Rationale:
The Board of Management of Scoil Naomh Buithe seeks to provide an open and friendly learning environment, which values and encourages visitors to the school. At the same time the Board has a legitimate interest in avoiding disruption to the educational process, protecting the safety and welfare of the students and staff, and to protect and preserve the schools facilities and resources from misuse or vandalism.
Aims:
The aim of this policy is to provide guidelines for all visitors to the school and in so doing;
- Provide a safe and secure environment for our students and staff.
- Establish protocols and procedures that effectively monitor and manage visitors, whilst not compromising the open and inviting nature of the school.
Definitions:
Visitors to the school are defined as all people other than staff members, students, and parents/guardians involved in the task of delivering or collecting children at the start or end of the school day.
Type of Visitor
- Parents/Guardians
- Department of Education & H.S.E. Officials
- Guest Speakers
- Paid coaches and instructors
- Volunteers (parents, sport coaches, etc.)
- Contractors
Responsibilities:
The school principal shall have the authority to determine which visits are permitted as well as the discretion to set any appropriate conditions on the nature and extent of such visits. In exercising this discretion, the principal shall consider the purpose of the visit, the impact of the visitor’s presence and the relationship of any visitor to the students.
School personnel shall seek to assure that parents and other visitors are courteously received and that sincere efforts are made to provide them with the information as may be needed to foster a cooperative relationship between home, school and community.
General requirements for visitors:
- Each visitor is required to visit reception upon arrival and sign in at the front door. The secretary, principal or deputy principal will determine whether they may be permitted into the building. The person who buzzes them in will also ensure that they leave.
- Whenever possible, visitors should obtain authorisation from the principal in advance. At the discretion of the principal, such prior authorisation may be required.
- Visits may be prohibited at certain times such as the first and last weeks of school, immediately before or after school holidays or other breaks and while preparations for school events are being conducted.
- All school visitors must comply at all times with Board of Management and Department of Education policies, administrative rules and school regulations.
Parents as Visitors:
- Parents wishing to conference with teachers during the course of the school day are required to make arrangements in advance.
- Parents who visit the premises during the school day to collect students for external appointments are asked to call to the reception and sign their child out
- Parents who have been invited to visit the school as part of an open day, special event or scheduled school performance are exempt from these requirements.
Guest Speakers
- Guest speakers may be invited to the school where the principal teacher’s authorisation has been sought and where it has been deemed that the use of such a speaker will bring specific knowledge and expertise to enrich the planned curriculum.
- Guest Speakers on subjects/areas other than the approved curriculum must be approved by the principal prior to being invited to the school.
Paid Coaches & Instructors:
- Note that Scoil Naomh Buithe will ask the coach/instructor’s club/organisation to directly confirm that the coach/instructor has been Garda vetted. If there is no club/organisation, and the visits are recurring in nature, then the coach/instructor will need to be vetted by Scoil Naomh Buithe. If the visit is once-off in nature, then school management will ensure that there is no opportunity for unsupervised access to children.
- Coaches/Instructors will work under the supervision of a designated teacher.
- Should have a recognised qualification in the activity they are to deliver.
- Must produce evidence of having received Child Protection training e.g. Children First E-Learning Programme TUSLA.
- Should have appropriate experience of working with young people.
- Must provide evidence of current public liability insurance cover.
Volunteers
- Note that Scoil Naomh Buithe will ask the volunteer club or organisation to directly confirm that the volunteer has been Garda vetted. If there is no parent club or organisation, the volunteer will need to be vetted by Scoil Naomh Buithe.
- Volunteers will only work directly alongside a member of the school staff.
Contractors:
- Contractors who may occasionally visit the premises during the school day must be accompanied/monitored by a member of staff at all times.
Other Visitors:
- The Chairperson of the B.O.M. and the parish priests may visit the school at any time having notified the principal in advance.
- The Diocesan Advisor may visit the school from time to time.
- Inspectors from the Department of Education are welcome to visit at any time.
- Parent Council members may visit by appointment for meetings etc.
Special situations:
- Both custodial and non-custodial parents of a Scoil Naomh Buithe student have rights to visit the child's school unless a court order exists restricting such contact. In the event that a non-custodial parent seeks permission to visit, the school shall make every effort to notify the custodial parent in advance of the visit.
- The principal has the authority to exclude from the school premises any person who disrupts or who appears likely to become a disruption to the educational program. Any such individual shall be directed to leave the school premises immediately and the Gardaí shall be called if necessary.
- The education of children is of utmost importance to the school and disruptions to this teaching on a regular basis will not be tolerated. Parents and others are requested to make appointments to speak to teachers and staff in order to ensure that no teaching and preparation time is lost and also ensure that time and attention is given to the visitor in question.
- The school endeavours to be a welcoming place for pupils, their families and the wider community and will hold events to encourage people to visit the school at certain times of the year e.g. Green Flag celebrations, assemblies, event celebrations, open evenings, information evenings, coffee mornings, Grandparents Day, Infant Introductory meetings. (This list is not exhaustive)
Policy Links:
This policy is linked to other school policies and procedures such as: Child Safeguarding and Risk Assessment, Garda Vetting, Data Protection Policy, Health & Safety Statement, Parental Complaints Procedure among others.
Ratification & Review
This policy was ratified by the Board of Management at a meeting on 31st May 2021. It will be communicated by email to staff, and saved onto the staff server. It will also be available in the school to parents and the school community. It will be reviewed every five years by staff and the BOM, or earlier if requested by one of the parties.
Signed: Patrick Logue (Chairperson BOM)