Policies & Procedures

Roles and Responsibilities for Teachers and Staff Members

At LH Acrobatics we are committed to the safety and well-being of each and every one of our students. With the roles and responsibilities highlighted below together we ensure that everyone is kept safe, protected and resected within our school.

Plan lessons ahead of class times.
Arrive promptly to classes to ensure a smooth entrance for students.
Prepare students within lessons for examinations following the Acrobatic Arts Syllabus.
Encourage all students to practice in lessons.
We will continue to develop our skills with our own training to ensure your child is receiving the best training possible.
Always give feedback constructively.
All licences and Insurance will be kept up to date.
We will ensure we keep your child safe by following our health and Safety and Safeguarding Policies.
We hope to make classes fun and engaging in order to share our passion for Acrobatics with all of our students.

Roles and Responsibilities for Students

LH Acrobatics strive to deliver to best learning experience we can to all of our students.

Below are our expectations of students during their class times.

Always be on time for class.
Ensure you have all equipment you will need.
Ensure your hair is in a bun and you have your uniform on.
Be ready to learn!
Be respectful to your peers and teachers.
Set achievable goals that we can help you work towards.

Roles and Responsibilities for Parents/ Guardians

It is important to us that our Parents/Guardians know what to expect from us at LH Acrobatics and know how to appropriately communicate with our teachers and Principal’s when they need to.

Below is what we ask our families to commit to.

Prepare your child for class ensuring they arrive on time and ensure they have all their equipment.
Remind your child to wear the correct uniform and to have their hair in a bun.
Pay all fees by the second week of term. Failure to do so will result in a late fee and can lead your child being unable to take part in classes until this fee is paid.
Let LH Acrobatics know of any concerns/ issues that may affect your child in their classes.
Have respect for our teachers and ensure communication is always polite.
Have realistic goals for your child and try not to set exceedingly high expectations. Our priority is that they come to our classes because they enjoy them.
Always collect your child promptly at the end of class or let your class teacher know if there is a problem.

Class Policy

LH Acrobatics are committed to teaching your child in a safe and welcoming environment to help them become the best acrobat they can be.

LH Acrobatics currently offer Levelled Acro classes, development classes and Competition Team classes.

Your child will be placed into the class most suited to them when they join LH Acrobatics and this decision will be made by LH Acrobatic teachers.

When certain exam levels are achieved students will move into the next class however Acrobatic exams are not compulsory and so students can also be moved into the next class by the class teacher. Our teachers are qualified professionals, and their priority is to help your child progress. Decisions made by our teachers are final and cannot be changed by parents. Please trust that we have your child’s best interest at heart.

Exam Policy

LH Acrobatics values our student’s growth and commitment and we do offer Acrobatic Arts Examinations.

We must remind parents that children progress at varying rates and therefore not all students will be entered for examinations at the same time.

Which students are entered for exams are chosen at the discretion of the class teachers who are qualified professionals, and these decisions should not be challenged by parents.

Exam fees will be sent out to the parents once your child has been entered for their exam and this fee must be paid by the deadline or your child will not be eligible to sit their exam.

Elite Competition Team Policy

Entry onto our competition team is currently by invitation only and those invited to join will be sent a Competition Team contract.

Parents are not able to request a spot for their child on the Elite Competition Team, but we always welcome you expressing if your child is interested in joining the team.

Physical Contact and Supporting Policy

Due to the nature of Acrobatics, it is essential that our instructors are able to provide hands on support to your child to ensure they are safe when practicing certain skills. LH Acrobatics recognises that Physical Contact is a potentially complex area, and we also recognise our responsibility for safeguarding students and instructors during our classes.

The following principles and procedures are in place to fulfil the school’s obligations.

Contact by the teacher is made with awareness of the needs of the individual student.
All teachers will treat physical contact with sensitivity and care and listen to the wishes of the student.
Teachers will also be mindful of where they are supporting students and where they are placing contact.
Students and Parents/Guardians are encouraged to discuss any concerns with one of our teachers.

Safe Practice

LH Acrobatics takes our Safe Acro Dance practice extremely seriously and we recognise our responsibility to keep your child safe while working in our care.

Our teachers are fully qualified and will continue to better themselves through courses and training seminar’s both in person and online.

Our teachers all have first aid training and will have a First Aid Kit and Ice Packs on hand in all classes and at all venues. Student helpers and volunteers will always know who the qualified First Aiders are on site during their classes.

