ISE expects students to attend all their classes. The following rules and procedures have been put in place to make sure students make the most of their time and follow immigration guidelines, where applicable.
ISE reserves the right to instigate expulsion procedures arising from sustained absenteeism, for those with immigration requirements (ISE visa sponsored students).
Students in Ireland are contacted using the email address supplied during the admission/enrollment process. It is the students' responsibility to update the school on the email and postal address changes. This will also be confirmed at the induction stage during the Induction checklist and acknowledgement form signing process.
From 1st November 2021 the following procedures will be in place for non EU / EEA students who are subject to immigration (visa sponsorship) requirements:
ISE requests that students attend classes each day and are punctual.
From February 27th, 2023 the following procedures will be in place at ISE Ireland for non EU / EEA students who are subject to immigration requirements:
The nominated staff member for attendance and absenteeism issues is:
ISE Designated Attendance Officer (DAO). Email: attendance@iseireland.ie
Final decisions regarding students suspension, expulsion and appeals lie with the Director of Studies.
For cancellations due to visa permission rejections, a written notification and receipt of the relevant supporting documentation must be presented to ISE Ireland at least 14 days prior to your listed arrival date. On receipt of the supporting documentation, 100% of the tuition fees will be refunded. If visa rejection evidence is not supplied within the given time frame (at least 14 days prior to arrival date), then a cancellation fee equivalent to 1 week's full accommodation and tuition fees will apply.
It is strongly advised to pay fees via the ISE's TransferMate account (Escrow account for visa-required countries). For Non-EU students, it is a requirement to pay by this method as your funds are held independently in a protected Escrow account pending a visa decision.
The following cases are all non-refundable; this list is extensive but not exhaustive:
Refund request form will be given to the ISE Accounts Department. A decision will be usually made within 5 working days although it can take up to two weeks to reach a decision.
Q.1. What happens if I decide not to commence my course after my arrival in Ireland?
A.1. Once a non EEA student arrives in Ireland and has their passport stamped by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) at the port of entry they are deemed to be a student at ISE and no refund will be made.
Equally, if a student has received their Visa from an Irish Embassy abroad, they are also deemed to be an ISE student and no refund will be made.
Should a prospective student be refused a student Visa, ISE will refund fees paid less an administration fee of €150. Such refunds are subject to ISE receiving all original copies of ISE's enrolment plus the original letter of refusal from the appropriate Immigration authority.
Should a student cancel their course ISE will refund fees paid less an administration fee of €150 subject to the cancellation being received by ISE at least 21 days prior to class commencement.
Q.2. What happens if my Visa is denied because of false or misleading information on my application form?
A.2. Should a Visa application be refused because of false or misleading information said student will NOT be entitled to a refund. It is up to the student to make sure all information submitted is correct.
Q.3. My classes have already started - can I get a refund?
A.3. NO: Once classes have commenced no refunds are made for missed classes or early withdrawal from a course. (See next question).
Q.4. What happens if I cannot complete my course due to an unplanned event?
A.4. Should an unplanned event occur, upon receipt of proof, credit will be given for the outstanding paid weeks and will be valid for a period of 6 months from the first missed day.
Q.5. What happens if my course schedule changes?
A.5. This is not expected to occur, however, ISE reserves the right to alter dates in order to facilitate or improve the provision of any course / associated examinations. Should such a change be deemed necessary, it will not affect the student's terms and conditions and therefore no refund will be made.
Students enrolled on one of the ISE programmes listed on the ILEP Register(s) are required to attend their course's final examinations (Trinity, IELTS or Cambridge exams):
"I hereby confirm that I am aware of my responsibility to register for an exam at least a month before the end of my course (month 5 out of 6 months of study in school) and sit the mandatory end-of-course examination recommended by the Director of Studies or the academic team (in her absence) that is in line with my current level (visa requirements). End-of-course examinations will be one level higher than the initial placement test result according to the ILEP/ACELS requirement of student language development and minimum progression levels. I also understand that I must pay the exam fees in full before my course commencement dates. I acknowledge the fact that my exam results will be sent to school and the school records will be kept for inspection purposes for at least two years."
