Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: 29 August 2026  ·  Version: 1.0  ·  Next review: August 2027  ·  Applies to: all Atlas Learning tutors, founders and contractors

Our commitment

Atlas Learning teaches children, often one to one, sometimes in their homes and sometimes through a screen. That is a position of trust, and it carries obligations we take seriously.

We are committed to:

• Treating the welfare of the child as the paramount consideration in every decision we make
• Recruiting tutors carefully, checking them properly, and never taking a shortcut because we are busy
• Making sure every tutor knows how to recognise a concern and exactly what to do with it
• Listening to children and taking what they tell us seriously
• Acting on concerns promptly, even when we are unsure, and never deciding alone that something is probably nothing

We are a private tutoring agency, not a school, so some statutory duties written for schools do not bind us directly. We nonetheless work to the principles of Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023), within the framework of the Children Act 1989 and 2004. Where those documents set a higher standard than the law strictly requires of us, we follow the higher standard.

Who this applies to

This policy applies to everyone who works with or on behalf of Atlas Learning — founders, tutors, administrators and any contractor who may come into contact with a child or with information about one. Accepting an engagement with us means accepting this policy.

It covers every child we teach, meaning anyone under 18, and applies equally to online and in-person tuition. Where a student is 18 or over but is a vulnerable adult, we apply the same protections.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Safeguarding at Atlas Learning is led by a named individual with overall responsibility for concerns, referrals and records.

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): [name to be added] — [direct email and phone to be added]
• Deputy DSL: [name to be added] — [direct email and phone to be added]
• General safeguarding contact: hello@atlas-learning.co.uk

The DSL decides whether a concern is referred to children's social care, the police or the Local Authority Designated Officer. Tutors do not make that decision themselves — but nor do they need permission to call 999, or to contact children's social care directly if they cannot reach the DSL and a child is at risk.

Safer recruitment

Nobody teaches for Atlas Learning until every one of these is complete:

• An Enhanced DBS check with a check of the Children's Barred List, obtained before the first lesson. We see the certificate itself, not a summary
• Photographic identity and proof of address, verified against the DBS application
• Verification of qualifications — we ask to see the certificates or transcripts claimed, not merely a description of them
• Two references, at least one of which speaks to work with children or young people, taken up directly and never accepted as an open letter
• A face-to-face or video interview that includes questions on safeguarding, boundaries and professional conduct
• A written agreement to this policy, our code of conduct and our confidentiality terms
• An explanation of any gaps in employment or education history

DBS certificates are renewed at least every three years, or we subscribe the tutor to the DBS Update Service and check their status annually. A tutor whose circumstances change — a caution, a charge, a conviction, or a referral to any barring authority — must tell us immediately. Not doing so is grounds for ending the engagement.

Many of our tutors are current students, and several are young adults themselves. That is a strength of the model, and it is precisely why we do not relax any part of this process for them.

Tutor code of conduct

Every Atlas Learning tutor agrees to the following. These are not suggestions.

• Communicate through agreed channels only. Arrangements are made with the parent or guardian, using the email and phone number they gave us. Tutors do not exchange personal phone numbers or social media contacts with a student under 18, and do not accept or send friend or follow requests
• Never arrange a lesson privately. All tuition is booked through Atlas Learning. Taking a student "off the books" removes every safeguard in this policy and ends the engagement
• No physical contact. There is no legitimate reason for physical contact in a tutoring session
• No gifts, no money, no favours, in either direction, beyond agreed fees
• No lifts. Tutors do not transport students in their vehicles
• No photographs or recordings of a student without the written consent of the parent or guardian, obtained through us
• Maintain professional boundaries. Tutors do not discuss their personal lives beyond the ordinary, do not seek out students socially, and do not become a young person's confidant in place of the adults responsible for them
• Never promise to keep a secret. See What to do if a child discloses something
• Report the same day. Any concern goes to the DSL on the day it arises

A tutor who is unsure whether something crosses a line should ask before doing it, not after. Asking is always the right call and will never be held against them.

Online lessons

Most of our tuition happens online, which brings its own risks and its own protections.

• Lessons take place on the platform we have agreed with the family, using an account we can account for — never a tutor's personal account
• Cameras on for both tutor and student, unless the parent has agreed otherwise in advance for a specific reason
• The tutor works in an appropriate, neutral space, suitably dressed, with no other person in view or earshot who is not part of the lesson
• Private one-to-one chat with a student under 18 is not used outside the lesson. Messages between sessions go to the parent or guardian
• Parents are welcome to be present, within earshot, or to drop in at any point, without notice and without asking
• Nothing is recorded unless every party has agreed in writing beforehand. Where a lesson is recorded, the recording is stored securely, shared only with the family, and deleted on request
• A tutor who sees something concerning in a student's background, screen share or behaviour treats it exactly as they would in person — observe, do not interrogate, record, and report to the DSL

In-person lessons

• In-person tuition takes place in a public or family setting — a library, a study room, or the family home with a responsible adult present in the property and the door to the room open. Never behind a closed door, and never in a bedroom
• Tutors arrive and leave at agreed times, and do not stay after the session
• If the responsible adult is unexpectedly absent on arrival, the lesson does not go ahead. The tutor leaves and tells us. This is not negotiable, and no tutor will ever be criticised for enforcing it
• The tutor confirms with the parent how the student will get home if the lesson is not at their home

Recognising a concern

Tutors are not investigators, and are never asked to decide whether abuse has occurred. They are asked to notice, record and pass on.

