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Student Charter and Code of Conduct PolicyOWNED BY:Vice Principal Student Experience and ExternalRelationsDATE OF LAST REVIEWNovember 2021PLANNED NEXT REVIEW:November 2023APPROVAL:CorporationAPPLIES TO:StaffStudent Public to:Student Charter1. We will put you, the student, first in everything we do in ensuring that CirencesterCollege offers the best experience for all students. We wish to help you fulfil your potential and to equip you with the skills andqualifications you need for the future. We are committed to ensuring the safeguarding and welfare of all students, andpromoting British values of democracy, individual liberty, respect and tolerance and therule of law. We are an inclusive community in which respect for all individuals, irrespective of race,class, belief, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability, is paramount and in whichbullying or discrimination is never acceptable. We expect all students to always act in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. We believe it is important to keep your parents/guardians informed and involved inyour education and the decisions you make.Your EducationWe will: Help you to succeed and achieve the grades you deserve Provide high quality teaching and learning opportunities Offer additional support if you have a learning difficulty or disability1
In return, we expect you to:2. Strive to do your best and motivate yourself fully at all times Contribute actively, complete all set work on time and attend fully Make the most of all opportunities and support offeredYour ExperienceWe will: Treat you with respect and in accordance with our Equality & Diversity policy Offer high quality personal support and guidance, tailored to your needs Listen to your views and respond appropriatelyIn return, we expect you to:3. Treat your fellow students and all staff with respect and recognise that staff are inpositions of authority Talk to us, in confidence, about issues which affect your experience Tell us what you think and make an active contributionYour CollegeWe will: Provide a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment Provide appropriate resources and facilities to enable you to succeed Promote and work within shared values to foster a positive and supportive communityIn return, we expect you to: Respect the College environment and report any concerns to staff Use resources and facilities carefully and safely Promote the good reputation of the College here and in the wider community2
Code of Conduct Policy1. IntroductionThis policy is an integral part of the College Student Charter and is linked to theSafeguarding Young People and Vulnerable Adult Policy and the Equality & Diversity Policy.It is designed to bring together our policies on: Student attendance, behaviour and disciplineE-safety and acceptable use of ICT“You can be who you are at Cirencester College” student comment.We expect the highest standards of behaviour at Cirencester College and students tell usthat they think this is a safe, friendly and inclusive environment in which to learn. Instancesof poor behaviour and bullying are rare, although we are aware of the potential impact ofsocial media in this respect. We have a number of students who may be more vulnerabledue to health, mental health, disability, personal or social experience; we all have a duty torespect, protect and promote the welfare of all college individuals.We are proud of the general conduct of our students at the College and we do not wish tocreate any rules or regulations which seem petty or unnecessary. The following Code isintended to ensure that everyone thrives at the College and that students are safe andprotected from abuse, discrimination and harm; it is also based on respect for others,property and the law.2.3.The Student Code of Conduct applies to any activity on College sites, including classrooms, learning centres, Refectory, socialspaces and outdoors to any College organised activity off site, including trips, residentials, work placements,sport, research and fieldwork etc to any communication off site which impacts negatively on College experience oractivity, such as bullying (see Respect and Serious Misconduct below) orexamination/coursework malpractice (see Serious Misconduct below) to travel and transport to and from College to any activity which might bring the College directly into disreputeConfidentialityThe College respects students’ rights to confidentiality and will always seek to maintain this.If a student discloses personal information, this may lead to a conversation about the bestways to support the student and this might involve suggestions of sharing the information, instrict confidence, with other College staff with the consent of the student.If a student makes a disclosure which indicates that he/she or others may be at risk of harm,confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. The member of staff should explain clearly to thestudent that there may be a need to pass on information to a colleague with safeguarding3