ISE will hold regular information sessions to explain details of this process. These sessions will cover topics and give specific information including brochures, sample materials and tests:
Brief overview and examples of their chosen exam's core characteristics:
The nominated ISE staff member responsible for exam registration, administration and management is: DOS dosd@iseireland.ie.
From 1st November 2021 the following procedures will be in place regarding students who are subject to immigration requirements:
The nominated ISE staff member for holiday and course breaks issues is: DOS.
The International School of English welcomes feedback from students. We take informal and formal complaints seriously and follow a standard school procedure when dealing with them. We will respond to your complaints promptly and courteously.
Students have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of their programme as per their visa regulations and the ISE school policy. Students can come forward with complaints or grievances on any of the following aspects of the service provision or product at ISE:
The student's first point of contact with any grievance is Centre Manager (CM) or Student Liaison Officer (SLO):
The first point of contact for students nominated at ISE as per complaints is the following staff member: Centre Manager or Student Liaison Officer (SLO).
The International School of English aims to provide quality education in an enjoyable and safe environment. In order to create a positive learning environment for all of our students, we have a number of rules that we expect every student to follow.
Introduction
ISE students have the right to appeal, on permitted grounds, against the school's decisions relating to their assessment, progression or good standing within the ISE.
The purpose of the Student Appeals Procedure is to ensure that decisions affecting students are made in accordance with relevant procedures and that circumstances impacting students' performance or capacity to study are considered in a fair and consistent way. The Student Appeals Procedure is evidence based. Supporting evidence must be submitted to substantiate all appeals. The procedure applies to all registered students.
Definitions
Appeal
A student appeal under this policy is defined as: a formal review of a decision or sanction determined by a school body charged with making decisions concerning a student's assessment, progression or standing within the school.
Appellant
A student who has submitted an appeal.
Original decision-making body
The ISE board holds the responsibility for making the decision which is being appealed and is responsible for monitoring the overall performance and progression of students registered to its programmes and ensuring their academic welfare.
Decisions that may be appealed
The following appeals can be made by students under this procedure:
Assessment of Final Level Appeals
The following matters are not open to review under the Student Appeals Procedure:
Grounds for Appeal
For Assessment of Final Level Appeals, an appeal may be made on the following grounds:
For all other appeals taken under the Student Appeals Procedure an appeal may be made on the following grounds:
For student conduct, fitness to continue in study and student fitness to practise, an appeal may be made on the following additional ground:
Appeals from graduates will not be accepted.
Appeals must be submitted using the relevant Student Appeals Form.
All relevant information must be included in the form, with any additional evidence attached as required. Appeals must be submitted electronically, within the specified timeframe. Student Appeals must be submitted within 10 working days of the notification or publication of the decision.
An appeal will not be accepted if it..
Appeals submitted after the relevant deadline are regarded as late and will not normally be accepted. In exceptional circumstances, including an explanation and supporting evidence of a delay, and at the company's discretion, a late appeal may be accepted.
Appeals will normally be processed within 30 working days.
Should any delays occur, appellants will be notified of the delay and advised on when to expect a decision. The ISE decision is then final.
Student Responsibility
It is the student's responsibility to have read and be familiar with the content of any relevant ISE policies, procedures, regulations, codes of practice, and course and programme information.
Related policies, regulations and codes
Student Code of Conduct
Student Disciplinary Procedure
Student Complaints & Grievances Policy
Student Charter
Student Sick Leave
Attendance & Absenteeism Policy
ISE is committed to providing a learning and teaching environment in which all students can achieve their full potential and in which they can study safely and without being adversely affected by the conduct of other students or staff.
ISE will take the necessary disciplinary action against any student found breaking the set of stated rules regarding accepted behaviour whilst on the school premises, or on an excursion. In a situation where a student's behaviour is unacceptable, ISE reserves the right to take disciplinary action. If a student exhibits abusive or aggressive behaviour during class time, the teacher can ask this student to leave the class. The teacher will then inform the Director of Studies immediately and the incident will be logged.
