A duty of care is a legal obligation imposed on an individual when undertaking any act which could harm others, requiring the individual to adhere to a standard of reasonable care. The defendant must be able to show their duty of care when a claim is made against them, meaning that if they breach any part of their duty of care they may become liable. It can be considered as a social contract in which an individual has responsibilities to others within society which they must adhere to. There are two parts to a duty of care, the first part aims to minimise the risk of anything going wrong and the second is to help an individual if something does go wrong.

Professional Competence:

As a school our teachers acknowledge that they are here to facilitate knowledge and dance technique onto pupils within the guidelines of safe practice:

• All teachers are experienced dancers and choreographers with the necessary teaching skills needed to facilitate dance to a range of ages.
• We understand boundaries between student and teacher and respect these.
• No information or photographs will be used in any form of advertisement without parental consent.
• We acknowledge that everyone has the right for their information to remain confidential to other students.
• All teachers are monitored to ensure that the highest level of teaching and facilitating movement is occurring within all classes.

Responsibility:

As a dance school it is our responsibility to ensure that students feel welcomed and happy whilst at sessions, as well as developing their dance ability. It is our responsibility to ensure that all students are getting as much as possible out of our classes:

• All teachers must ensure that students are healthy enough to dance before participating in the session.
• Sessions are taught in a collaborative manor to allow a sense of ownership for students as well as developing their choreographic skills further.
• It is our responsibility to attain regular feedback of sessions in order to ensure all students are satisfied with every element of the school.
• If teachers need support in facilitating class the school will ensure they are supported as much as required to ensure that the students’ best interests do not suffer.
• As a school we are responsible for staying a close co-hort in order to support one another and to help make decision making easier.
• When deciding whether to alter anything within the school or a session, students will be notified and their opinions taken into account before any final decision is made.

Safety:

As a school we respect and abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure that students remain as safe as possible whilst with us:

• When teaching children, no student is allowed to leave until the teacher has seen a parent/guardian who has come to take them home.
• Before each session the teachers check the space to ensure that there is nothing hazardous around.
• The temperature of the room will be monitored throughout the session to ensure that the room is warm enough to dance in.
• In sessions with young children, no student will be left on their own and if required another member of staff will help to support the class.
• For potential students to join the school they must complete and health assessment form:

1) To ensure the person is well enough to take part in sessions without putting themselves at risk.

2) To inform teachers of any medical conditions which need to be monitored during class.

• No one is forced to participate in a session if they are not feeling well enough.
• None of the teachers at the school will force students to undertake any movement which they feel uncomfortable doing or which they think they would cause them harm.

Working with people:

At Blossom Movement we acknowledge that everyone is different and all bodies move in different ways. We understand that although students will all require different needs, that everyone is equal and shall be treated equally at the school:

• At Blossom Movement we recognise that everyone is entitled to equal rights regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, colour, language, religion, political or any other belief and aim to ensure that every student deems themselves as an equal within the school.
• We recognise that although students may have varying abilities that teachers must be as equal and fair as possible when creating choreography and allowing students to create work.
• We acknowledge that everyone has the right to an opinion, and facilitate this through obtaining regular feedback from students.
• We understand that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and we work hard at the school to ensure that every student is able to express themselves fully.
• Bulling within the school will not be tolerated. Any reported cases will be taken extremely seriously and if a student is found guilty of bullying another student they will be asked to leave the school.

Commitment to the Code of Conduct:

The code of conduct is expected to be followed at all times to ensure that both students and teachers are happy and gain positive experiences from being at Blossom Movement. In order to ensure that this happens:

• Students will be able to contact members of staff about any issues they may have.
• Staff have support from co-workers to ensure they work to their best ability.
• Any action which goes against the professional code of contact will be dealt with using a high level of severity.
• Parents/ guardians will be notified by a member of staff if something which we deem unsafe, unethical or something socially unacceptable has occurred. In order for it to not escalate any further.
• All members off staff accept their responsibly of facilitating dance in relation to this code of conduct and acknowledge its importance.