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Code of Conduct Policy

Code of Conduct

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Download the Code of Conduct here
Read our Code of Conduct outlining the standards, values, and ethical guidelines that govern our community and workplace.

Engage Education Code of Conduct for Staff & Contractors

Introduction

Date Updated: August 2025

Purpose of Document

This code of conduct, sometimes known as the ‘behaviour code’, outlines the conduct Engage Education expects from all our staff and contractors. This code of conduct applies to anyone who is undertaking duties for the organisation, whether paid or unpaid.

This behaviour code aims to help us protect children and young people from abuse and reduce the possibility of unfounded allegations being made. Its creation has been informed by the views of children and young people.

Engage Education takes seriously its responsibility for making sure everyone taking part in our services has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

Note: Where we refer to ‘parents’, we mean parents and/or carers inclusively.

Staff and Contractors

In your role at Engage Education, you act in a position of authority and have a duty of care towards the children and young people we work with. You are likely to be seen as a role model and are expected to act appropriately. 

Responsibility 

You are responsible for: 

  • Prioritising the welfare of children and young people, providing a safe environment for children and young people, ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose
  • Having a strong awareness of issues related to safeguarding and child protection, and taking action when appropriate 
  • Following Engage Education principles, policies and procedures
  • Following the principles, policies and procedures of your placement school
  • Modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow
  • Challenging all unacceptable behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to the designated safeguarding officer promptly
  • Reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures – this includes behaviour being displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age
  • Engage Education has a ‘no touch’ policy, and physical contact should be avoided outside of school guidance.

Rights

You should: 

  • Treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination, and understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs
  • Respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group/organisation
  • Challenge discrimination and prejudice
  • Encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that make them uncomfortable

Relationships

You should:  

  • Promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect
  • Avoid favouritism
  • Be patient with others
  • Exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people  
  • Ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to your role at a client school
  • If a child specifically asks for or needs some individual time with you, ensure that other staff or volunteers know where you and the child are
  • Only provide personal care in case of emergency with another adult present unless it has been agreed that the provision of personal care is part of your role and you have been trained to do this safely.

Respect 

You should: 

  • Listen to and respect children at all times and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible  
  • Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible
  • If you need to break confidentiality to follow child protection procedures, it is essential to explain this to the child or young person at the earliest opportunity. 

Unacceptable behaviour 

When working with children and young people, you must not:  

  • Allow concerns or allegations to go unreported
  • Take unnecessary risks
  • Smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances
  • Develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people
  • Make inappropriate promises to children and young people
  • Engage in inappropriate conversations with children and young people
  • Engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive, including having any form of sexual contact with a child or young person
  • Let children and young people have your contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account.
  • Interact or engage with children and young people via open social media accounts or forums
  • Act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive, patronise or belittle children and young people
  • Make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.
  • Take part in activities outside of the school setting which may bring the reputation of your setting into disrepute.

Social Media & Online Activities

You should: 

  • Ensure that all social media accounts have the highest privacy settings available to you.
  • Ensure that even in private online spaces, you act appropriately.
  • Use extreme caution when commenting or discussing on public forums or spaces.
  • Keep your professional life and private life separate in online spaces
  • Inform Engage Education and your school placement of any information held online that may place you in breach of this code of conduct or Keeping Children Safe in Education.

You should not:

  • Post any information or content, either on public or private forums/websites, that may damage the reputation of the school you are placed in or Engage Education.
  • Have any contact with former or current students in an online setting
  • Avoid the use of any social media or online forums within the school setting.

Upholding this code of conduct

As an Engage Education staff member and/or contractor, you should always follow this code of conduct and never rely on your reputation or that of our organisation to protect you.

If you have behaved inappropriately, you will be subject to our internal disciplinary procedures. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, you may be asked to leave. We may also make a report to statutory agencies such as the police and/or the local authority’s child protection services.

If you become aware of any breaches of this code, you must report them to the designated safeguarding officer as soon as safe. If necessary, you should follow Engage Education’s whistleblowing procedure, safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Engage Education Reporting Policy

It is paramount that if any concerns regarding maltreatment, abuse, neglect, radicalisation, sexual exploitation, or other concerns are observed or raised, direct action is taken. Section 4 lists individual guidance on specific safeguarding issues in line with KCSIE (2025); the guidance below should be followed for general concerns.

If abuse has been disclosed to you or you suspect that it is happening, you must inform the relevant Designated Safeguarding Lead within a school/organisation (for external/supply staff) or the company’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (for internal Engage Education staff).

