Safeguarding and online safety

Every session is planned around children being safe as well as learning something. This page explains how that works in practice, and who to contact if you are ever worried about anything.

Who teaches your child

Every session is planned and taught by me, Jake Miles. I am a qualified primary teacher with 14 years' experience and an MSc in Education. I hold an Enhanced DBS certificate with a children's barred list check, I subscribe to the DBS Update Service, and I am fully insured. Schools and parents are welcome to ask to see any of this.

How online sessions are kept safe

• Lessons run on Microsoft Teams from a business account. Every booking has its own link, sent to you and never published anywhere.
• The Teams lobby is switched on. I admit each child individually and by name, then lock the meeting so nobody else can join.
• Minecraft Education worlds are private and hosted by me. Children join using a code I share at the start of the session. There is no open matchmaking and no contact with strangers.
• A parent or carer needs to be at home and contactable for the whole session. You are welcome to sit in at any time, and I would encourage it for the first one.
• I do not record lessons and I do not photograph or film children. The only images taken are in-game screenshots of what children have built.

Cameras, microphones and chat

Cameras are optional and no child is ever asked to be on camera. Chat is used for the lesson only, is visible to me throughout, and goes to the whole group. Private messaging between children is switched off.

Children are asked not to share surnames, addresses, school names, phone numbers or social media, and not to arrange to meet or play together outside sessions. If that happens, I stop it and tell the parents involved.

How I communicate with families

All contact goes through you, not through your child. I use business accounts only. I do not contact children by personal email, phone, text, social media or gaming accounts, and I do not add children as friends on Minecraft or any other platform. If a child ever contacts me outside a session, I will tell you.

If something worries you

Please tell me: jake@collaborativecomputing.co.uk

If your concern is about me, or you would simply rather not come to me first, you can go straight to any of these:

• Wiltshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub: 0300 456 0108
• Local Authority Designated Officer: LADO@wiltshire.gov.uk
• NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
• Police: 999 in an emergency, 101 otherwise

You never need my permission to contact any of them, and you do not have to speak to me first.

If a child tells me something

I listen, I do not promise to keep it secret, and I do not try to investigate. I write it down the same day and pass it to children's social care, the local authority or the police where that is needed. I would normally tell you, and I would want to, but I would not if doing so might put a child at greater risk.

Working in schools

When I teach in a school, I follow that school's safeguarding policy and report any concern to the school's designated safeguarding lead.