top of page
Enquire Now

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
 

RCM Languages
Rochelle Marsh trading as RCM Languages
Email: hello@rcmlanguages.co.uk
 

Last updated: August 2026
 

1. Purpose of this Policy
 

RCM Languages is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people who receive tuition.
 

This policy sets out the measures I take to provide a safe environment for students and the procedures I will follow if I have a concern about a child's welfare or safety.
 

For the purposes of this policy, a child is anyone under the age of 18.
 

RCM Languages provides online 1:1 and small-group language tuition to children and young people of a range of ages.
 

2. Safeguarding Responsibility
 

RCM Languages is operated solely by Rochelle Marsh, who is both the tutor and the person responsible for safeguarding.
 

Safeguarding concerns relating to a student receiving tuition from RCM Languages should be directed to:
 

Rochelle Marsh
hello@rcmlanguages.co.uk
 

As a sole-trader tutor, I recognise my responsibility to identify safeguarding concerns, respond appropriately and seek advice or make referrals to the appropriate safeguarding agencies where necessary.
 

3. Professional Suitability and Training
 

I am a qualified teacher and hold an Enhanced DBS check through my teaching employment.
 

I undertake regular safeguarding and child protection training and updates as part of my professional teaching role and maintain an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and procedures.
 

I am committed to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and acting in the best interests of children receiving tuition.
 

4. Safeguarding Principles
 

RCM Languages is guided by the following principles:

  • the welfare and safety of the child are paramount;

  • all children have the right to be protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and harm;

  • all children should be treated with dignity and respect;

  • safeguarding concerns will be taken seriously;

  • information will be shared where necessary to protect a child;

  • professional boundaries will be maintained at all times; and

  • no child will intentionally be subjected to physical or psychological harm in connection with RCM Languages.
     

Safeguarding includes protecting children from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying, online harm and other circumstances that may place their welfare at risk.
 

5. Safe Online Tuition
 

All tuition provided by RCM Languages takes place online, normally through Google Meet.
 

Students should participate from an appropriate study or communal space where reasonably possible. Bedrooms should be avoided where reasonably practicable.
 

Where use of a bedroom cannot reasonably be avoided, appropriate measures such as the use of a neutral or blurred background should be considered.
 

Students should be appropriately dressed and behave in a manner suitable for an educational environment.
 

Cameras are normally expected to be switched on during 1:1 and group tuition. Reasonable exceptions may be made where appropriate, including where individual circumstances or additional needs make this difficult.
 

I will teach from an appropriate and professional environment and will take reasonable steps to:

  • use an appropriate or neutral background;

  • prevent unnecessary interruptions;

  • protect confidential information from being visible or overheard; and

  • ensure that only material relevant to the lesson is visible when sharing my screen.
     

6. Parent or Guardian Availability
 

For students under 18, a parent, guardian or other responsible adult should be present in the home and reasonably accessible during online tuition.
 

The adult does not need to sit in on or participate in the lesson.
 

For younger children in particular, parents and guardians should ensure that appropriate supervision and assistance are available if required.
 

7. Professional Boundaries and Communication
 

For students under 18, administrative matters such as bookings, payments, cancellations and significant changes to tuition arrangements will normally be communicated through the student's parent or guardian.
 

Students may contact me directly through my RCM Languages email address for legitimate educational purposes, such as:

  • asking a question about their work;

  • submitting work;

  • requesting clarification about a task; or

  • accessing lesson resources.
     

Communication will remain professional, appropriate and relevant to tuition.
 

Social media
 

RCM Languages maintains business social media accounts, including Instagram and Facebook.
 

Social media direct messages are not used as a routine channel for private communication with students under 18.
 

If a child contacts RCM Languages through social media, educational communication may be redirected to the RCM Languages email address and administrative matters to their parent or guardian.
 

I will not use personal social media accounts to communicate privately with students under 18.
 

8. Lesson Links and Online Security
 

Google Meet links and other access details should not be shared with unauthorised individuals.
 

Students and parents must not invite another person into an online lesson without prior agreement.
 

Reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that only the intended students can access online tuition.
 

9. Recording Lessons
 

Lessons are not routinely recorded.
 

Students and parents must not record, photograph, screen-record or otherwise capture tuition without prior permission.
 

I will not record a lesson involving a child without appropriate prior consent and consideration of the safeguarding and data-protection implications.
 

10. Behaviour
 

Students are expected to behave respectfully towards the tutor and, during group tuition, towards other students.
 

Abusive, threatening, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate, bullying or otherwise seriously unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated.
 

Where behaviour creates a safeguarding concern or makes it inappropriate or unsafe for tuition to continue, I may end the lesson.
 

Serious or repeated concerns may result in tuition being terminated.
 

Further expectations regarding behaviour are set out in the RCM Languages Code of Conduct and Terms & Conditions.
 

11. Recognising Safeguarding Concerns
 

Safeguarding concerns can arise in many different ways.
 