The student will then be asked to attend a meeting with the Director of Studies and the Director of Operations. Depending on the severity of the behaviour, the Director of Operations will issue a formal warning, a suspension, or in cases of severe misconduct, the student could be expelled and the police informed when the behaviour is criminal.
Students are liable for any fees incurred to make good damage caused by the customer.
Students agree that they are subject to the ISE Student Charter and to abide by the principles of good behaviour and respect to ISE staff, teachers and the ISE community in general.
ISE reserves the right to take action (up to and including expulsion of student/s) in circumstances of breach of ISE behavioural standards. In such circumstances, it will be considered on an individual, case-by-case basis whether students are eligible for refunds or not.
ISE is committed to providing a positive environment in which all students can achieve their full potential and in which they can study and engage with the ISE community safely and without being adversely affected by the inappropriate conduct of other students. It is an expectation therefore that students will comply with all the School's policies and regulations, and maintain a level of appropriate conduct that demonstrates not only respect for themselves, but also the broader community of students, staff.
Non-academic misconduct that could potentially constitute a disciplinary offence, and may attract disciplinary action from the ISE, can be broadly described by the below categories:
Examples of bad behaviour for warnings 1-3 might include:
If you do something illegal or extremely inappropriate by the ISE standards as per the Students' Handbook & Students' Charter, we reserve the right to go directly to step 3.
Examples where we may go immediately to point 3 are:
Warnings will always be given in the presence of another ISE adult member of staff. Drug-taking, assault, or shop-lifting will result in the local police being informed.
DISCIPLINARY APPEALS PROCEDURE
A student's Appeal Form must be completed by the student within 7 days should the student wish to appeal against the decision. In such cases, the appeal is considered using ISE's Complaints Policy and Procedure.
The International School of English aims to provide quality education in an enjoyable and safe environment. In order to create a positive learning environment for all of our students, we have a number of rules that we expect every student to follow.
The International School of English - English language school
ISE is a language school. We provide English language tuition year-round to adults over the age of 18 mostly although we do at times have students aged 17 in attendance. Therefore, we are committed to safeguarding any student under the age of 18.
Risk Assessment
We have carried out an assessment of any potential harm to a child while availing of our services at our Harcourt Street or Camden Street schools. Below is a list of the areas of risks identified and the list of procedures for managing these risks.
| # | Risk Identified | Procedure in place to manage risk identified |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adults that the learner comes into contact with. |
All members of staff are Garda checked in order to ensure no member of staff poses any threat.
Adults within host families are also Garda checked. |
| 2 | Taking part in school activities which may involve alcohol (for example, school parties). |
When a learner is aged under 18, the DoS is informed in advance of his/her start at ISE. The DoS will then
inform the learner's teachers and the Centre Manager.
If he/she signs up to attend a party at ISE, it is explained that he/she will not be allowed to drink alcohol. Members of staff working at the event will be informed about the situation as well. |
| 3 | In case of an emergency, who should the host family or learner contact? | ISE has a 24-hour emergency telephone which all students are informed of in the Student Handbook. During Induction, a learner aged under 18, is asked to put the number into his/her phone. |
| 4 | Other learners in the class. | So that adult learners in a class are aware of the fact that some other students may be under the age of 18, ISE makes it clear in our documentation (for example, ISE's brochure) that it is possible that classes may contain learners from 16 years of age. It is also mentioned in the Student Handbook. |
| 5 | Visitors to the school |
Harcourt Street:
We have a visitor's book at reception that visitors must sign in when they arrive and out when they leave. They are also given a Visitors badge to wear. We do not allow visitors to enter the school and find the member of staff they are here to meet by themselves. Our Centre Manager sits in reception and calls the member of staff who then comes to reception to meet the visitor. He/she also takes the visitor to the door when the meeting is finished. Camden Street: Our secure keypad system prevents visitors from entering the school and finding the member of staff they are here to meet by themselves. On arrival, visitors have to use the intercom system to call our Centre Manager, who will then come down and open the door for them and take them to reception and ask them to sign the visitors' book. The Centre Manager will then call the member of staff to come to reception to meet the visitor, and the visitor will also be escorted to the door when the meeting is finished. Waterford: Like ISE's Harcourt Street centre, we have a visitor's book at reception that visitors must sign in when they arrive and out when they leave. They are also given a Visitors badge to wear. We do not allow visitors to enter the school and find the member of staff they are here to meet by themselves. Our Centre Manager sits in reception and calls the member of staff who then comes to reception to meet the visitor. He/she also takes the visitor to the door when the meeting is finished. |
Procedures
Our child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla's Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service:
Implementation
We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service. This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed on September 9th, 2023, or as soon as practical after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.