responsibility and possibly to other professionals, particularly if someone is in danger or hasbeen subject to abuse.With respect to personal information of a health or medical nature, we would adopt thesame position as medical professionals and not share this information with parents or others(unless the risk of harm above applies). We may encourage the student to share thatinformation if we believe that it would in his or her interest to do so or, with the student’sconsent, be prepared to do this on their behalf.If a student is discussing the behaviour of other students with us, as part of an investigationinto bullying or other misconduct, we will always seek to ensure confidentiality about thatinformation. The student may be asked to give consent to disclosing their involvement in theinvestigation. If the student is directly involved in any incident or issue, it may not always bepossible to prevent others from recognising this involvement, although the College wouldalways seek to prevent further repercussions in any disciplinary action taken and to protectinnocent parties as far as it is within its power to do so.4.Freedom of ExpressionCirencester College values freedom of speech and self-expression. However, freedom comeswith responsibility and free speech that is designed to manipulate the vulnerable or thatleads to violence and harm of others, goes against the moral principles in which freedom ofspeech is valued. Free speech is not an unqualified privilege; it is subject to laws and policiesgoverning equality, human rights, community safety and community cohesion.There is no place for the expression of views at Cirencester College that are designed tomanipulate the vulnerable and potentially lead to harm, particularly in the context of thethreat of ‘radicalisation’.It is imperative our college is a place where you can discuss and explore controversial issuessafely and where staff encourage and facilitate this.If the views being expressed by other students raise concerns or make you feeluncomfortable, it is your responsibility to bring this to the attention of a member of staff.5.RespectWe all have the right to be treated with respect, and bullying in any form is wrong. Bullyinginvolves the intentional harm of another person and causes pain and distress.Bullying takes many forms, including: emotionalphysicalverbalusing technology - ‘cyber-bullying’ (e.g. phone call or messaging, texting, e-mail,chat/meeting rooms and social media facilitated communication)inappropriate or unacceptable language use, such as derogatory terms used inrelation to an individual’s nominated gender, sexuality, background, religion or anyother personal attribute.4
The nature of bullying can also take many forms, including but not exclusively racist,homophobic, sexist, sexually abusive, based on disability or learning difficulty, based on classor social experience, based on belief or religion.If you feel you are being bullied or think that another student is being bullied, please reportthis to your Personal Tutor, a member of the Pastoral Team or another member of staffimmediately. All reports will be treated confidentially (within the guidelines above) and withsensitivity. Senior members of staff and Designated Safeguarding Officers can be contactedvia Reception and the Progression Hub.Cirencester College has a zero tolerance approach to bullying. We will treat instances ofbullying that occur outside College (via the internet or text messaging for instance) andwhich impact on student experience within College in the same way that we would treatinstances on site. In less serious cases, we will seek to help resolve the issues positively withthose involved; in more serious cases, we will follow the Student Disciplinary Procedurebelow. In the most serious cases, we may involve the police.6.E-Safety and Acceptable use of ICTThe College recognises that technologies are an integral part of our lives, are constantlyevolving and offer exciting opportunities for learning and personal use. The following code isdesigned to help students protect themselves and others and avoid misuse of College andpersonal information technology. This code corresponds to the Safeguarding Young People &Vulnerable Adults Policy, Conditions of Use for College Computers, Social Media Policy and isin accordance with the South West Grid for Learning guidelines.We expect all students to: use technology and access the internet responsibly, avoid risks to safety and security andnever access unauthorised or illegal material, including pornography, on-line gambling andgaming or any material which might cause distress to others recognise that the College will monitor the use of IT systems and that using any software tobypass filtering or security systems or altering computer settings is strictly prohibited protect usernames, passwords and other personal information and never share these withothers be aware of dangers and personal identity issues when communicating on-line be aware of risks and not arrange to meet people off-line unless a person over 18 ispresent or, if you are over 18, you have told a responsible adult where you are going andwho you are meeting, and always arrange any such meeting in a public place report any unpleasant or inappropriate on-line material or messages, or anything thatmakes you feel uncomfortable, to a parent or member of staff use College IT equipment for educational purposes only5