We will ensure a full risk assessment of each venue has been drawn up ahead of classes.

We will also endeavour to ensure all learning needs are met during classes and will put in reasonable adjustments when necessary to ensure our classes are accessible and fun for all our students.

Uniform

LH Acrobatics uniform is compulsory for all students. This can be brought from our teachers directly and only approved uniform will be sanctioned. This is due to Health and Safety within our classes and ensuring we can provide the best care for your child whilst supporting them with their training.

Hair must always be in a bun for lessons. If you child arrives without a bun we will do our best to help assist them with their hair however if we are unable to do this they may be refused support and access to tracks and mats during the class, due to Health and Safety.

Dismissal from Classes

At LH Acrobatics your child’s safety is most important to us.

If you child is Year 7 or above, we will trust them if they tell us they are making their own way home from classes and dismiss them from our studio alone.

If they are Year 6 or below and you would like us to dismiss them without an adult present, please contact one of our Principal’s to make them aware of this and we will provide you with a permission form allowing us to dismiss them alone as we are not willing to dismiss Year 6 and below students alone, without parental consent.

If your child is above Year 7 but you would like us to ensure there is always an adult present before we dismiss them then again, please contact our LH Principal’s to ensure that we are aware of the situation and can always safely dismiss your child to an adult.

Without any such notification Year 7 and above will be dismissed from the studios without an adult present.

Safeguarding Policy

LH Acrobatics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students, and we expect our staff and parents to share in this commitment.

As an Acrobatic school we are responsible for protecting the children in our care from maltreatment and ensure we provide a safe environment for them.

Child Protection is everybody’s responsibility, and we all have a duty to act on any concerns. If you have concerns for a child’s Welfare within our school, please report this to our Principal’s who are our designated Safeguarding Leads. If you have concerns about any of our staff members or volunteers this must also be escalated to our Principal’s.

Photography’s and videos must not be taken on site, except by LH Acrobatics faculty who have obtained relevant permissions to do so.

Child Protection Policy

Ensuring all teachers have obtains a relevant DBS check.
Raising awareness and having open conversations with staff about child protection issues.
Establishing a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.
Establishing an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.
Ensuring children know there are adults they can approach to speak to if they are feeling worried.

This Policy applies to both children under the age of 18 years and vulnerable adults. We have a duty of care and safeguarding while students are involved in our classes, events and performances.

Our Child Protection Policy is to follow good practice guidelines and staff are made aware of their responsibilities in the Safeguarding of those in our care.

Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Policy

LH Acrobatics follow the guidelines of the Equality Act 2010 at our school, by doing this we will;

Welcome anybody into our school without discrimination.
Not tolerate any bullying.
Build relationships in classes to have mutual respect.
Work in an appropriate and encouraging manner so all students feel supported equally.
Ensuring all students treat others as they would want to be treated.
Make sure all learning techniques are accessible by all learners.
Ensuring we act on any discrimination we see in classes.
Making provisions for student’s needs, this might be through reasonable adjustments.
Encouraging parents/ guardians to discuss any equality, diversity, or inclusion issue with our teachers so that we can work together towards a resolution.
Buildings and venues are all accessible.
Taking seriously any reports of harassment, discrimination, or bullying.

Behaviour Policy

Standard of behaviour we expect at LH Acrobatics;

Show Respect to other students.
Have good manners and be polite.
Be respectful to your teachers/ student helpers.
Be respectful of other’s property.
Display positive attitudes towards the school and your work.

Anti-Bullying Policy

LH Acrobatics do not tolerate bullying of any kind and we expect that parents will support us in encouraging their children to show respect and support authority within the school.

LH Acrobatics extends its anti-bullying policy to members of staff and does not tolerate bullying from parents aimed at members of staff.

Any reports of bullying will be fully investigated and could result in student’s/ parent’s removal from LH Acrobatics.

Prevent Policy

At LH Acrobatics we commit to The Prevent Strategy to support young people and vulnerable adults from being drawn towards ideas of extremism.

We ask that anyone with any concerns of this nature come forward to LH Principals who will escalate these concerns to relevant authorities.

GDPR Policy

LH Acrobatics will collect data when a student enrols in our school. We are committed to ensuring this data is stored and handled within the policy and procedure principles of the Data Protection Act 2018. This act states that data should be ‘collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes and that individual’s data is not processed without their knowledge.’