Signed: ________________________________________
Natalie Wiertel, Director of Studies.
International School of English
66 Camden Street Lower
Dublin 2
Ireland
For queries, please contact the designated ISE Student Liaison Officer (Designated Child Safety Officer) or Natalie Wiertel (Director of Studies, Camden/Harcourt Street Street)
ISE Policies for the Safeguarding of Children
Procedures for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service
As part of their Induction, all ISE staff members are asked to complete a Garda Vetting form, and are informed about our policies for Safeguarding children. They are informed who ISE's Child Safety Officer is and are advised that should they have any concerns about the safety of a child attending ISE, they must speak to ISE's CSO and the Director of Studies as soon as possible.
Any allegation made must be reported immediately to the Child Safety Officer who will immediately inform the Director of Studies. The CSO immediately records all concerns or allegations of child abuse brought to his attention, and the actions taken in response.
If it is decided not to report the concern to Tusla or An Garda Siochana, the following steps are taken:
If a child reports abuse or misconduct against a worker/volunteer at ISE, the allegation is taken very seriously. First and foremost, the child is listened to carefully and taken seriously. The information given and the action taken is documented on the relevant form (please see Appendix 2 for form: ‘Allegations of Abuse/Misconduct Form') and held in a secure (locked) cabinet to ensure total confidentiality.
The allegation is investigated by the CSO and the results of the investigation are discussed with the Director of Studies. The DoS and the CSO then arrange to meet with the CEO of ISE to discuss the matter. The appropriate action is then decided upon. If the allegations are to be reported, the following steps are taken:
Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children
All of our staff members are Garda Vetted once they have been offered employment. Garda vetting certificates are kept in Employee Files.
During Induction, all members of staff are informed of our Child Safety Statement and Policies.
Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of occurrence of harm
Any members of staff to whom Child Safeguarding training is relevant are asked to complete the Children First: Introduction to Children First - eLearning Programme. This course provides relevant and adequate training and information including the identification of the occurrence of harm.
Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla
If there is reason to believe a child using our service is being abused, all staff members are informed during their Induction that they must report their concerns to our CSO and the Director of Studies. They are advised it is not necessary to have evidence of abuse, they should report any concern as soon as possible.
The CSO and Director of Studies will then record the information securely, including the action taken. The CEO will be informed and the necessary action taken to ensure the child's safety.
Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons in the relevant service who are mandated persons
The mandated persons are stated in the company DCF along with the Child Safeguarding Statement and relevant Policies. This is updated when changes are made.
Procedure for appointing a relevant person
The relevant person is selected according to his/her role within the company. In the case of our current CSOs (at Harcourt Street and Camden Street), they were selected as they both have regular contact with learners about their accommodation, social activities, exams and so on.
The person selected as Child Safety Officer:
Regular attendance and punctuality is an integral and crucial part of the learning process.
It is the expectation that all students will attend 100% of their classes. Students are expected to attend classes regularly so that they can successfully complete their programme of study. GNIB requires a minimum attendance of 85%. Visa students who fail to achieve a minimum of 85% will face disciplinary procedures as outlined below.
