VISITORS POLICY

Date of Policy:	For Academic Year 2022-23
Date for Review:	August 2023
Lead for Review:	Assistant Head (PPPD)

Contents

Contents	2

Preface	3

Process	3

Staff Guest Policy – Boarding	3

Student Guest Policy	4

Other occasions when a person may be left unsupervised with students	4

Preface

Guildhouse School London has a specific duty to safeguard the health and safety of visitors to premises under its control (Health and Safety at Work). Proper supervision of access is also important for security and safeguarding reasons. In this policy, visitors will also include contractors appointed to undertake maintenance related works on Guildhouse premises.

The school does not allow any member of staff (including ancillary staff, sessional/contract staff and volunteers) to work unsupervised with students unless that member of staff has been satisfactorily checked with the DBS in line with KCSIE.

Process

As a matter of general policy, all visitors to school will be met on arrival and supervised throughout the duration of their visit. All visitors sign-in at Reception using the electronic sign-in system where there is a statement regarding safeguarding. The Receptionist will ask for ID and check it, then issues the visitor with a sticker and a red visitors lanyard which must be worn at all times. There are signing in books for Premier House. The responsibility for the visitor rests with the Guildhouse member of staff that the visitor is visiting. The visitor must sign-out after having completed the visit.

All visitor must be supervised at all times.

In the case of contractors carrying out repairs to the premises, the responsibility rests with the Operations Manager.

Where it is likely that the visitor will be required to work on the premises for a considerable period, sufficient say for them to be provided with a security pass, then they must be inducted by the Operations Manager or Assistant Head as appropriate. They will still require constant supervision.

Staff Guest Policy – Boarding

This section is designed for live in staff and addresses the access rights that their visitors have to the boarding environment.

Our aim is to provide a fully safe and supervised environment for students. We accept that live-in positions mean that residences are also staff members’ homes, but the needs of the students must be met foremost.

Guildhouse allows visitors into school accommodation provided they sign-in on arrival and sign-out when leaving the residence. The visitors must be fully supervised throughout their visit and ensure they are only visiting during a staff member’s ‘nonduty hours’, i.e. a member’s day off or during ‘break times’. Staff members are further directed not to entertain visitors throughout their duty hours while on shift.

Staff are not permitted to have guests in the boarding house between the hours of 22.30 and 08.30, and no guest should be left unsupervised at any time, even in staff accommodation. All visitors must sign-in and out.

In line with National Minimum Boarding Standards, Standard 19 is always to be followed.

‘19.4 All persons visiting boarding accommodation or staff accommodation (e.g. visitors, outside delivery and maintenance personnel) are kept under sufficient staff supervision to prevent them gaining unsupervised access to boarders or their accommodation.’

Student Guest Policy

Students must not admit any outside visitors to boarding accommodation without authorisation from residence staff. At any stage the Assistant Head or the House Parents have the authority to request a person to leave the accommodation premises.

Students must not admit any outside visitors to the school without authorisation.

Other occasions when a person may be left unsupervised with students

All practicable steps are taken so that students are not entrusted to adults who have not been checked through the DBS. For journeys (e.g. by taxi) which involve giving such adults substantial unsupervised access to boarders, a DBS will be required.

This policy has been written so as to meet the requirements regarding visitors contained in Part 3 of KCSIE 2022.