give to visitors which outlines Safeguarding and Visitor policies, plus the fire evacuation procedures.

Investigate secure platforms available online to keep confidential records of disclosures and aid tracking in safeguarding.

Ensure that Level 3 face-to-face training is attended when pandemic restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, there are online inter-active options available.