Uniform policy

After attending the dance school for one month you will be expected to wear the correct dance uniform. Students need to ensure they are wearing the Cheshire Theatre School uniform to all lessons unless advised otherwise. To ensure health & safety requirements are met during lessons, students should not wear any jewelry and hair should always be worn in a bun.

Here is a link to the CTS uniform page

Collecting Your Child policy

Children who are still in primary school should be collected from the dance studio at the end of class. If your child is in secondary school and you are happy for them to leave the studio by themselves, please let the school principal know so this information can be recorded. It is strongly recommended that all children are collected from the studio and not asked to walk out to the carpark alone.

Class Cancellations policy

Class cancellation notices will be sent out via text, Whatsapp, the school Facebook page & email.

Waiting Area policy

Please ensure that whilst using the general waiting areas respect is always shown. Please ensure all conversations are child friendly and students do not overhear inappropriate language.

Illness policy

If a child is unwell and can not attend class, please contact the school principal as soon as possible. If a child becomes unwell during a class, the school principal will contact you regarding collection. If your child is injured, they may still be able to attend to watch, however this should be discussed with the school principal prior to the class. If your child is returning to the dance school after a serious / long illness or injury, a disclaimer should be signed to ensure your child is fit to participate.

Guidance and policy for unsupervised children

Children in lessons are under the care and supervision of the school principal and / or any other teacher or cover teacher.

Children who have breaks between classes are under the supervision of the school principal and / or any other teacher or cover teacher.

Children who arrive before classes and / or leave late after classes are NOT under the supervision of the dance school. The venue in which your child’s classes take place are also NOT responsible for the care of your child during this time. It is the parent / guardian’s responsibility to put plans into place to find suitable supervision for these times.

At events such as school shows the Cheshire Theatre School will ensure all children are supervised by chaperones. These chaperones will have attended an in-house child protection meeting, be aware of the dance school’s policy regarding supervising children and be DBS checked.

At other events such as exams, festivals, fundraisers etc. children should be supervised by an adult over the age of 18. It is the parent / guardian’s responsibility to arrange this supervision if they can not attend the event themselves.

Data Protection policy

Personal data is stored in a secure location and paperwork containing personal data will not be left in sight of the general public. Sensitive data is always handled with care and treated as confidential. Any data stored on a PC or laptop is password protected.

Health & safety policy

The Cheshire Theatre School takes their responsibility to ensure the health & safety of their pupils very seriously. All pupils must complete a registration form when joining the school with clear information regarding emergency contacts and any relevant medical history. A copy of emergency contact details will be kept alongside class registers.

It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school of any changes to their emergency contact details.

In case of a fire emergency, all staff members have a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

The school will undertake regular assessment of risks regarding premises. Any concerns will be raised with the landlord.

We are committed to ensuring all volunteers / employees are competent in their tasks and provide adequate training for this.

It is the school’s responsibility to keep a fully stocked and equipped First Aid Kit. Should an incident / accident occur, an incident / accident report should be completed.

If required the school will contact the emergency services first, followed by the parent / guardian of the student(s) involved using the contact details provided.

Parents should understand that dance is an active engagement sport, and whilst every effort is made to avoid them, injuries can happen. The school accepts no responsibility for injuries sustained via any other means than a teacher’s negligence.

Pupils will be supervised during class time and official class break time only. Parents / guardians must ensure the safety of their children at all other times.

Parents / guardians should inform the principle of any special health considerations or existing injuries before participating in class.

Parents / guardians are responsible for ensuring their child’s punctuality. Staff members are not available to supervise late pick-ups. Students may be refused entry to class if they are late and / or have missed warm up.

Dress code (including footwear) must always be observed. Only dance shoes or clean, indoor footwear to be worn in the studios.

Pupils should not wear any jewelry that may pose a risk to themselves or others (stud earrings and jewelry worn for cultural / religious reasons are acceptable).

No food or chewing gum is allowed in the studio at any time. Water is permitted in capped bottles.

Smoking policy

The Cheshire Theatre School has a non-smoking policy, and smoking is not permitted within the building.

Drugs & Alcohol policy

The Cheshire Theatre School has a strict no drugs & alcohol policy. Any pupil, teacher or volunteer found to be using drugs or alcohol whilst attending classes or working at the school will be presented with a verbal warning. Parents will be advised if a pupil is under 18 years of age.

Recruitment and selection of staff and volunteer policy

The Cheshire Theatre School recognizes that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that reasonable steps are taken to ensure that unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.

When undertaking preselection checks the following should be considered.

All volunteers / staff members should complete an application form. They will be asked to self-disclose any criminal record.

Consent should be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau (DBS Check).

Two confidential references should be requested, including one regarding previous work with children.

Photographic evidence of identity (passport or driving license) should be requested.

Public Liability Insurance

The principal of the Cheshire Theatre School has public liability insurance, and the certificate is displayed behind the school reception desk. Any covering teacher will also be covered by this insurance or will carry their own insurance.

Guidelines for use of photography and / or filming

There is no intention to prevent the use of videoing equipment when used as a legitimate training aid. However, pupils, parents / guardians should be made aware that this is a part of the coaching program and due care will be taken in the storage or such recordings.

If any other photographic / video material of your child is required e.g., performance DVD or for advertisement purposes, then parental permission will be requested. Pupils and parents / guardians should not film or take photographs during classes or performances unless permission has previously been requested.

Child Protection policy

The Cheshire Theatre School believes that:

The welfare of all pupils is vital.

All pupils, regardless of age, culture, disability, gender, language, race, religion, and / or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.

All suspicious and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to immediately and appropriately.

All staff members have a responsibility to report concerns to the principal.

The dance school has a duty of care to safeguard all children from harm. All children have a right to protection and the needs of particularly vulnerable children must be considered. The dance school will ensure the safety and protection of all pupils through adherence to the Child Protection guidelines & policy. A child is defined as under 18 by The Children’s Act 1989.

Responding to suspicions or allegations

It is not the responsibility of anyone working in the Cheshire Theatre School in a paid or unpaid capacity to take responsibility for or to decide whether abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities. The Cheshire Theatre School assures that it will protect and support anyone, who in good faith reports his or her concern that a colleague / volunteer is or may be abusing a child.

When there is a complaint made against a staff member / volunteer there may be one of three types of investigation:

A disciplinary or misconduct investigation.

A criminal investigation.

A child protection investigation.

The results of one of the above investigations may influence another.

Suspected abuse

Any suspicion that a child has been abused by either a member of staff or a volunteer should be reported to the principal who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other children who may be at risk.

Anti-bullying policy

All staff members / volunteers at the Cheshire Theatre School are committed to providing a caring and friendly environment for all pupils. Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated. If bullying does occur, pupils should report any incidents which can be dealt with promptly and efficiently.

Anti-bullying procedure

All bullying incidents should be recorded.

Serious incidents should be reported to parents / guardians who will be contacted and asked to meet to discuss the problem.

If necessary and appropriate, the police should be informed.

The threats and / or incidents should be investigated thoroughly and stopped immediately.

The bully must be asked to genuinely apologize.

If possible, the pupils should be reconciled.

Cases should always be monitored to prevent reoccurrence.