Working in schools

[Kingstech]

(mods feel free to move this)

Right,

 

I have finished secondary school education now and I am off to college, my old school, which I am no longer a part of but they want me to go back and help on productions and events as a technician, as they wont have anyone with much experience there.

 

What I want to know is:

 

Is there anything I need to have done or got before I help at events.

I spoke to someone at the school today and they were unsure about what I needed to have.

 

I was a student there for 5 years and was doing everything technical there that needed to be done.

 

As I would be external from the school is ther stuff I need for me to be able to do stuff on events?

 

Callum

 

 

[paulears]

You go back as a visitor, they give you a badge - and this makes you 'official' and they then have a legal duty of care. You don't need anything else, although, there is always a case for getting some public liability, or personal accident cover if you think the risk is high.

 

My experience is that if you are willing to help, they'll be very happy to take you.

[Kingstech]

So it is as simple as that.. I go back and get a visitor badge.. the only thing is, I would be working up ladders and at height..

 

Also the guy did mention something about a CRB check? is this nessesary? I volunteer at a cub pack and I dont need one.

[dunk_1984]

So it is as simple as that.. I go back and get a visitor badge.

 

Yes, you are now a visitor and not a pupil. This simply imposes a different set of rules and etiquette.

 

the only thing is, I would be working up ladders and at height..

 

This is down to their risk assessment, they may require you to hold relevant certification or training.

 

Also the guy did mention something about a CRB check? is this nessesary? I volunteer at a cub pack and I dont need one.

 

This is a child protection issue and again down to their policy. If they require you to have one, you must have one to work on the site. Common theme when working in Schools.

[Kingstech]

Ok, thank you both for this help.. just the way they said it today made it seem like it would be complicated..

 

Thankyou

[paulears]

Two things. If they really want you, they will make it simple. If they make it complicated, then it is up to THEM to sort it out. If you need a CRB, then you can't get it yourself, they must do it for you. Now you're not a student, ask yourself how safe it will be going up their ladders? Is there somebody there who could save your life if an accident happened. If you need insurance, suggest they sort it out. If not, just explain that as much as you'd love to do it, you can't.

 

The CRB is unlikely to be required anyway, because you won't have unsupervised access to their students.

[Kingstech]

The ladders were safe when I used them last year.. the school is my old school so I am quite friendly with most of the staff, and it was only me using the ladders then. So if they want me and want insurance and CRB they will sort it out?

 

Thanks

[djw1981]

And I think I'm pretty right in saying that as a volunteer with Cubs you should also have been CRB checked, though this form si built into teh standard Scouts info form for Leaders.

[sleah]

The CRB is unlikely to be required anyway, because you won't have unsupervised access to their students.

 

I have a friend who helps me on shows (at a school) on a freelance basis, he's covered under school insurance and had to be CRB checked. The CRB check was down to school policy, although he's unlikely to be unsupervised, what happens if I need the loo or am called away to something urgent?

This is really the difference between a visitor and someone working on site. If you are working, then you're not strictly a visitor, and as it's for productions then there will a fair bit of contact with pupils, and the teachers won't be able to be constantly looking over someone's shoulder, like they can if it's just a guest speaker.

 

I suspect it may be the same policy in many schools.

[Kingstech]

And I think I'm pretty right in saying that as a volunteer with Cubs you should also have been CRB checked, though this form si built into teh standard Scouts info form for Leaders.

 

I am a young leader and I dont think its the same..

 

Is it a tricky subject then? Most of the stuff I would be doing would be alone and possibly have students there..

 

I think it says on my profile but I am 16

[J Pearce]

Any casual crew I bring in, voluntary or paid, are insured by the school and checked on List99, but not CRB as they are generally supervised and have only brief periods of contact with students. That choice is all down to senior management though, so will vary from school to school.

 

A local school I have casual'd for use a similar setup.

[mutley]

I went straight from working at a UK family holiday resort where I needed a CRB check, to working on a cruise ship where I needed another CRB, to working in Lanzarote where I needed yet another CRB, to working at a local high school - where you guessed it! - I needed yet another CRB!

 

In order to prove "Due Diligence" to the "powers that be", they may require a CRB for you, with their name on as the interested party/establishment. They will keep their copy on file, and you will receive your copy.

 

It is probably worth mentioning, that as a visitor / staff member / contractor, it might be deemed grossly inappropriate for you to fraternise, have a relationship with, or indulge in conversation of an adult nature, with any pupil - even though some may even be friends of the same age! I strongly suggest you talk with the headteacher about such circumstances BEFORE you start "working" there, just to be sure about what is acceptable, and what isn't. If you want to be able to put it on your CV and as a source of a reference, it would be worth the awkwardness to know where you stand.