Attendance is recorded daily. Students must arrive in class by 9:00am for morning classes, and 12:45 or 13:45 for afternoon classes. Any student arriving later than this, if it is an exception, can enter and receive attendance if less than 5 minutes late. It must not be habit. After this time, students are marked absent but are allowed to enter the classroom. Students must also arrive back after break on time. If they are not on time, they are marked absent. Similarly, if a student leaves the class before the end, he/she is marked absent. At the end of the week attendance is entered on to the CMS and each student's attendance is digitally and automatically calculated.
The College is obliged to produce evidence of any Visa student's attendance record to the relevant authorities at any time if requested to do so. The College is also obliged to report regular or long-term absences to the GNIB, in compliance with the law of the country, as well as regulations pertaining to internationally registered courses. It is essential that the school be notified as soon as possible if a student cannot attend classes. Grades and progress are not directly affected by any excused absences but it is solely the responsibility of students to make up for all work assigned during absence. Medical absence is only authorised with a medical certificate from a registered GP or hospital. Students must present the medical note to the Centre Manager within one week of falling ill.
Uncertified absence(s) will result in the student being marked absent. No authorisation will be granted for casual absence. At the end of their programme, a Visa student's attendance level, together with information related to exams and/or any other relevant documents will be submitted to the GNIB for review.
Students who have planned absence should inform the Centre Manager at least one week in advance of the dates they will be away. Students may only request holiday after they have completed 3 months of their course. They must also have satisfactory attendance if they wish to take a holiday.
If a student's close family member is seriously ill, and the student must go home to be with him/her, or in the unfortunate case of the death of a family member, it is possible to freeze the student's course. In this case, students must email the Centre Manager at: adm@iseireland.ie and explain the situation, and also provide medical evidence of the illness. The Centre Manager will discuss the situation with the DOS and a decision will be made as to whether the student may take time off to travel home. If granted permission, the student's course will then be frozen, meaning that he/she may take the remainder of his/her course at a later date.
It is the expectation that all students will attend 100% of their classes. Students are required by the Irish government to attend a minimum of 85% of their classes. If any student attends less than 85% of their classes over a two week period they will receive a first warning email from the school requiring an explanation for the absence, the warning is recorded on the CMS and the response will be documented on the student's file.
Continued unsatisfactory attendance in the 2 weeks following this email will result in a second warning email being sent.
In the case where following the second warning, a student still does not attend the minimum number of classes and does not provide justification, a suspension notice will be issued. The letter informs them that if they do not respond within 24 hours stating their intention to attend classes every day from now on, they will be taken off the register, expelled from the school and GNIB will be informed.
If the student does not respond to the suspension letter by the stated time, ISE telephones them to follow up on the situation. If the student agrees to return to classes and attend every day, he/she is kept on the register. If the student does not agree to this/ does not reply to the email and is uncontactable, he/she is taken off the register and sent an expulsion letter and GNIB are informed.
If the student agrees but then misses any days of class thereafter, he/she is sent an expulsion letter and in the case of Non-EEA students, immigration is informed. A copy of the expulsion letter is kept on the CMS. All letters are sent to the student and cc-d to the Director of Studies as further proof of sending and receipt.
Students are obliged to attend both halves of the class, pre-break & post-break. Students who arrive later than 5 minutes may enter the class but will not be given attendance. This will affect their attendance record. Students who are late back from the break (more than 5 minutes) may enter but will not be given attendance. Similarly, students who leave the class early will be marked absent in that period.
Written Warnings (via email):
Students who have been removed from the warning status will be closely monitored to ensure they continue to attend all of their classes. If they miss any subsequent classes, they will be expelled.
Should a student fail to comply with ISE attendance policies, the ensuing action will be expulsion which means the students will not be allowed to continue to attend classes in the school. ISE views dismissal as the last step, should a student's attendance, progress, and/or behaviour fail to adhere to our policies. The Centre Manager issues expulsion in consultation with the Director of Studies. Grounds include, but are not limited to, unacceptable attendance level to classes without prior arrangement and/or justification and continuous disregard for ISE's Attendance Policy and Disciplinary Process and Procedures.
