Policies

Online safety and remote lessons policy

How we run live online lessons safely, and what we expect of tutors, pupils and parents.

1. Purpose and scope

All Cove Tutors lessons are live and online, using Google Meet with a shared digital whiteboard. This policy explains how we keep pupils safe during those lessons and in every other contact we have with them. It applies to all tutors, contractors and volunteers, and to every pupil, parent, carer, school, AP setting and local authority we work with.

This policy forms part of our safeguarding and child protection policy. Any safeguarding concern arising from an online lesson is dealt with under that policy.

2. Platforms and accounts

  • Lessons take place only on Google Meet through our business Google Workspace accounts.
  • Tutors never use personal email, video or cloud accounts for lessons, pupil records or contact with families.
  • Tutors never use personal phones, personal social media or messaging apps (such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or Instagram) to contact pupils, and never accept or send friend or follow requests to pupils.
  • Lesson notes and records are kept in our business Google Drive, not on personal devices or accounts.

3. Communication

  • All communication about lessons goes to, or copies in, the parent or carer. For pupils commissioned by a school, AP setting or local authority, it goes to or copies in the named lead at that organisation.
  • Tutors do not hold private one-to-one conversations with pupils by email or chat outside lessons.
  • The Google Meet chat is used only for lesson content during the lesson.
  • If a pupil contacts a tutor directly through any other channel, the tutor does not reply through that channel and tells the DSL and the parent, carer or commissioning lead.
  • Each lesson or series of lessons has its own meeting link, sent only to the parent or carer, or to the commissioning lead.
  • Links are never published or shared publicly.
  • Tutors admit only the pupils they expect. Anyone they do not recognise is not admitted, and the tutor tells the parent, carer or commissioning lead.
  • In group lessons (up to four pupils), only the pupils in that group are admitted.

5. Supervision

  • For every pupil under 18, a responsible adult must be nearby during the lesson: in the home, or in the school or setting.
  • At home, we ask that pupils join from a shared or open space, such as a kitchen or living room, rather than a bedroom, where possible.
  • In a school or AP setting, the setting provides a supervised room and a named adult the tutor can contact during the lesson.
  • If no responsible adult is available, the tutor may postpone the lesson.

6. The tutor’s environment and conduct

  • Tutors teach from a quiet, neutral and professional space, with nothing personal or inappropriate visible behind them. A plain or blurred background is fine.
  • Tutors dress as they would to teach in a school.
  • Tutors use headphones, so that the pupil’s voice is not overheard by anyone in the tutor’s home.
  • No one else may be present or visible in the tutor’s space during a lesson.
  • Tutors follow the same standards of language and behaviour as they would in a classroom.

7. Cameras and microphones

  • The tutor’s camera is on for the whole lesson.
  • We expect pupils to have their cameras on, because it helps the tutor teach and check on wellbeing. We make reasonable adjustments where a pupil has a good reason, for example a special educational need or anxiety, agreed in advance with the parent, carer or commissioning lead.
  • Pupils may use a blurred background.

8. Recording

  • Lessons are not recorded.
  • The only exception is where the commissioning school or local authority and the parent or carer have agreed in writing, in advance, that a lesson may be recorded. The written agreement states why the recording is made, who can see it, where it is stored and how long it is kept.
  • Any agreed recording is stored only in our business Google Workspace account, and deleted at the end of the agreed retention period.
  • Pupils, parents and carers must not record, photograph or screenshot lessons.

9. Screen sharing and the whiteboard

  • Tutors share only the lesson materials or whiteboard. They close other tabs, windows, emails and notifications before sharing their screen.
  • Pupils share their screen or use the whiteboard only when the tutor asks them to.
  • Tutors use only teaching materials produced or approved by Cove Tutors.
  • The tutor removes, and reports, anything inappropriate added to the whiteboard.

10. If a pupil is distressed, unsafe or behaves inappropriately

If a pupil is distressed or a tutor is worried about them

The tutor stays calm, checks in with the pupil, and tries to make contact with the responsible adult. If the pupil makes a disclosure, or the tutor has a concern, the tutor follows section 7 of our safeguarding and child protection policy and reports to the DSL the same day.

If a pupil is in immediate danger

The tutor calls 999, gives any information they have about where the pupil is, and then tells the DSL. Where it is safe, the tutor stays on the call with the pupil until a responsible adult or the emergency services take over.

If a pupil behaves inappropriately

The tutor reminds the pupil of the expected standards. If the behaviour continues, or is serious (for example sexual, abusive or threatening language or images), the tutor follows the disconnection procedure below.

11. Disconnection procedure

A tutor ends a lesson early when:

  • a pupil or anyone else in the lesson behaves in a seriously inappropriate way, or shows inappropriate content
  • someone unexpected joins or appears and the tutor cannot confirm who they are
  • the tutor believes continuing would put the pupil or the tutor at risk.

When ending a lesson, the tutor:

  1. Tells the pupil calmly that the lesson is ending, where it is safe to do so.
  2. Does not end the call if doing so would leave a pupil at immediate risk. In that case, they follow the steps in section 10 for a pupil in immediate danger.
  3. Contacts the parent, carer or commissioning lead to explain what happened, unless doing so could put the child at risk.
  4. Writes a factual record the same day.
  5. Reports the incident to the DSL the same day.

If a lesson ends because of a technical fault, the tutor tries to reconnect and, if that fails, contacts the parent, carer or commissioning lead to rearrange.

12. Pupil and parent code of conduct

Pupils

  • Join on time from a quiet space, with a responsible adult nearby.
  • Keep your camera on unless your tutor has agreed otherwise.
  • Use respectful language, and only share your screen or use the whiteboard when your tutor asks.
  • Do not record, photograph or screenshot the lesson.
  • Do not share the lesson link with anyone.
  • Do not try to contact your tutor through social media or messaging apps.
  • If anything online worries you, tell your tutor, a parent or carer, or a trusted adult at school.

Parents and carers

  • Make sure a responsible adult is nearby throughout each lesson.
  • Help your child to join from a suitable space, appropriately dressed.
  • Keep the lesson link private.
  • Contact us only through our business email addresses.
  • Tell us about anything that affects your child’s safety or wellbeing in lessons.
  • Do not record lessons.

13. Filtering and monitoring

  • Where a pupil joins a lesson on a school or setting device, or on a school or setting network, the school or setting remains responsible for filtering and monitoring that device and network.
  • Where a pupil joins at home, parents and carers are responsible for the device and internet connection their child uses. We encourage parents and carers to use parental controls.
  • Tutors use secure, up-to-date devices with password protection, and never leave a device unlocked with pupil information visible.

14. Reporting online harm

  • Tutors report any online safety concern to the DSL the same day.
  • Anyone worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with a child online can report it to CEOP, part of the National Crime Agency, through the CEOP Safety Centre online.
  • Young people under 18 can use the Report Remove service from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation to get nude images of themselves removed from the internet.
  • If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

15. Review

We review this policy at least once a year, and sooner if our platforms, the law or statutory guidance change, or if an incident shows that it should be updated.