Asia–Pacific Fredfort International School established this policy to guide teachers and relevant staff to understand and to protect children from all forms of violence, injury or the encroachment on the body, mental abuse or exploitation, including persecution or sexual abuse, during the time the child is located in Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School.

This policy provides guidelines and standards for teachers and relevant staff to be aware of preventative measures and respond to child abuse intervention.

Aims to create a Child Protection Policy

General Guideline

Human Factor

Teachers and staff within Asia –PacificFrefort International School must sign the declaration which indicates that they have read and accepted this policy, and in case they abuse it, they may be fined or expelled. Teachers and staff are trained about the child protection policy at the beginning or during each term of each academic year. Teachers and staffs of Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School communicate with students with respect and dignity, and they should concern with their feelings, emotions, and attributes. Every child is classed as equal in gender, skin color, age, race, health condition, economic status, and religion. 

Facilities Factor

Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School checks and evaluates the quality, aesthetics, safeness, and effectiveness of the school’s facilities such as buildings, school vans, classrooms, steps, windows, doors, restrooms, playgrounds, canteens, school yards, electronic systems, and things which cause any accidents, panic or danger to the child such as being shocked, scratched, burned, hit, clamped, dropped, and pressed.

Environment, hygiene, and food factor

Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School controls, checks, and observes the environment, smell, cleanliness, light, color, temperature, and food that affects the child’s feelings, emotions, and health.

Guideline for new teachers and staff

The new teachers and staff who are employed within Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School must undergo training, orientation, and get the information about this policy a week before starting the job. Moreover, the policy is signed and accepted.

Guideline on attitude

Teaching

During teaching, teachers must ensure that all students who are study under their protection, care, and management are secure, have a good health, and emotional state for each child. The verbal communication, table and classroom arrangement, punishment, and advice must abide by the school’s policy.  Teaching in a dark room that has not enough light, far from other people’s attention, physical punishment, scolding, and any neglecting activities are strongly prohibited.

PE Training

PE training is allowed only for students who are studying from 1^st grade and above.  The training must be conducted with the presence of a Taekwondo trainer who monitors, trains, and is responsible for students’ safety when the child acts or moves (jump, kick, hug…).  The training must be done with a Taekwondo uniform, safety carpet, and in an appropriate place. The trainer must check any affect during the training of the children such as sickness, neglect, or dangerous action.

Swimming

The swimming activities of the children must be scheduled according to the school timetable with an appropriate swimming suit, life jacket, and with the presence of assigned teachers. The assigned teachers must observe students’ activities (jump, dive, stay long under water, kick, or chase each other), and guide and train them with effective techniques. The assigned teachers must report immediately to school administers about any accident or inappropriate activities.

Relaxation Room

The students are separated by gender and monitored by the responsible assigned staff.  The mattresses, pillows, blankets, beds, and restrooms must always be clean. Each room is neat and clean with enough lighting, no mosquitos, or fleas that may transfer diseases to one another. The assigned staff must observe the activities and attitudes of children such as sleeping, going to the bathroom, changing, brushing teeth, taking a bath and dressing, before going to the class so that children are safe and comfortable.

Restaurant

The restaurant, staff must keep the place clean and hygienic when preparing food as well as chairs, tables, glasses, spoons, forks, and knives. The food must be healthy, in date, and packed properly. Restaurant staff are advised not to sell food to children which affects their health.

School Yard

All activities of the children in the school yard must be under control and guided by homeroom teachers, teacher’s assistants, and school security guards. All forms of dangerous activities such as jumping, climbing, hanging, chasing, fighting, shouting…etc. are strongly prohibited and advised against.

Playground

The playground is safe and comfortable zone that is fenced off around with a gate. Playing materials for the children must be of high quality, safe, aesthetic, avoiding accidents that may happen. While students are playing in the playground, the teachers or school security guards must be there to interfere in cases of an accident and help to guide the children in a positive manner.

Electricity

The switch board is attached far from the reach of children with high safety regulations to prevent any accidents such as electric shocks that cause danger and panic to the children. Sockets, switches, lamps, and electronic wires must be maintained properly. Responsible staff must check electronics carefully such connections, electronic supply attachments, or the joining of wires. Electric shocks must be prevented.