If you have a suspicion of maltreatment cases such as abuse, neglect, radicalisation, sexual exploitation, or other concerns, or if a child has approached you with disclosures, you must raise the concerns.

The following guidelines should be used when a concern is expressed by a young person to a member of the Engage Education staff:

  • Make sure they know they have done the right thing
  • Listen carefully to their story, reassure, and respect their rights
  • Maintain confidentiality, but do not make promises that you cannot keep; explain that the information will have to be passed on only to those who need to know about it, and what action you will be taking in this regard
  • Be calm; try not to display any kind of shock or disapproval, and be reassuring, making it clear that you are glad that they have told you
  • Show that you are taking the child or vulnerable adult seriously and that you understand and believe them
  • Keep questions to a minimum; if you must ask questions, keep them open and not leading
  • Do not jump to conclusions; do not try to solve the situation yourself or confront anyone
  • The young person or vulnerable adult may regard the experience as either bad or painful, and  they may not feel guilty or angry
  • Be aware of your feelings, which may be different to those of the young person or vulnerable adult
  • Take care of yourself by ensuring that you have an opportunity to discuss your feelings with someone at a later stage
  • Do not destroy any evidence, as it may be used later in a court of law
  • Write up their narrative, giving as much detail as possible; remember to include the date and time, what was said, and any names and locations; use the ‘Expression of Concern’ form to assist you

The details of the alleged abuse must be recorded correctly and legibly, as this will be critical later in the proceedings. This should be done as soon as possible and certainly within 24 hours.

  • Do not disclose any information to non-relevant parties
  • Contact your DSL immediately and inform them of the situation using the report you made
  • The DSL will directly contact any child protection agency, the police or simply provide further advice
  • If the DSL is unavailable and you believe the situation warrants further action, contact a child protection agency or the police. In an emergency (that is, if the incident is serious, or the child needs medical attention, or a crime may have occurred, call 999

Essential Links – Safeguarding

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is an essential part of your induction, both with Engage Education and your new school. When you first arrive at your placement school, you will be provided with an induction focused on safeguarding at your school, but there are also certain aspects that you can complete in advance and that we encourage you to familiarise yourself with.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KSCIE) – September 2025 Edition

‘Keeping children safe in education is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in

England must have regard when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Everybody working in a school or college must understand their safeguarding responsibilities

It is essential that, before starting your role, you read and understand this document. This can be accessed via the government website by CLICKING HERE

Prevent Duty Training – 2025/2026

Prevent is one part of the government’s overall counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. 

The aim of Prevent is to:

  • Tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism
  • Safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention
  • Enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

In these training courses, you will learn about:

  • The Prevent duty
  • Different forms of extremism and terrorism
  • The risk around radicalisation and your supportive role
  • Making a Prevent referral that is both informed and made with good intentions
  • The interventions and support available

You can access this course for free by CLICKING HERE

Creative Education

Engage Education requires all candidates to complete Enhanced Safeguarding training via our exclusive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) partner, Creative Education. You should have already received an invite to access Creative Education.

If you have yet to register with Creative Education, please contact your consultant ASAP.

Please note: This is a free service for all Engage Education candidates. If you are asked to pay for this service, please contact your consultant ASAP.

Developing Safeguarding Practice – Level 2

Designed for all staff and volunteers working directly with children in education settings, this series of courses provides an introduction to safeguarding and child protection, helping adults spot and respond as appropriate.

CLICK HERE

Child on Child Abuse Training

All schools and colleges have clearly defined responsibilities regarding child-on-child abuse. However, this form of abuse can manifest in several ways, and it can be a very complicated issue and difficult to unpick. This course is designed to equip you with a thorough understanding of what child-on-child abuse is and what it looks like, as well as your responsibilities concerning this type of abuse. You will finish the course with a refreshed understanding of the issue and three top tips for minimising child-on-child abuse in your school.

CLICK HERE

Cyber Security

The majority of UK schools will, from September 2024, require agency workers to complete training to better understand cybersecurity. We’re keen to ensure that no candidate is turned away from a school due to this new Cyber legislation coming into effect. 

With this in mind, please complete the below training course – it is completely free and will take 30-45 minutes to complete. The course covers:

  • Who is taking part in cyberattacks and why?
  • Why are schools targeted?
  • Phishing scams
  • Payment fraud
  • Ransomware
  • Phone fraud

Click here to complete the course: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/cyber-security-training-schools

You must complete this training and read this document before starting any booking with Engage Education. Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action.

If you do not have access to either document, please inform your consultant immediately or email our Customer Care Team – customercare@engage-education.com

Important Contacts – Safeguarding and Child Protection