Safeguarding policy | Club Coders

1. Our commitment

Club Coders is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every young person who takes part in our sessions. We believe every child has the right to learn in an environment that is safe, respectful and free from harm. This policy applies to all staff, volunteers and contractors working with or on behalf of Club Coders, and to all online sessions, communications and events.

This policy follows the principles of Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023), Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025) and the NSPCC and SWGfL guidance on safe online tutoring.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Peter Brewer, Founder. Contact: safeguarding@clubcoders.co.uk or 07984 653910. The DSL is responsible for this policy, for responding to concerns, for liaising with external agencies and for keeping safeguarding records.

3. Safer recruitment

All mentors hold an Enhanced DBS certificate with children's barred-list check before they have any contact with students, and are registered with the DBS Update Service, which is checked annually.
All mentors complete safeguarding training before starting, plus online-safety training specific to remote teaching.
References and identity are verified for every mentor. A record of checks is kept by the DSL.

4. How online sessions are run

Sessions take place on Zoom using a licensed Club Coders account. Links are sent only to the parent or carer's email address.
Students join from a web browser as guests, with no Zoom account, and use their club username as their screen name, so no real names or email addresses are shown. Each group has its own meeting link and passcode, sent only to parents. The waiting room is always on and the mentor admits only usernames on that group's list; unknown participants are not admitted.
The meeting is locked once all expected participants are present.
Private chat between participants is disabled. Screen sharing is controlled by the mentor.
Every session is recorded (audio and shared screens; sessions are voice only, with no cameras) and stored securely for 90 days, then deleted. Recordings are used only for safeguarding and quality purposes, and are never published.
Mentors never run one-to-one sessions with a student unless a parent or carer is present or a second checked adult is in the call.
Mentors conduct sessions from a neutral, professional setting.
Parents and carers are welcome to watch their own child's sessions by sitting with them. Joining a session separately is by prior arrangement with the mentor, under a name that identifies you as a parent, muted, and without contacting other learners. Observers must not record or share anything showing other children. The mentor may decline or remove any observer to keep the group safe.
A register of every session, including who attended and any incidents, is kept by the DSL.

5. Communication with students

All communication outside sessions is with the parent or carer, by email from an @clubcoders.co.uk address, by the booking system, or by phone.
Mentors never contact students directly by email, text, social media, gaming platforms, Discord or any other channel, and never accept friend or follow requests from students.
Any community space we may introduce for members (for example a moderated forum) will be opt-in with parental consent, visible to the DSL at all times, with no private messaging, and will be risk-assessed under the Online Safety Act 2023 before launch.

6. Code of conduct for mentors

Mentors will: treat every student with respect and dignity; use appropriate language at all times; keep the session focused on learning; respond to any disclosure calmly and record it; model safe, kind online behaviour; and never share personal contact details or personal social media with students.

7. Code of conduct for students

Students agree to: use their club username as their screen name; be respectful to everyone in the session; keep language and shared content appropriate; not record or screenshot other participants; not share session links; and tell the mentor or a parent if anything in a session makes them uncomfortable. Repeated breaches are discussed with parents and may lead to a student being asked to leave the club.

8. Online content and tools

Sessions use the Club Coders app, written and maintained by the club. The games have no chat or messaging. Learners log in with a username (first name or nickname, letters and numbers only) that the teacher creates; no other account is needed.
Learners never use an AI tool directly. They write a request card inside the game, which the game checks for personal information (emails, phone numbers, postcodes, addresses, passwords). Only the teacher sends requests to the AI, from the teacher's own computer, and every change is tested and approved by the teacher before it is kept.
Game content made in sessions must be appropriate for the group. The mentor will intervene where content is violent beyond cartoon level, discriminatory or otherwise unsuitable.

9. Recognising and responding to concerns

Mentors are trained to recognise signs of abuse and neglect, including online harms such as grooming, cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content. If a mentor has a concern about a student's welfare, or a student makes a disclosure, the mentor will:

Listen, stay calm, and not promise confidentiality.
Record what was said, in the student's words, as soon as possible, with date and time.
Report to the DSL the same day.

The DSL will decide whether to speak to parents (unless doing so would put the child at greater risk), and whether to refer to the local authority children's social care team or, if a child is in immediate danger, the police on 999. Where a concern is about the DSL, the report should go directly to the local authority or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

10. Allegations against staff

Any allegation that a mentor has harmed a child, or may pose a risk to children, will be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within one working day. We will follow the LADO's advice on whether the mentor can keep working while it is looked into. Suspension is not automatic. Depending on the allegation, sessions may continue with a second DBS-checked adult present, or be paused, with families told and missed sessions refunded.

11. Data and records

Safeguarding records are kept securely, separately from other data, and retained in line with our privacy policy. Session recordings are stored on an encrypted, access-controlled account and deleted after 90 days unless required for an ongoing safeguarding matter.

12. Photos, recordings and showcasing students' work

Session recordings are never published. They are kept for 90 days for safeguarding only.
We never photograph or screenshot students without separate written parental consent, and never publish a child's face, full name, school or location.
Students' games are showcased at demo days (username only). We may publish short clips or screenshots of games made in sessions on our website and social media, as long as they can't identify the student: no real name, username, face, voice or school. You can ask us not to use your child's work, or to remove anything already published, at any time by emailing us. Anything that would identify your child needs your separate written consent.
Learner cards and session summaries show usernames only and are made on the teacher's computer.

13. Complaints

If you're unhappy with anything about Club Coders, email info@clubcoders.co.uk with "Complaint" in the subject line. You'll get an acknowledgement within two working days and a full response within ten. If the complaint concerns the founder and you'd prefer to raise it elsewhere, you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local authority's children's services. We keep a log of complaints and review it annually.

14. Raising a safeguarding concern with us

If you have a safeguarding concern about anything connected with Club Coders, contact the DSL at safeguarding@clubcoders.co.uk or on 07984 653910. You can also contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, or your local authority's children's services.

15. Review

This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if guidance or the law changes, and after any safeguarding incident.

Signed: Peter Brewer, Founder and Designated Safeguarding Lead, Club Coders Ltd. October 2026.