Aim:
To protect the child at all times and to give all staff involved clear guidance as to their roles to ensure good practice throughout the school.

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Rationale:

• The Children’s House, Montessori Preschool, seeks to put the child at the heart of the learning process and to providing a safe and secure learning environment.

• It is committed to developing creative and positive ways for the child’s voice to be heard whilst recognising the responsibility to use, hold and safeguard information received.

• The school is mindful that it is placed in a position of trust by all involved and there is a general expectation that a professional approach will be used in all matters of confidentiality.

• The School has a duty of care and responsibility towards pupils, parents/carers and staff. It also needs to work with a range of outside agencies and share information on a professional basis.

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Objectives:

• To be consistent in school about handling information about children once it has been received.

• To foster an ethos of trust within the school.

• To ensure that staff are aware of the school’s confidentiality policy.

• To ensure that there is equality of provision and access for all including monitoring of cultural, gender and special educational needs.

• To ensure that if there are child protection issues then the correct procedure is followed.

• To ensure that confidentiality is a whole school issue and that in lessons ground rules are set for the protection of all.

• To ensure that parents have a right of access to any records school may hold on their child but not to any other child that they do not have parental responsibility for.

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Guidelines:

1. All information about individual children is private and should only be shared with those staff that has a need to know. This includes contact information, telephone numbers, and emails etc. that are held on the school records are not to be used or shared with others outside the school context.

2. All social services, medical and personal information about a child should be held in a safe and secure place which cannot be accessed by individuals other than school staff.

3. The school continues to actively promote a positive ethos and respect for the individual:

   • The Head teacher has ultimate responsibility for child protection.

   • Staff will not discuss individual children with people other than the parents/carers of that child.

   • Staff will receive written notice in case of inappropriate conduct.

   • Staff are aware of the need to handle all issues about different types of families in a sensitive manner.

   • Any intolerance about gender, faith, race, culture or sexuality is unacceptable.

   • Information collected for one purpose should not be used for another.

   • Personnel issues will remain confidential to the people involved.

4. The school prides itself on good communication with parents and carers and staff are always available to talk to both children and parents/carers about issues that are causing concern.

5. Photographs of children should not be used without parents/carers permission especially in the press and on the internet. All photographs taken of the children with in the school setting must be transferred onto the school computer and deleted from individual telephones.

6. Information about children will be shared with parents but only about their child. Parents should not have access to any other child’s books, marks and progress at any time, especially at parents’ evening. All personal information about children, including social services records should be regarded as confidential.