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School Policies

These policies govern how Growing Roots teaches, protects and communicates with pupils and families. They are grouped below by the part of school life they cover, and every section of every policy is signed by Prof. Rushna Sulyman on behalf of Growing Roots ltd.

Version 1.0 · issued 31 October 2026 · next review 31 October 2027 · 26 policies

1

Safeguarding and child protection

Keeping pupils safe from harm in live lessons and in recordings, and what the school does when a child may be at risk.

01Safeguarding and Child Protection PolicyHow Growing Roots protects children from harm in live and recorded online learning, and what anyone must do when a concern arises.03Safeguarding Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers PolicyManaging allegations or concerns about adults who work with pupils quickly, consistently and with proper confidentiality.20Safeguarding Attendance and Child Missing Education EscalationHow the school records attendance and engagement in live lessons and recordings, and the safeguarding-led steps it takes when a pupil goes missing from learning.

Also read

  • Policy 19 — reporting online safety or recording privacy issues that may indicate harm
  • Policy 18 — escalating a safeguarding element inside a complaint
2

Online safety, behaviour and incident handling

The rules and controls that keep online lessons safe, and how an online safety incident is handled when one happens.

02Online Safety Policy: Live Lessons and RecordingsKeeping pupils safe across the school's platforms: live group lessons, chat and question features, and recordings pupils can watch.06Staff Code of Conduct: Online BoundariesHow staff must behave with pupils in live online group lessons and when using school platforms.07Behaviour Policy: Online Conduct and SanctionsWhat is expected of pupil behaviour in live group lessons, and how the school answers conduct concerns online.08Anti-Bullying Policy, Including CyberbullyingPreventing bullying and responding to it, including bullying through chat, comments, recordings and platform misuse.19Online Safety Incident and Breach Handling ProcedureWhat the school does when an online safety incident or a breach of its recording privacy rules happens, from first response to lessons learned.

Also read

  • Policy 14 — pupil conduct rules for chat, recordings and cameras
  • Policy 15 — staff conduct rules for group-only communication
3

Remote learning and lesson delivery

How teaching is delivered and kept going when learning happens remotely, whether live or from a recording.

10Remote Learning and Virtual School PolicyHow learning is delivered online: live group lessons, pupil access to recordings, and the expectations that go with both.

Also read

  • Policy 2 — online safety controls during live lessons and recordings
  • Policy 9 — attendance and engagement monitoring
4

Attendance, engagement and welfare

How attendance and engagement are recorded, and when absence becomes a welfare or safeguarding matter.

09Attendance, Engagement and Child Missing Education PolicyAttendance and engagement expectations for live online lessons, and what the school does when a pupil stops taking part.20Safeguarding Attendance and Child Missing Education EscalationHow the school records attendance and engagement in live lessons and recordings, and the safeguarding-led steps it takes when a pupil goes missing from learning.
5

Data protection, records and recording governance

How personal information and lesson recordings are collected, stored, accessed and deleted.

11Data Protection PolicyHow the school handles personal data lawfully, fairly and securely in its online education provision, including live lessons and recordings.12Records Management and Retention Policy, Including RecordingsWhat records the school keeps, how they are stored, who may see them, and how long they are held.13Use of Images, Live Streaming and Recording PolicyThe rules for how the school captures, uses, stores and shares images and video in live lessons and recordings.

Also read

  • Policy 19 — handling a breach that involves recordings or pupil privacy
6

Use of platforms: acceptable use

What pupils and staff are each expected to do, and not do, on the school's platforms.

14Acceptable Use Policy for PupilsThe rules every pupil must follow when using the school's platforms for live lessons and recordings.15Acceptable Use Policy for StaffStrict professional and safeguarding expectations for staff using school platforms for live group lessons and recorded content.
7

Complaints: the three-stage system

How a complaint is raised, investigated and finally decided, and how complaint records are kept.

16Complaints Policy: Three StagesA clear, fair and accessible route for raising a complaint about the school's actions, policies or services, from informal resolution to a final panel decision.17Complaints Investigation ProcedureHow the school investigates a complaint at each of the three stages: what is gathered, who decides, and how the answer is given.18Complaints Record-keeping and EscalationHow complaints are recorded, kept confidential and moved through the three stages, with safeguarding matters escalated to the DSL at once.

Also read

  • Policy 1 — the safeguarding elements inside a complaint
  • Policy 3 — an allegation against an adult raised through a complaint
  • Policy 19 — the online safety or recording privacy elements inside a complaint
8

Raising concerns and safer staffing

How anyone in the school community raises a concern about wrongdoing, and how adults are recruited safely.

04Whistleblowing PolicySafe routes for staff, volunteers and trustees to raise serious concerns, and the protection they are given when they do.05Safer Recruitment Policy and ProcedureHow Growing Roots vets and appoints the adults who work with pupils, in an online education setting.

Also read

  • Policy 1 — safeguarding concerns raised through whistleblowing
  • Policy 3 — concerns that amount to an allegation against an adult
9

Governance, decision-making and document control

Who governs the school and is accountable for each part of its work, and how its policies are approved, versioned and kept current.

21Governance and Accountability: Roles and ResponsibilitiesWho governs the school, who is accountable for running it day to day, and how decisions are recorded and reviewed.22Policies Review and Document ControlHow the school's policies are numbered, versioned, dated, approved, published and kept up to date.