The four statutory categories are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Alongside these, tutors should be alert to:

• Peer-on-peer abuse, including bullying, sexual harassment and the sharing of nude images
• Online harm — grooming, exploitation, or contact with an adult the family does not know about
• Child criminal and sexual exploitation, including county lines
• Domestic abuse in the household, whether or not the child is the direct target
• Mental ill health, self-harm and suicidal ideation
• Radicalisation and extremism
• So-called honour-based abuse, forced marriage and female genital mutilation
• Young carers whose caring responsibilities are affecting their welfare or education

Signs that may warrant a second look include unexplained injuries, a marked change in behaviour or engagement, a child who seems fearful of going home, disclosures made in passing or as a joke, knowledge or language inappropriate to their age, persistent hunger or poor hygiene, and a child who is repeatedly alone when an adult was expected to be present.

One sign proves nothing. That is not the point. The threshold for reporting to the DSL is a concern, not proof.

What to do if a child discloses something

If a child begins to tell you something:

1. Listen. Let them speak. Do not stop them, and do not send them to someone else mid-sentence
2. Do not promise confidentiality. Say early and kindly: "Thank you for telling me. I have to tell one person whose job is to keep you safe, because what you've said matters."
3. Do not investigate. Ask no leading questions. "Can you tell me more about that?" is fine. "Did he hit you?" is not — it can compromise a later investigation
4. Do not react with alarm or judgement, about the child or about anyone they name
5. Do not confront the person concerned, and do not contact the parent if doing so could put the child at greater risk
6. Write it down immediately afterwards — the child's own words wherever you can recall them, the date, the time, and anything you observed. Facts, not interpretation. Sign and date it
7. Tell the DSL the same day. If the child is in immediate danger, call 999 first

Never keep a concern to yourself over a weekend, over a holiday, or until the next lesson.

How we respond to a concern

1. The DSL records the concern and reviews it on the day it is received
2. Where the threshold is met, the DSL refers to children's social care in the child's local authority, and to the police where a crime may have been committed. A referral made by phone is confirmed in writing within 24 hours
3. Where the threshold is not met, the DSL records the decision and the reasons for it, and keeps the concern under review. A pattern of small concerns is itself a concern
4. Parents and carers are informed, unless doing so would place the child at greater risk or prejudice an investigation — that judgement rests with the DSL, in consultation with social care or the police
5. The tutor who raised the concern is told that it has been acted on. They will not always be told the outcome, and should not press for it
6. We cooperate fully with any investigation, and provide records promptly on lawful request

We will always err on the side of the child. If the choice is between an awkward conversation and a missed concern, we have the awkward conversation.

Allegations against a tutor

Allegations against someone working for us are handled by the DSL, or by a founder if the allegation concerns the DSL.

• We refer to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in the relevant local authority within one working day. We do not investigate first, and we do not decide first whether the allegation has merit
• The tutor is suspended from all tuition pending the outcome where the allegation could indicate a risk to any child. Suspension is a neutral act, not a finding
• We follow the LADO's direction on what may be said, to whom, and when
• Where an allegation is substantiated, or a tutor resigns before a process concludes, we make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service where the legal duty to do so applies. Resigning does not close the matter
• Records of allegations are retained in line with statutory guidance, including where an allegation is found to be unsubstantiated

To raise an allegation about a tutor, contact the DSL directly, or email hello@atlas-learning.co.uk marked Safeguarding — urgent. You do not need to raise it with the tutor first, and you should not.

Low-level concerns

Not every worry meets the threshold for a LADO referral. A "low-level concern" is any behaviour by an adult working with us that sits outside our code of conduct but does not suggest a child is at risk of significant harm — over-familiarity, an unwise message, a boundary blurred.

We actively want to hear these. They are recorded, reviewed by the DSL, and kept so that a pattern becomes visible rather than a series of forgotten one-offs. Raising one in good faith will never count against the person who raises it, and rarely results in anything more than a conversation.

Whistleblowing

Anyone who believes a child is at risk, or that this policy is not being followed, should say so — including where the concern is about a founder.

Raise it with the DSL, or with a founder at hello@atlas-learning.co.uk. Concerns raised in good faith are protected: no tutor will lose work, income or standing for reporting something that turns out to be nothing.

If you feel unable to raise it with us, or we have not acted, contact the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285 or your local authority's safeguarding team directly.

Records and confidentiality

Safeguarding records are factual, contemporaneous, dated and signed. They are stored separately from ordinary tuition records, with access restricted to the DSL and founders.

Information is shared on a strict need-to-know basis. Data protection is never a reason to withhold information where a child may be at risk — where there is a risk of harm we will share with the appropriate authority without consent, and normally without notice.

Retention, access and your rights over this information are set out in our Privacy Policy.

Training

• Every tutor completes safeguarding induction before their first lesson, covering this policy, recognising concerns, and how to report
• Refresher training is completed annually, and whenever this policy changes materially
• The DSL and Deputy DSL undertake enhanced designated lead training, refreshed every two years
• We record who has been trained and when, and no tutor teaches with training out of date

For parents and carers

You are part of this, and you are entitled to ask.

• Ask to see the DBS status of your child's tutor. We will confirm it. A tutor who is reluctant is not one we would keep
• Sit in on a lesson, online or in person, at any time. You never need to ask permission or give notice
• Expect all arrangements to come through us. If a tutor contacts your child directly, or offers to teach outside the agency, tell us
• Tell us anything that helps us keep your child safe — a court order, a person who must not have contact, a medical or emotional need. It goes only to those who need it
• Raise a concern without hesitation. Email hello@atlas-learning.co.uk and a founder will respond personally, the same day where we can

You will never be treated as a nuisance for asking a safeguarding question. The families who ask are the ones we most want to work with.

Useful contacts

Review

This policy is reviewed annually, and immediately following any safeguarding incident, any change in statutory guidance, or any change in how we deliver tuition. The version and review date at the top of this page are updated on every review.