5b Ethics

After my initial thoughts I went on to look through the documentation in the staff handbook at school. Most of the things I had initially thought of were more appropriate to my own dance school and not the full time boarding school so I hadn't considered the long list of policies and procedures that are in place there.

• Safeguarding policy - focussing on prevention, protection, support, operation of safer recruitment and maintaining a safer environment in which children can develop and learn.
• Duty of care - a moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or well-being of others
• Every child matters - there are five key principles to the policy: To be healthy, to stay safe, to enjoy and achieve, to make a positive contribution, to achieve economic well-being.
• Professional behaviour - keeping up the professionalism expected of the school.
• Online safety - asking students to work online and use blogs and making sure they are safe in doing so.
• 121 situations -  this happens frequently as we teach 121 classes. The dance studio has an open door policy so people can freely access the space during these sessions.
• Emails with students/ co workers - 99% of communication happens via email. These should remain professional at all times.
• CPD - it is important to keep developing as a teacher as students are like sponges who feed off you.
• Appraisal system - how can we as teachers improve unless we have feedback and set goals to work towards.
• Eating issues - making sure the students are taking care of their bodies and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
• Self harm - report any issue to the health centre and house mistresses/playroom master.
• Students behaviour - this must be kept at the level expected of the school.
• Students dress code - these standards must be maintained.

Some of the list things I haven't had to deal with and others I have. For instance we have had students in the past that have had eating issues which have had to be dealt with in a sensitive manner informing the correct people.
I feel CPD and appraisals are an important way of keeping teachers up to date and in the no how of what they should be teaching.
I think most of the policies are there to protect not only students but staff and the school as well.

A couple of other things that keep coming back to me are the issues of not being qualified to teach but having years of experience in that field - is this ethical?! Could this do more harm than good to students?
I have also met several teachers over the years who have set up classes but have no affiliation to professional bodies...should this be allowed?  Should you have to be associated with others to be a good teacher?