Safeguarding - Ariston Education

Version: 2.0 | Last reviewed: May 2025 | Next review due: May 2026

Safeguarding contact: safeguarding@ariston.education

This policy outlines Ariston Education’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all students. As an online tutoring agency operating in the United Kingdom, we recognise our fundamental responsibility to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for every student we work with.

1. Legal Obligations and Compliance

Ariston Education adheres to all relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance in the United Kingdom. This includes, but is not limited to:

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) — the statutory guidance for safeguarding in educational settings
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) — the Department for Education’s updated statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard children
The Children Act 1989 and 2004
The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR

This policy is reviewed and updated annually to reflect changes in legislation and best practice.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead

Ariston Education has designated a Safeguarding Lead responsible for overseeing all safeguarding matters. The Safeguarding Lead is the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern raised by tutors, students, parents or guardians.

Safeguarding Lead contact: safeguarding@ariston.education

All safeguarding concerns must be reported to this address in the first instance. The Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

Receiving and documenting all safeguarding concerns
Assessing the nature and severity of concerns
Escalating to statutory authorities (e.g. Children’s Social Care, Police) where necessary
Maintaining records of all concerns and actions taken
Ensuring all tutors complete required safeguarding training
Reviewing and updating this policy annually

Note: While a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is a statutory requirement under KCSIE for schools and colleges, appointing a named Safeguarding Lead is considered best practice for out-of-school education providers such as tuition agencies.

3. Recruitment and Background Checks

All tutors working with Ariston Education must complete a rigorous recruitment process before commencing work with students. This includes:

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check — mandatory for all tutors working with students in the UK
Verification of academic and professional qualifications
Minimum two professional references, checked and documented
An interview assessing professional conduct, suitability to work with young people, and understanding of safeguarding principles

No tutor will be permitted to work with students until all checks have been satisfactorily completed and documented.

4. Safeguarding Training

All tutors are required to complete safeguarding training as a condition of working with Ariston Education. Training covers:

Recognising signs of abuse and neglect
Understanding and maintaining professional boundaries
Reporting procedures for safeguarding concerns
Online safety and appropriate digital conduct
How to respond if a student discloses information of concern

Training is completed upon joining and refreshed at least annually. Ariston Education recommends training from The Tutors’ Association and the NSPCC as appropriate providers of tutor-specific safeguarding courses.

5. Professional Boundaries and Conduct

Tutors are expected to maintain professional boundaries at all times. This includes:

All communication between tutors and students must be professional and strictly related to tutoring
Personal contact details (personal phone numbers, personal email addresses, personal social media) must not be exchanged between tutors and students
All communication must take place through platforms approved by Ariston Education
Tutors must not contact students or parents/guardians outside of agreed tutoring hours without the knowledge of Ariston Education
Any behaviour that could be perceived as inappropriate must be avoided and reported immediately

As an online agency, all sessions are conducted remotely. There is no provision for unsupervised physical contact as part of our service.

6. Secure Communication Channels

All tutoring sessions and communications must take place through platforms provided or approved by Ariston Education. This ensures:

Student privacy is protected in accordance with data protection regulations
A record of communication is maintained, which may be reviewed in the event of a concern
Sessions are conducted in a professional and appropriate manner

Tutors must not use unapproved third-party platforms to conduct sessions or communicate with students.

7. Parental Involvement

Ariston Education works in partnership with parents and guardians to promote student wellbeing. We will:

Communicate regularly with parents/guardians regarding their child’s progress and any concerns
Advise parents/guardians on best practices for supervising online tutoring sessions
Encourage parents/guardians to be aware of, and periodically check in on, online sessions
Ensure parents/guardians are aware of how to raise a safeguarding concern with Ariston Education

8. Monitoring Tutoring Sessions

Ariston Education implements appropriate measures to monitor tutoring sessions and ensure a safe environment. This may include:

Review of session recordings where permitted and with prior consent from students and parents/guardians
Regular feedback from students and parents/guardians regarding their tutoring experience
Periodic review of communication logs on approved platforms

9. Responding to Safeguarding Concerns

In the event of a safeguarding concern, the following process will be followed:

Step 1 — Report: The concern is reported immediately to safeguarding@ariston.education
Step 2 — Document: All details are recorded accurately and objectively, including dates, times, and observations
Step 3 — Assess: The Safeguarding Lead assesses the nature and severity of the concern
Step 4 — Escalate if necessary: If a child is in immediate danger, or where the concern warrants it, the Safeguarding Lead will contact the relevant local authority (Children’s Social Care) or the Police
Step 5 — Follow up: All steps taken are recorded and Ariston Education will cooperate fully with any subsequent investigation

Confidentiality will be maintained throughout. Information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis and in line with data protection regulations. Confidentiality does not override the need to share information where a child is at risk.

10. Online Safety

Given that all Ariston Education tutoring takes place online, we recognise the particular importance of online safety. Tutors are required to:

Be aware of the risks associated with online communication with young people
Never engage with students on personal social media or messaging platforms
Report any concerns about a student’s online behaviour or safety to the Safeguarding Lead
Complete online safety training as part of their annual safeguarding refresher

Parents/guardians are encouraged to maintain awareness of the platforms their child uses for tutoring and to report any concerns to safeguarding@ariston.education.

11. Useful Resources

Ariston Education recommends the following resources for further guidance on safeguarding in education:

This is a living document. It will be reviewed annually and updated to reflect changes in legislation, best practice, and the operational context of Ariston Education.