A concern may result from:

  • something a child tells me;

  • something a parent or another person tells me;

  • behaviour or comments during a lesson;

  • concerning communications or messages;

  • something visible or audible during an online lesson;

  • changes in a child's behaviour or presentation;

  • signs that a child may be experiencing abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying or online harm; or

  • any other information that gives reasonable cause for concern about a child's welfare.
     

I will not wait for a child to make a direct disclosure before taking a concern seriously.
 

12. Responding to a Disclosure
 

If a child tells me that they have experienced, or may be experiencing, abuse or harm, I will:

  • listen calmly and take what they say seriously;

  • allow them to explain in their own words;

  • avoid asking leading or unnecessary questions;

  • not investigate the matter myself;

  • not promise to keep the information secret;

  • explain, in an age-appropriate way, that I may need to share the information with someone who can help keep them safe;

  • make a factual written record as soon as reasonably possible; and

  • take appropriate safeguarding action.
     

Where significant, I will record the child's own words as accurately as possible.
 

13. Recording Safeguarding Concerns
 

Safeguarding records will be kept separately from ordinary teaching and progress notes wherever appropriate.
 

Records will include, where relevant:

  • the date and time of the concern or disclosure;

  • what was observed, heard or reported;

  • relevant words used by the child where appropriate;

  • any action taken;

  • any advice sought or referral made; and

  • the reasons for significant safeguarding decisions.
     

Records will be factual rather than speculative and will be stored securely.
 

Access will ordinarily be limited to me unless sharing the information is necessary for safeguarding or another lawful purpose.
 

14. Confidentiality and Information Sharing
 

Safeguarding information will be treated sensitively and confidentially, but confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where a child's safety or welfare may be at risk.
 

Information will only be shared where there is a legitimate safeguarding or legal reason to do so and, wherever appropriate, only the information necessary for that purpose will be shared.
 

A child will never be promised that safeguarding information will be kept secret.
 

15. Informing Parents and Guardians
 

Where appropriate, I may discuss a safeguarding or welfare concern with the child's parent or guardian.
 

However, I will not automatically contact a parent or guardian first where there is reason to believe that doing so could:

  • place the child at greater risk;

  • place another person at risk;

  • interfere with a safeguarding investigation or response; or

  • be inappropriate because the concern relates to the parent, guardian or someone within the child's household.
     

In such circumstances, I will seek appropriate safeguarding advice or make a referral instead.
 

16. Referring Safeguarding Concerns
 

Where I believe that a child may be at risk of harm or requires safeguarding support, I may seek advice from or make a referral to the appropriate safeguarding service.
 

As RCM Languages provides online tuition to students who may live in different areas, the relevant service will normally be the children's social care or safeguarding service for the local authority in which the child lives.
 

Where appropriate, information may also be shared with the police or another relevant safeguarding agency.
 

Parental consent will not be sought where doing so would place a child at increased risk or where a referral can and should lawfully be made without it.
 

17. Immediate Risk or Emergency
 

If I believe that a child is in immediate danger or at immediate risk of serious harm, I will contact the emergency services without delay.
 

I will not attempt to investigate the matter myself or delay necessary action while seeking parental permission.
 

18. Safeguarding Concerns or Allegations About the Tutor
 

RCM Languages is operated by a sole tutor. This means that where a safeguarding concern or allegation relates to my own conduct, it would not be appropriate for me to investigate that concern myself.
 

Parents, guardians, students or other individuals may raise a safeguarding concern about my conduct directly with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for the relevant local authority.
 

The LADO deals with allegations concerning people who work with children. Government guidance for parents specifically identifies contacting the LADO as an appropriate route for concerns about an out-of-school provider.
 

Where there is an immediate risk of harm, the police should be contacted.
 

A person raising a safeguarding concern about me does not need to raise it with me first.
 

19. SEND and Additional Needs
 

Students with SEND, disabilities and additional needs are welcome at RCM Languages.
 

Parents and guardians are encouraged to share information that is relevant to providing safe and appropriate tuition so that reasonable adjustments can be considered.
 

Safeguarding expectations apply equally to all students, while recognising that individual students may require different or additional support.
 

Relevant information will be handled in accordance with the RCM Languages Privacy Policy.
 

20. Data Protection and Safeguarding Records
 

Personal information relating to safeguarding will be handled in accordance with applicable data-protection law.
 

Safeguarding information may need to be retained for longer than ordinary tuition records where there is a legitimate safeguarding or legal reason for doing so.
 

The RCM Languages Privacy Policy provides further information about the handling of personal information.

 

21. Related Policies
 

This policy should be read alongside the following RCM Languages documents:

  • Terms & Conditions

  • Privacy Policy

  • Code of Conduct
     

22. Review of this Policy
 

This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated where necessary to reflect changes in RCM Languages' practices or relevant safeguarding guidance.

 

Safeguarding Lead: Rochelle Marsh

Rochelle Marsh trading as RCM Languages
Email: hello@rcmlanguages.co.uk
 

Last updated: August 2026

​
 

Safeguarding contacts
 

If you are concerned about a child, contact the children's social care service for the local authority where the child lives.
 

Concerns or allegations about the conduct of the tutor may be reported directly to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).
 

In an emergency or where a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.

bottom of page