Students who wish to appeal expulsion can do so within 48 hours of receiving the expulsion letter and based upon certain conditions including health problems and family emergency. An expelled student may be granted permission to resume studies at ISE where compelling documentary evidence is provided along with a commitment to attend all classes. Any student seeking re-admission is required to send a written appeal to the DOS, detailing valid reasons for readmission. The request should enclose relevant documents to support the appeal. ISE has the right to grant or reject re-admission requests. A re-admitted student may have to comply with certain additional requirements as stipulated by ISE.
An appeal hearing can be arranged for students who wish to appeal personally to the Director of Studies. Students' rights to privacy are protected in full confidence by ISE although hearing proceedings may be recorded and witnesses may be present.
All non-EEA students who are attending a 25 week course, for the purposes of obtaining a work-study Visa, must complete an end of course exam (recognised by the Department of Justice on the ILEP list of end of course English language proficiency exams)
"There must be an agreement between the provider and the awarding body and between the provider and the student confirming that: a) all enrolled students must be registered with the awarding body before or upon commencing the programme b) all enrolled students must undertake the end of programme exam(s). Failure to do so will have negative consequences for an individual student's future immigration status and potentially for the provider." www.inis.com/ILEP rules and regulations
To assist with student pathways at ISE, the DOS and ADOS are available for consultation and guidance on exam pathways.
Prior to taking an exam, students are asked to sign the following policy:
I, _______________________________, (ID.no: _________) agree with the terms
and conditions in the exam policy stated below.
Date: ________________________
The International School of English aims to provide quality education in an enjoyable and safe environment. In order to create a positive learning environment for all of our students, we have a number of school rules which we expect every student to adhere too.
ISE will take the necessary disciplinary action against any student found breaking the above stated rules regarding accepted behaviour whilst on the school premises, or on an excursion.
In a situation where a student's behaviour is unacceptable, ISE reserves the right to take disciplinary action. If a student exhibits abusive or aggressive behaviour during class time, the teacher can ask this student to leave the class. The teacher will then inform the Director of Studies immediately and the incident will be logged.
The student will then be asked to attend a meeting with the Director of Studies and the Director of Operations. Depending on the severity of the behaviour, the Director of Operations will issue a formal warning, a suspension, or in cases of severe misconduct, the student could be expelled and the police informed when the behaviour is criminal.
A students Appeal form must be completed by the student within 7 days should the student wish to appeal against the decision. In such cases, the appeal is considered using ISE's Complaints Policy and Procedure.
Students wishing to go on holidays must notify the College at least one week in advance by filling out the online request form on the ISE website. Students should allow a minimum of two days for requests to be processed. Students without the required attendance will automatically disqualify for letters related to holidays. Students on academic year programmes are allowed a total of two months of holidays over eight months (25 weeks) of study.
Students are required to complete at least three months of study prior to requesting any holidays and they may not take any other holidays aside from the above. This does not apply to College holidays, (Bank Holidays, National Holidays and/or academic breaks). These days are listed in the Student Handbook.
Students are only permitted to take holiday to work 40 hours per week during the months of June, July, August, September and over the Christmas period. Students are only permitted to work for 20 hours per week during the rest of the year.
Students in possession of a study visa must inform GNIB of any change of address. The Centre Manager can supply a letter for GNIB
If a student wishes to change from AM to PM or vice versa, they must follow the procedures stated below:
Students can change their timetable (from morning to afternoon or afternoon to
morning)
subject to the following criteria being fulfilled:
The International School of English welcomes feedback from students. We take informal and formal complaints seriously and follow a standard school procedure when dealing with them. We respond to complaints promptly and courteously. Information regarding ISE's Complaints Procedure is detailed in the Student Handbook.
ISE is a language school. We provide English language tuition year round to adults over the age of 18 mostly although we do at times have students aged 17 in attendance. Therefore, we are committed to safeguarding any student under the age of 18.
