Keeping children safe

Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

Last updated: July 2026 · Reviewed annually

Our commitment

The welfare of every child we teach comes before everything else, including lessons, exams and progress. Every child has the right to learn in a safe, respectful environment where they feel comfortable, listened to and able to speak up.

Who is responsible

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Norbert Steczkowski, the founder of Piano with Norbert. Any safeguarding concern comes to him directly, and he is responsible for deciding what happens next.

You can reach him on 07896 003916 or at pianowithnorbert@gmail.com. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 first.

Every teacher is DBS-checked

• ●Every teacher holds a current Enhanced DBS certificate including a check of the Children’s Barred List. This is the highest level of check available for people working with children.
• ●The check is verified before a teacher gives a single lesson. There are no exceptions to this, and no starting while a check is pending.
• ●Every teacher subscribes to the DBS Update Service, so their status can be re-checked at any time rather than only once at the start.
• ●Teachers must tell us immediately if anything changes in their circumstances that could affect their suitability to work with children.
• ●We also take references, verify identity and check qualifications before anyone joins us.

How our teachers conduct themselves

We want lessons to feel warm and enjoyable. A child who likes their teacher learns far more than one who is nervous. But friendly is not the same as casual, and every teacher works to a clear standard: warm and encouraging, and always professional.

• ●Appropriate language at all times. No swearing, no inappropriate humour, and nothing a parent would be uncomfortable overhearing.
• ●Respectful, patient and encouraging. We never shout at, belittle, embarrass or intimidate a child. Corrections are given kindly.
• ●Professional boundaries are maintained. Teachers do not socialise with students outside lessons, offer lifts, give gifts, or meet a child anywhere other than an agreed lesson.
• ●Physical contact is avoided.Where a hand position genuinely needs correcting, the teacher explains and demonstrates rather than moving the child’s hands, unless the child is comfortable and a parent is present.
• ●No teaching under the influence of alcohol or drugs, ever.

Lessons in your home

• ●For any lesson with a child, a parent or guardian should be at home for the duration. You do not need to sit in the room, and many children concentrate better if you do not, but an adult should be in the property.
• ●Lessons take place in a main living space where the piano is, with the door left open. Never in a bedroom.
• ●You are welcome to sit in on any lesson, at any time, without arranging it in advance.

Online lessons

• ●Teachers join from an appropriate, neutral room, dressed as they would be for an in-person lesson. Never from a bedroom.
• ●We ask that a parent or guardian is at home and nearby during any online lesson with a child.
• ●Lessons are not recorded unless we have asked you first and you have agreed in writing.

How we communicate

• ●All communication about lessons goes through Piano with Norbert’s own channels, our student portal, our email address and our phone number.
• ●Teachers do not contact children privately. No personal mobile numbers, no private messaging, no social media contact, no adding students as friends or followers.
• ●Messages about a child’s lessons go to the parent or guardian, not the child.

Photographs and videos

We sometimes photograph or film performances and lessons. We only ever use images of a child in our marketing with the written consent of a parent or guardian, and you can withdraw that consent at any time by emailing us. We never publish a child’s full name alongside their photograph.

If you are worried about something

Please tell us. You do not need to be certain, and you will never be treated as though you are making a fuss. It is always better to raise something that turns out to be nothing.

• ●Contact Norbert directly on 07896 003916 or pianowithnorbert@gmail.com.
• ●We will acknowledge you the same day wherever possible, and always within 24 hours.
• ●We will take it seriously, keep you informed, and involve Harrow Council’s children’s services or the police where that is the right thing to do.
• ●If your concern is about Norbert himself, you can go straight to Harrow Council children’s services or the police, and we would encourage you to.

What our teachers must do

• ●Report any safeguarding concern to the Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately, and in any event within 24 hours.
• ●Never investigate a concern themselves, question a child about it, or promise a child that they will keep it secret.
• ●Record what they saw or were told, factually and in the child’s own words where possible.
• ●Report concerns about a colleague, including about Norbert, with the same urgency.

Our legal duties

Because our teachers work one-to-one with children on a regular basis, we are a regulated activity provider under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. That carries duties we take seriously:

• ●We will never knowingly allow a barred person to teach for us. Doing so is a criminal offence.
• ●Where we remove a teacher over a safeguarding concern, we have a legal duty to refer them to the Disclosure and Barring Service, and we will do so. That duty applies even if the teacher resigns first.

Your information

We handle your family’s personal information carefully and in line with UK data protection law. Teachers may only use student information for teaching, and may not keep their own private copies of your contact details. Full detail is in our privacy policy.

Reviewing this policy

We review this policy every year, and immediately after any safeguarding incident. If you think something here could be clearer or stronger, please tell us. We would genuinely rather hear it.