How we will hold your data and what we do with it;

We will not disclose or sell personal data to third parties other than examination bodies.
We will not disclose any personal data to other members of LH Acrobatics without consent.
We will use the contact number provided to maintain communication about classes and events.
Medical information and Emergency Contacts will be held on registers in case of an Emergency.
You will be invited to join our shared WhatsApp group once your child enrols but this is not compulsory, and permission will always be obtained before your details are added to this collective.
Hard copies of data will be destroyed after your child leaves LH Acrobatics.

Online and Media/ Photo Consent Policy

Use of iPad’s/ laptops in classes will be for educational purposes only.

When showing online content in class we will follow e-safety policy and ensure only appropriate, age specific content is shown.

Students are not allowed their phones in class unless instructed otherwise.

At the time of enrolment Parents/ Guardians will sign a Photo/Video consent form granting LH Acrobatics permission to take photographs/ recordings of their student for use on social media/ advertising. Only LH Acrobatics staff members are permitted to take photos/ videos during class time having obtained relevant permissions.

If any parent objects to this, it is their job to fill this out on the form and alert LH Acrobatics Principal’s when their form is returned.

Health and Safety Policy

LH Acrobatics take the Health and Safety within our classes very seriously.

We aim to always keep our working environment clean, tidy and free from hazards.

We will always conduct our classes in a safe and proper manner, encouraging good warm up and cool down practices.

First Aid. LH Acrobatics will comply with all requirements of Health and Safety. All our staff are first aid trained and there will always be a qualified First Aider on site. We have First Aid boxes and ice packs on hand at all venues, which are checked monthly.

It is the responsibility of the Parent/ Guardian to inform LH Acrobatics of any students with, Allergies, Disabilities or injury that may impact the dancer during their classes.

If students are taken on a trip with LH Acrobatics a risk assessment will be drawn up with all Health and Safety aspects of the trip.

Complaints Policy

If you would like to make a complaint for any reason to LH Acrobatics, we ask that this is done, ONLY through the official email address;

lhacrobatics@gmail.com and not over Whatsapp messages.

Failing this we are always more than happy to discuss any concerns or complaints with you in person at the end of our teaching schedule and we will do our best to resolve the issue.

Licences and Insurance

LH Acrobatics is covered for Public Liability.

Recruitment Policy

At LH Acrobatics it is important to us that we have the best possible staff members to ensure quality in our teaching.

Our job availability will be advertised on our website and other available platforms. Advertisement for staff will always have specific criteria as per the job description and on an application form, we will ask for the below details;

CV, with detailed experience and including any disabilities or need that we can assist with reasonable adjustment.
Reference details including the reason they’ve chosen that person as a reference.
DBS certificate.
Teaching Qualifications- including which standard and grades achieved.
Personal Statement- tell us about yourself.
Suitability for the role, in your own words.
Dance teachers’ insurance- all teachers must hold liability insurance.

Once we have shortlisted applications, we will hold an interview process and class observation task. We always aim to create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and we will look forward to seeing how our prospective teachers interact with the students.

Fees

Class fees are charged termly and will be due by the second week of the teaching term. Failure to pay by the 2-week deadline set out by LH Acrobatics will result in a late fees being added to your bill and can also result in your child being removed from LH classes until this bill is paid. Once added late fees are not removable.

Notice Period

LH Acrobatics require a half termly notice period to leave classes. If this is not fulfilled the next term will be automatically billed and only half of that term will be refunded in order to fulfil the half terms notice.

LH Acrobatics staff reserve the right to remove students from classes with a 2 week notice period if this is deemed necessary. This will only be done in extreme circumstances.

Choreography Policy

There could be opportunities at LH Acrobatics where your child might be given the chance to be part of a solo or group routine. If choreography is given to your child by LH Acrobatics faculty to be used with our school at competitions and conventions, then LH Acrobatics reserves the right to this choreography. Choreography should not be used outside of our school without permission being obtained from the teacher. If we were to discover our choreography being used under another name or at competitions and conventions we’ve not been made aware of, LH Acrobatics reserve the rights to remove your child from our classes with two weeks’ notice if we deem this necessary.

Class Cancellations/ Re-scheduling

We will always do our best to avoid cancelling classes where possible but in the unfortunate event that we do this class will be made up at a later date, or the cost will be deducted from the next termly fees. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds for cancelled classes.

Updating Policies and Procedures

LH Acrobatics reserves the rights to update the above mentioned Policies and Procedures when necessary without prior notice and recommend that Parents/Guardians take the time to check for any amendments made.

Last updated- 1/9/2024.