recognise that other students also need access to College IT equipment for educationalpurposes avoid downloads or uploads or streaming which take up system capacity unnecessarily orexcessively respect the work of others and not access, copy or alter other user’s files without theowner’s permission or fabricate material under a different identity respect others when using on-line, text and other communication and to avoid anylanguage or behaviour which causes offence, constitutes bullying (see above), includingposting content about others without their permission or contravenes the College Equality& Diversity Policy report any faults or damage involving equipment or software to a member of staff only use personal devices, including mobile phones, in permitted areas in your free time; itis rude and unprofessional and therefore not acceptable to use your phone/device in class,unless authorised by the lecturer to do so. only access social networking sites or other unauthorised sites on College equipment whengiven specific authorisation by a member of staff comply with all copyright and piracy regulations and with College and exam boardregulations on plagiarism recognise that information obtained via the internet for educational purposes may notalways be accurate or reliable recognise that staff will only communicate with students through standard College channelsand will not give students access to personal contact details or accept them as ‘friends’ onpersonal social media networks treat the College environment, resources and facilities safely, with care and respect dress, behave and use language appropriately and to avoid any behaviour which may causeoffence to others including any public displays of intimacy follow the Smoke Free Policy - no smoking on site or immediately outside the Collegeboundaries, except in the designated smoking area, and avoid openly displaying unlitcigarettes or vaping products on site respect the absolute ban on alcohol and illegal substances (see Serious Misconduct below) drive safely with due care and attention, within site speed limits and with consideration forothers; park only in student designated parking spaces (driving/parking is at owners’ risk,not covered by College insurance)6
7. respect the needs of the local community and avoid any disrespectful or anti-socialbehaviour; respect our neighbours by refraining from parking vehicles in the neighbouringarea in ways which cause them access problems or contravene the law pay any fees or charges owed to the College, including for transport, parking, materials,trips and exam re-sits follow all College procedures in respect of Health & Safety, Exams and Exam Board rules(including those relating to Plagiarism), use of IT and other equipment (see below) andEmergencies behave within the law and not to condone behaviour which could lead to any form ofcriminal prosecution report any instance of bullying, concern about the welfare of another student or a health &safety hazard on site to Reception, Site Security, Personal Tutor or any staff memberCourse Performance ConcernThe following are examples of concerns about course performance which would lead toaction under the Student Disciplinary Procedure (see below): 8.concern due to level of entry requirement or previous performance concerns at Collegelow attendancepersistent lateness for lessonsfailure to complete set workmissing deadlinespoor motivation in classdisruptive behaviour which affects the learning of othersplagiarism (see Serious Misconduct below)MisconductThe following are examples of misconduct which would lead to action under the StudentDisciplinary Procedure:9. contravention of rules governing ICT/internet use smoking on site or immediately outside the College boundaries, except in thedesignated area inappropriate or disruptive behaviour refusal to co-operate with Site Security or other staff or failure to produce Student IDcard when requestedSerious MisconductThe following are examples of serious misconduct which would lead immediately to actionunder the more serious stages of the Student Disciplinary Procedure, including the risk ofexclusion:7
bullying, including cyber-bullying (stalking and posting any message or content whichcauses concern, offence or harm) and issues outside College which impact on studentexperience within College as outlined above any behaviour which is offensive and contravenes Equality & Diversity policy or law,including racism, sexism and any discrimination based on gender, sexuality, disabilityor learning difficulty harassment, aggressive or violent behaviour inflicting any form of abuse on others persistent misconduct following earlier warnings consumption, or to be under the influence, of alcohol possession of, consumption of or to be under the influence of illegal substances;possession of related equipment drugs paraphernalia; suspicion of intent to supplydrugs to others; this includes products with a CBD (cannabidoil) content unless wherea medical letter is provided use of any reputed performance enhancing substance for exams or any otherpurpose possession of weapons damage to College property or vandalism theft or any other criminal activity any behaviour which is dangerous or likely to cause injury, including any drivingoffences on site plagiarism, fraud, falsifying documents, examination or coursework malpractice andillegal use of ICT, including computer hackingCollege staff will conduct a search if there is any suspicion that a student is in possessionof an illegal substance or a weapon. In any case where we believe that a criminal offencehas been committed, the College will contact the t RiskTutor DiscussionFirst WarningFinal WarningSuspension/Exclusion8Serious Misconduct
