Internet Teaching Child Safeguarding Statement

Rachel’s Music Centre is committed to a child-centred approach in all our work with children. We undertake to provide a safe environment and experience, where the welfare of the child is paramount. This policy extends the Child Protection Policy of Rachel’s Music Centre, which is available to view on our website:  rachelsmusiccentre.com

Musical tuition via the Internet

In facilitating access to instrumental and vocal tuition for our students, Rachel’s Music Centre extends the opportunity to study via the internet. In providing these opportunities, we commit to adhering to the following best practices in the interest of safeguarding both students and musician educators.

Child Protection Concerns Related to Internet Tuition

Musicians educating students over the internet raises the following concerns in relation to child protection:

  • The situation introduces the student to the idea of communicating with an adult that is not part of their family group over the internet. This is not a practice that should come to be considered normal by the student and it should be emphasised by parents that communicating in this manner is something that requires permission and supervision;
  • This method of teaching invites the musician educator into the student’s home, and vice versa, without being physically present and, therefore, possibly unknown to other members of either household. There should be an awareness on behalf of all involved that there is someone virtually present in their home and that everyone’s actions need to be reflected in this. Insofar as is possible, the teaching situation should closely reflect that of teaching in a music school;
  • Rachel’s Music Centre’s musician educators undertake, as part of our Child Protection Policy, to report any concerns over child welfare to Rachel Armstrong, who is the designated person with Rachel’s Music Centre for child welfare matters. This relates not only to the student, but to the welfare of any child in the location in which they are working, physically or virtually.

Parental Consent

Written parental consent shall be sought for the purposes of:

  • Engaging with the young person in their home, or other locations as decided, via live video calls (Zoom/Teams/Skype video calls);

Location and Supervision of Lessons

  • All lessons should be held in an area of the home that is open and accessible to the parents of the student. Lessons should not, for instance, take place in a bedroom with a closed door.
  • Lessons will, however, need to be held in an area where student and musician educator can concentrate on the lesson and not be unnecessarily interrupted. This may be hard to balance with younger children in the house and may take a few lessons to establish a good routine. All concerned need to show some patience in forming a routine and be willing to discuss ways to improve concentration during lessons.
  • A parent/guardian or other responsible adult should be available to drop in and out of the teaching space throughout the duration of the lesson.

Email Addresses (for online classes)

  • All lessons and student-teacher interaction on the student’s part must take place using parent/guardian email addresses.

Alternative Contact Methods

  • All arrangements / re-arrangements to lessons must be made through a parent.
  • Student and musician educator are not to communicate via alternative video / electronic methods other than specifically agreed with the parent. •Any and all communications between student and musician educator must be fully controlled by or accessible to parents.

Grounds for Concern  

The grounds for concern laid out in Rachel’s Music Centre’s Child Protection Policy shall apply in all lessons given over the internet and shall apply to all children in the student’s home. This includes things that happen in the background or off-camera.If a parent has any concerns about the process or relationship between student and musician educator, they should contact Rachel Armstrong of Rachel’s Music Centre to discuss the situation. Rachel’s Music Centre undertakes to investigate all complaints or concerns regarding its teaching staff in line with our Child Protection Policy.

Raising Concerns

Concerns for the welfare of students will be dealt with in line with Rachel’s Music Centre’s Child Protection Policy.