[rossmck]

It is probably worth mentioning, that as a visitor / staff member / contractor, it might be deemed grossly inappropriate for you to fraternise, have a relationship with, or indulge in conversation of an adult nature, with any pupil - even though some may even be friends of the same age! I strongly suggest you talk with the headteacher about such circumstances BEFORE you start "working" there, just to be sure about what is acceptable, and what isn't. If you want to be able to put it on your CV and as a source of a reference, it would be worth the awkwardness to know where you stand.

 

Having been in that situation ( although it was a "CONTRACTOR" badge ) it's definitely worth clarifying ... it does change the relationship you have with the school even if you'd left only a few days earlier. In my case they were aware of a relationship I had with someone who was still a pupil and specifically said they had no issue with it, which was nice of them... because generally contractors don't chat to the pupils ; )

 

Edit- I should add that, young as I feel at times, I guess it was rather a long time ago now... times have changed perhaps :P

[paulears]

This is EXACTLY why the system is such a mess. Schools have electricians, plumbers, delivery drivers in every single day, and the vast majority do not apply CRB requirement to visitors or contractors, because if the school are doing their job correctly, they simply will not get put in the position of needing one. When I visit schools for BTEC, in five years only one school has actually asked me for any proper ID, the others simply asking your name, and who you are there to see, and then incredibly, quite often calling a young female teenager and asking her to take Mr Johnson to Mrs Jones! My recent week in one school had me, 50+ sitting next to a student - about 15ish, and we chatted all week without anybody being that interested. The staff loos were key coded and so when I had to go I used the boys loo. There was no system at all for keeping me supervised - it was deemed satisfactory to simply be aware I was there. Not everyone is some kind of pervert, and CRB is excellent for people who may be put into frequent close contact, on their own. Peripatetic music teachers, who visit regularly and have one to one contact in closed rooms are excellent examples of where CRB does make sense, but somebody simply in the room, and talking to individuals is hardly a risk. If they are visitors, we should work on the principal that if they don't know you, or won't be able to be around, then you shouldn't get in at all.

 

Some people argue that CRB protects the individuals, but it doesn't - it proves that at the time the check was done, you had no recorded issues likely to mean you shouldn't be there - it doesn't prove you're not going to run off with a teenager, just that you've never done it before. The fact you cannot CRB yourself shows that CRBs are for people to do on you - so the ball's in their court.

 

In this case, let's get real. They've asked him to go in and help, he wants to, and they know him. If they are worried about any aspect, it's up to them. The only risk likely to really mean something is the potential to have an accident.

 

BTEC have a rule for people like me. It's very simple. They just instruct you not to put yourself in the position of having unsupervised one to one contact. If it happens, which it does, then you get yourself out of the situation by finding people - it's easy, you walk out into the corridor, or go to the loo, or loads of other, very simple ways - even walking into the next classroom and asking for directions back to reception (that you don't really need) - it's really simple, and can be done very easily without embarrassing anyone.

 

I sort of understand Mutley's view, but in this world, all these constant attempts to get 'security' are just cop-outs. If you work with these sorts of 'dangers' and can't make it stress free, don't do it. Just make sure you behave, and most importantly, are seen to behave. This doesn't mean you can't speak to the passing teenagers, far from it. I always talk to everyone, strangers included - and don't think before I speak. Never been able to do this. What you see, you get. If I get it wrong, which I often do - you take it on the chin and accept the responsibility for your behaviour. When I was teaching and a student of the female type got themselves stranded by missing the bus or whatever, it never occurred to me to say they couldn't have a lift home. All I'd do is phone the parent and tell them I planned to get them home, and thought I should let them know they'd missed the bus. The parents were always grateful, and I'd often get a cuppa. I've seen colleagues abandon a student because they weren't 'allowed' to give lifts. Total rubbish - BUT you must be open about it and always make sure somebody knows - so in my case, I'd just tell my boss, or leave him a message on his mobile - so nobody could ever accuse me of anything. Some of my colleagues thought this very dangerous, but if your colleagues and the parents are aware of what is happening, then it's ok with me.

 

This weird attitude that you need all this protection is just a pointless spiral downwards.

[sleah]

Some people argue that CRB protects the individuals, but it doesn't - it proves that at the time the check was done, you had no recorded issues likely to mean you shouldn't be there - it doesn't prove you're not going to run off with a teenager, just that you've never done it before. The fact you cannot CRB yourself shows that CRBs are for people to do on you - so the ball's in their court.

Being pedantic - it actually doesn't prove that you've not been naughty before, it can also mean you just haven't been caught :o

Flippant remark??

 

 

Is it???? Hmmm....