10. 11. 12. 13.Decision to excludeReason for exclusion made clear to studentStudent asked to leave site (or under supervision until collected by parent)Police involvement if a criminal offence is believed to have been committedParent contacted (unless parental responsibility has been removed)Letter to parent or student setting out reasons for exclusion and appeal processStudent not to visit any College site following exclusionAppeal by student by letter to the Chair of the Appeals Panel, within 7 working days fromexclusion decisionLetter (not e-mail or phone call) should set out reasons for appeal, including perceivedunfairness or remorse as appropriate and sent via attachment [email protected] receipt of the letter a full review will take place directed by senior staff notconnected with the original case, into the situation and circumstances thereof.Following the review, a final response will be sent detailing the findings of the review.If grounds have been found to warrant further questioning an Appeal Hearing will bescheduled.If an Appeal Hearing is required, contact will be made to confirm the time of an AppealPanel.Contact will be made to confirm time of Exclusion Appeal PanelStudent should not visit any College site during this period without prior permission of therelevant Head of FacultyStudent should not have contact with College staff during this period, except wherecontact over work completion has been agreedStaff involved in the exclusion are not permitted to comment on the likely outcome of theAppealIf the student fails to attend the Exclusion Appeal Panel, the exclusion decision isautomatically upheldExclusion Appeal Panel – to be held within 7 working days from receipt of appeal letterPanel will consist of a Chair of Appeals, a senior member of staff and other staff asrequired.Members of staff who issued or were directly involved in the exclusion will not sit on thePanel but may be called to present the case for exclusionThe student will be invited to present a case for the Appeal, offer new information, reflectupon the reasons for the exclusion and any subsequent feelings and discuss ways forwardThe student will be advised to bring a supportive person (or both parents) to the Panel; therole of the supportive person should only be that of advocate where the student has alearning disabilityAll evidence presented to the Panel will be heard in the presence of the whole Panel andthe student and any papers will be circulated in advance; notes of the Panel will be keptThe Panel will take account of: the severity of the reasons for the exclusion; the impact onothers; the attitude of the student towards what has led to the exclusion; the academicand attendance record of the student and the student’s professed commitment towardsbeing re-admitted to the CollegeExclusion Appeal Decision9
The Panel will adjourn to make its decision and, in most cases, the Panel will then call thestudent (and supportive person) back after a short timescale to announce decision; inexceptional cases, there may be a 2-day period of adjournment to investigate new evidenceThe Panel will reach one of the following decisions: Reinstatement to all or part of the student’s programme or a revised programme, withconditionsExclusion for the remainder of the academic year, with the option of re-applying to restart at the College in the following yearExclusion from the College upheld (and will apply for at least one complete academicyear, during which time the student should not visit any College site, and any later reapplication will be subject to availability)This decision will be confirmed in writing to the parents or student within 7 working daysIf Exclusion has been upheld and the student believes either that the way the process hasbeen conducted was unfair, or that new evidence has emerged, he/she can write to theChair of Governors, at the College address, with 7 working days of the Appeal decision. Noother grounds for appeal are allowable. The letter should contain reasons for the appeal, thename of any supportive person and a formal request if the presence of any other person isrequired.A Governor Appeal Panel, not including the Principal, will be held within 14 working days ofthe Chair receiving the appeal; this Panel will either uphold or reject the Appeal; if theAppeal is upheld on process or new evidence, it will be referred back to the College for asecond Exclusion Appeal Panel (with different senior staff); the decision of this secondExclusion Appeal Panel will be final.For any further recourse outside the College, contact details of relevant governmentdepartments and funding agencies can be obtained from the College.Related policies and procedures: Safeguarding policy; Student Complaints Procedure;Equality and Diversity PolicyData ProtectionWhen managing a student’s personal data information, it will be collected in accordance with theCollege’s data protection policy. Data collected is held securely and accessed by, and disclosed to,individuals, only for the purposes of information relating to this policy. Inappropriate access ordisclosure of student data constitutes a data breach and should be reported in accordance with theorganisation's data protection policy immediately. It may also constitute a disciplinary offence,which will be dealt with under the College's disciplinary procedure.EqualityAs with all College Policies and Procedures, due care has been taken to ensure that this policy isappropriate to all students regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity,sexual orientation or religion/faith. The policy will be applied fairly and consistently whilstupholding the College’s commitment to providing equality to all.10
This policy is an integral part of the College Student Charter and is linked to the . ‘cyber-bullying’ (e.g. phone call or messaging, texting, e-mail, chat/meeting rooms and social media facilitated communication