School Van

The driver is responsible for checking the van, driving responsibly, and assuring the safety of children in the van. Assigned staff must check and monitor the children in the van with good security and health. Opening the van’s window, putting any part of the body outside the van, pushing or pulling each other, getting down from the van or crossing the road individually, not using the seatbelt in the proper way, and playing with dangerous things are strongly prohibited in the van.

Welcoming Students

Assigned staff must be aware and make sure that every child is fine when collected from their guardians. In the case of doubt of the student’s health, assigned staff must ask the guardians about the children’s situation, and the children should be checked with their dress and hygiene.

Dismissal Permission of children

Assigned staff must check students’ ID cards clearly before sending them home with guardians. All children must be under the responsibility of homeroom teachers and teacher assistants at the assigned place while waiting for the guardians to collect them.

Giving signal and avoiding problems

All teachers and staff must be with children during emergency cases, not allowing the children to run due to panic. Teachers and staff must console the children, calming the situation, and take them to a safe place. In case of unclear prevention measures during an incident, do not try to solve the problem, take the children away from the danger and inform a specialist to solve the problem.   

Diaper Changing

Nursery students may require diaper changing. Changing should always be done in front of another staff member. Changing should be done on a flat, clean surface at ground level to avoid the risk of a child falling from any kind of height. Volunteers may not be responsible for changing diapers.

Toileting

Any staff members assisting any child under the age of 5 with toileting duties should leave the bathroom door open while assisting the student. If a child over the age of 5 requires toileting assistance, and insists on having the door closed for the sake of privacy, the staff member must inform another teacher of the child’s request to have the door closed before assisting the student. A female teacher should always be responsible for assisting a female student. Female teachers or teacher assistants should not provide assistance to male students in grade 1 or higher. If a child expresses a preference for a teacher or a desire not to go with a certain teacher, that teacher should ask for help from other teachers to replace him or her while assisting. Volunteers may not be responsible for assisting students with toileting.

Physical Restraint of Student

Asia –Pacific Fredfort International School recognizes that occasionally for the safety of a child, it becomes necessary to physically restrain a child. This can be necessary to prevent a child running out of the classroom in pursuit of their parent, running out the gate, hitting another child or throwing toys, or to prevent a child harming themselves in anger or frustration. In these situations, physically restraining a child must always be done by a teacher, a teacher assistant, or an office member holding the child appropriately, and must never be done by restraining a child with another object. The staff members should only use restraint as necessary to protect the children, and should ensure they are in a visible place. It is also necessary to confine a child who is behaving very aggressively or in extreme anger in a room with a window or a visible area. Two staff members should stay in the room with the child until the child can be brought back.

Safe Touch

No employee shall touch a child in an inappropriate, suggestive, or sexual manner. Teachers should encourage students from Kindergarten onwards to sit or stand by themselves, and should refrain from having them on the lap except for when a student is very upset and requires comforting. This should be done with a child sitting sideways on a teachers lap. Teachers should always be guided by a child’s response when they initiate touch. Bearing in mind the young age of students who often require touch for comfort or other reasons, teachers should touch a student in a way they would feel comfortable doing so in front of the school director/principal or the child’s parent.

No employee shall view any pornographic material which involves participants who appear to be children under the age of 18.

No employee shall knowingly engage in sexual activities with a person under the age of 18. This includes paying for sexual services or entering into an ongoing relationship with sexual expectations.

Discipline

All staff shall not discipline children in a physical manner, including pinching, ear twisting, pulling hair, hitting or pulling, harsh physical restraints, or slapping. In case the parents ask or give permission to the teachers or teacher assistants to physically discipline the children, the teachers should inform the parents that the school will never physically discipline the children, and should at a later time inform the director or school principal of this conversation. This should be noted in the students’ file.

Teachers shall not discipline the children in a manner which is belittling, shaming, or elicits an extreme emotional response from the children.

Should a staff witness another staff physically disciplining a student, that staff is authorized to immediately inform the school director. Failure to do so will be treated as a breach of the terms and conditions of this policy and that staff will be disciplined accordingly. Likewise, if a staff witnesses a parent, caretaker or any other non-staff member abusing a child in any manner, they must report it to the school director or principal immediately.