Visitor Information

The Governing Body assures all visitors a warm, friendly, and professional welcome to Boston High School, whatever the purpose of their visit.

The school has a legal duty of care for the health, safety, security and wellbeing of all students and staff. This duty of care incorporates the duty to "safeguard" all students from subjection to any form of harm, abuse, or nuisance. It is the responsibility of the Governing Body and senior staff to ensure that this duty is always uncompromised.

In performing this duty, the Governing Body recognises that there can be no complacency where child protection and safeguarding procedures are concerned. The school therefore requires that ALL VISITORS (without exception) comply with the following policy and procedures. Failure so to do may result in the visitor’s escorted departure from the school site.

The procedure applies to:

  • All staff employed by the school

  • All external visitors entering the school site during the school day or for after school activities (including Police Persons, music teachers, sports coaches, and topic related visitors e.g., authors, journalists)

  • All governors of the school

  • All parents and volunteers

  • All students

  • Other Education related personnel (County Advisors , Inspectors )

  • Building & Maintenance and all other independent contractors visiting the school premises

  • Independent contractors who may transport students on minibuses or in taxis

 

Protocol And Procedures

Visitors to the School

All visitors to the school will be asked to bring formal identification with them at the time of their visit. They must follow the procedure below.

Once on site, all visitors must report to the reception entrance. No visitor is permitted to enter the school via any other entrance under any circumstances.

At reception, all visitors must state the purpose of their visit and who has invited them. They should be ready to produce formal identification. These include an enhanced DBS certificate and a form of photo ID.

Visitor information will be stored on our Sign In App records for 6 months and unless there is another visit before will then be removed.

All visitors will be asked to sign the electronic Sign In App in reception making note of their name, organisation, who they are visiting and car registration.

All visitors will need to read the safeguarding information when signing in and on their first visit, will be provided with the visitor Safeguarding information leaflet.

All visitors will be required to wear an identification badge – the badge must remain visible throughout their visit.

  • A blue ‘BHS’ lanyard indicates that the person is a recognised member of the staff that meet all the required DBS checks.

  • A green lanyard indicates that the school has seen full identification including enhanced DBS certificate and are therefore part of the school SCR.

  • A red lanyard indicates that we have not seen a DBS, photo identification has been seen and the visitor must always be accompanied.

  • A grey ‘Governor’ lanyard indicates one of our school Governors who have a DBS.

Visitors will be collected from reception by their point of contact. The contact will then be responsible for them while they are on site. The visitor must not be allowed to move about the site unaccompanied unless they are recorded on the School’s SCR and therefore a regular visitor of the school.

 

Approved Visitor List – School's SCR

The school will hold an approved visitor list for visitors who frequently visit the school site to undertake work within the school (including contractors and supply staff).

To qualify for this list the visitor must have demonstrated, prior to the visit that:

  • They have a current clear enhanced DBS check, and this has been registered on the Schools Central Record AND

  • A current clear Enhanced DBS children’s barred check has been undertaken AND

  • A letter has been received from the employer that pre-employment checks have been undertaken

Visitors on the Approved List MUST follow the same procedures on entry to the premises (i.e., come to reception and sign the Sign In App). A copy of the approved visitor list will be kept at reception at all times.

 

Visitors Departure from School

On departing the school, visitors MUST leave via main reception and:

  • A member of staff should escort the visitor to the reception.

  • Enter their departure on the electronic Sign In App

  • Return the identification badge to reception, or if not staffed at that time, return in the post box next to the reception hatch and depart through the front entrance.

 

Unknown/Uninvited Visitors To The School

Any visitor to the school site who is not wearing a visitor’s lanyard will be challenged politely to enquire who they are and their business on the school site. They should then be escorted to reception to sign the Sign In App and be issued with an identity badge once photo identification has been checked.

The procedures under "Visitors to the School" above will then apply. If the visitor refuses to comply, they will be asked to leave the site immediately and a member of the Senior Leadership Team informed.

The Senior Leadership Team member will consider the situation and decide if it is necessary to inform the police. If an unknown/uninvited visitor becomes abusive or aggressive, they will be asked to leave the site immediately and warned that if they fail to leave the school grounds, police assistance will be called for.