We have carried out an assessment of any potential harm to a child while availing of our services at our Dublin (66 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland) school. Below is a list of the areas of risks identified and the list of procedures for managing these risks.
| Risk Identified | Procedure in place to manage risk identified | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adults that the learner comes into contact with. |
All members of staff are Garda checked
in order to ensure no member of staff
poses any threat. Adults within host families are also Garda checked. |
| 2 | Taking part in school activities which may involve alcohol (for example, school parties). |
When a learner is aged under 18, the
DOS is informed in advance of his/her
start at ISE. The DOS will then inform the
learner's teachers and the Centre
Manager. If he/she signs up to attend a party at ISE, it is explained that he/she will not be allowed to drink alcohol. Members of staff working at the event will be informed about the situation as well. |
| 3 | In case of an emergency, who should the host family or learner contact? | ISE has a 24 hour emergency telephone which all students are informed of in the Student Handbook. During Induction, a learner aged under 18, is asked to put the number into his/her phone. |
| 4 | Other learners in the class. | So that adult learners in a class are aware of the fact that some other students may be under the age of 18, ISE makes it clear in our documentation (for example, ISE's brochure) that it is possible that classes may contain learners from 16 years of age. It is also mentioned in the Student Handbook. |
| 5 | Visitors to the school | We have a visitor's book at reception that visitors must sign in when they arrive and out when they leave. We do not allow visitors to enter the school and find the member of staff they are here to meet by themselves. Our Centre Manager sits in reception and calls the member of staff who then comes to reception to meet the visitor. He/she also takes the visitor to the door when the meeting is finished. |
Our child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla's Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service:
We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service. This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed on April 9th 2019, or as soon as practical after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.
For queries, please contact Enda Davey (Designated Child Safety Officer) or Director of Studies at Dublin campus (66 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland)
As part of their Induction, all ISE staff members are asked to complete a Garda Vetting form, and are informed about our policies for Safeguarding children. They are informed who ISE's Child Safety Officer is and are advised that should they have any concerns about the safety of a child attending ISE, they must speak to ISE's CSO and the Director of Studies as soon as possible.
Any allegation made must be reported immediately to the Child Safety Officer who will immediately inform the Director of Studies. The CSO immediately records all concerns or allegations of child abuse brought to his attention, and the actions taken in response.
If it is decided not to report the concern to Tusla or An Garda Siochana, the following steps are taken:
If a child reports abuse or misconduct against a worker/volunteer at ISE, the allegation is taken very seriously. First and foremost, the child is listened to carefully and taken seriously. The information given and the action taken is documented on the relevant form (please see Appendix 2 for form: ‘Allegations of Abuse/Misconduct Form') and held in a secure (locked) cabinet to ensure total confidentiality.
The allegation is investigated by the CSO and the results of the investigation are discussed with the Director of Studies. The DoS and the CSO then arrange to meet with the CEO of ISE to discuss the matter. The appropriate action is then decided upon. If the allegations are to be reported, the following steps are taken:
All of our staff members are Garda Vetted once they have been offered employment. Garda vetting certificates are kept in Employee Files.
During Induction, all members of staff are informed of our Child Safety Statement and Policies.
Any members of staff to whom Child Safeguarding training is relevant are asked to complete the Children First: Introduction to Children First - Elearning Programme. This course provides relevant and adequate training and information including the identification of the occurrence of harm.
If there is reason to believe a child using our service is being abused, all staff members are informed during their Induction that they must report their concerns to our CSO and the Director of Studies. They are advised it is not necessary to have evidence of abuse, they should report any concern as soon as possible.
The CSO and Director of Studies will then record the information securely, including the action taken. The CEO will be informed and the necessary action taken to ensure the child's safety.
The mandated persons are stated in the company DCF along with the Child Safeguarding Statement and relevant Policies. This is updated when changes are made.
The relevant person is selected according to his/her role within the company. In the case of our current CSOs (at Dublin school), they were selected as they both have regular contact with learners about their accommodation, social activities, exams and so on.
The person selected as Child Safety Officer:
ISE is recognized by QQI / ACELS, a service of Quality and Qualifications Ireland, for English Language
Teaching (ELT). ISE is also a member of ELE Ireland (English Language Education). ISE is an authorized
Trinity College London examination centre in Dublin.