Also read

  • Policy 16 — the trustees' panel that decides a complaint at Stage 3
  • Policy 4 — raising a concern about wrongdoing to a trustee
  • Policy 1 — the safeguarding duties the governance structure holds
10

Training, staff records, safety and risk

The checks and training adults must have before working with pupils, and how the school assesses and reduces risk in what it runs.

23Training and Development: Safeguarding and Online SafetyThe training everyone who works with pupils must have before they start, and how the school keeps it current.24Single Central Record ProcedureThe one secure record that shows which safer recruitment checks have been completed for every adult working with pupils, and who may see it.25Health and Safety PolicyHow the school protects the health and safety of pupils and staff in online learning and in any activity it arranges in person.26Risk Assessment Policy, Including Remote LearningHow the school identifies, records and reduces the risks in what it runs, including live lessons, recordings, platforms and any in-person activity.

Also read

  • Policy 5 — the recruitment checks that feed the Single Central Record
  • Policy 2 — the online safety content staff are trained on
  • Policy 12 — how long training, staff and assessment records are kept

All policies in order

The same 26 policies listed by number.

  1. 01Safeguarding and Child Protection PolicyHow Growing Roots protects children from harm in live and recorded online learning, and what anyone must do when a concern arises.
  2. 02Online Safety Policy: Live Lessons and RecordingsKeeping pupils safe across the school's platforms: live group lessons, chat and question features, and recordings pupils can watch.
  3. 03Safeguarding Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers PolicyManaging allegations or concerns about adults who work with pupils quickly, consistently and with proper confidentiality.
  4. 04Whistleblowing PolicySafe routes for staff, volunteers and trustees to raise serious concerns, and the protection they are given when they do.
  5. 05Safer Recruitment Policy and ProcedureHow Growing Roots vets and appoints the adults who work with pupils, in an online education setting.
  6. 06Staff Code of Conduct: Online BoundariesHow staff must behave with pupils in live online group lessons and when using school platforms.
  7. 07Behaviour Policy: Online Conduct and SanctionsWhat is expected of pupil behaviour in live group lessons, and how the school answers conduct concerns online.
  8. 08Anti-Bullying Policy, Including CyberbullyingPreventing bullying and responding to it, including bullying through chat, comments, recordings and platform misuse.
  9. 09Attendance, Engagement and Child Missing Education PolicyAttendance and engagement expectations for live online lessons, and what the school does when a pupil stops taking part.
  10. 10Remote Learning and Virtual School PolicyHow learning is delivered online: live group lessons, pupil access to recordings, and the expectations that go with both.
  11. 11Data Protection PolicyHow the school handles personal data lawfully, fairly and securely in its online education provision, including live lessons and recordings.
  12. 12Records Management and Retention Policy, Including RecordingsWhat records the school keeps, how they are stored, who may see them, and how long they are held.
  13. 13Use of Images, Live Streaming and Recording PolicyThe rules for how the school captures, uses, stores and shares images and video in live lessons and recordings.
  14. 14Acceptable Use Policy for PupilsThe rules every pupil must follow when using the school's platforms for live lessons and recordings.
  15. 15Acceptable Use Policy for StaffStrict professional and safeguarding expectations for staff using school platforms for live group lessons and recorded content.
  16. 16Complaints Policy: Three StagesA clear, fair and accessible route for raising a complaint about the school's actions, policies or services, from informal resolution to a final panel decision.
  17. 17Complaints Investigation ProcedureHow the school investigates a complaint at each of the three stages: what is gathered, who decides, and how the answer is given.
  18. 18Complaints Record-keeping and EscalationHow complaints are recorded, kept confidential and moved through the three stages, with safeguarding matters escalated to the DSL at once.
  19. 19Online Safety Incident and Breach Handling ProcedureWhat the school does when an online safety incident or a breach of its recording privacy rules happens, from first response to lessons learned.
  20. 20Safeguarding Attendance and Child Missing Education EscalationHow the school records attendance and engagement in live lessons and recordings, and the safeguarding-led steps it takes when a pupil goes missing from learning.
  21. 21Governance and Accountability: Roles and ResponsibilitiesWho governs the school, who is accountable for running it day to day, and how decisions are recorded and reviewed.
  22. 22Policies Review and Document ControlHow the school's policies are numbered, versioned, dated, approved, published and kept up to date.
  23. 23Training and Development: Safeguarding and Online SafetyThe training everyone who works with pupils must have before they start, and how the school keeps it current.
  24. 24Single Central Record ProcedureThe one secure record that shows which safer recruitment checks have been completed for every adult working with pupils, and who may see it.
  25. 25Health and Safety PolicyHow the school protects the health and safety of pupils and staff in online learning and in any activity it arranges in person.
  26. 26Risk Assessment Policy, Including Remote LearningHow the school identifies, records and reduces the risks in what it runs, including live lessons, recordings, platforms and any in-person activity.

Raise a complaint or a safeguarding concern

Send the school a message here and it is recorded the moment you submit it, then answered under the policy that applies to it.

Tell the school about a concern

Use this form to raise a complaint or a safeguarding concern. A complaint follows the three-stage complaints policy; a safeguarding concern is handled under the safeguarding policy and never waits behind a complaint.

What are you raising?

Or email growingroots1928@outlook.com

Report a safeguarding concern

A safeguarding concern is never held in the complaints queue. If a child is in immediate danger call 999; otherwise report the concern straight to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Prof. Rushna Sulyman, by email to growingroots1928@outlook.com.

Growing Roots ltd · 161 Plashet Road, London E13 0QZ · 07426 572 163

See who our safeguarding leads are