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Code of Conduct policy: For Clients/Parents and Students

 

At Steph’s Tutoring, we aim to promote a respectful and productive learning environment for both clients and students/learners. This Code of Conduct policy aims to make it clear what is expected from clients and students with regards to their conduct and behaviour.

A written copy of this code of conduct is available for everyone if needed. This policy will be updated regularly on this website.

 

Payment

 

Clients must pay for lessons at least 48 hours before a lesson is due to take place. A lesson cannot take place unless payment has been made. An invoice is sent to the client beforehand for you to check the payment you intend to make is correct. If there are any issues as to why a student cannot do a particular lesson; such as holidays, the client must communicate this to the tutor before the payment has been made and the invoice will be amended accordingly. Please click on the link below and refer to the Terms and Conditions on this website for more information regarding payments and invoices.  

https://www.stephstutoring.co.uk/terms-and-conditions

 

Contact Numbers and Address

 

It is important that all clients/parents or students have given the tutor (Stephanie Sybliss), contact details that are up to date. This should be: At least two contact phone numbers and an address. Occasionally, the tutor may need to send the tutee work via the postal system, so an address is needed for this to happen.

 

If the student is allowed to have their own mobile phone and they have access to the online platform WhatsApp; the tutor can set up a group chat, so that clients/parents are aware of any correspondence made with the student (from a data protection and safe guarding point of view).

 

Punctuality

 

It is important that students arrive on time for their tutoring lessons. If there is a reason why the student is going to be late for a lesson, the client/parent/or student must inform the tutor by phone, texting or through WhatsApp. If a student is more than 15 minutes late for a lesson (regardless of the reason), the tutor reserves the right to cancel the lesson altogether. The student will not be able to have extra time to make-up for the time lost due to lateness.  

 

Come prepared: Face to Face students

 

It is the student’s responsibility to come to the lesson with all the necessary materials needed; such as textbooks, plays or novels. This also includes any homework that has previously been set for the student to complete. Students are welcome to use any equipment such as pens and rulers that the tutor (Stephanie Sybliss) has in The Learning Studio, however they must leave them on the table after the lesson has ended. 

Come prepared: Online students

 

It is the student’s responsibility to log into their online lesson on time. Ideally, the student should aim to log on at least 5 minutes before the lesson begins, so that if there are any log in issues they can be resolved before the lesson begins. If there are any connection issues, the client/ student must contact the tutor by phoning them. Do not send a text or a WhatsApp message.

Students must be visible and on screen at all times when participating in their online lesson. During the lesson, they must not use pictures of themselves, memes or any other object to replace their actual face on the screen. This is so that the tutor (Stephanie Sybliss) can have idea of reactions and whether the tutee is understanding the work. It is also the best option from a data protection and safeguarding point of view.  

If the student needs to temporarily leave the lesson for a reason; (Eg: If they need to go to the toilet), the student should let the tutor know before leaving and return promptly. If the student needs to be away from the lesson for longer than 15 minutes, the client/parent must inform the tutor. Please Note: The tutor cannot give back any lost time due to this. 

Students must not mute or tamper with any controls on the online platform that will ruin the overall online performance of the lesson. Any student that deliberately does this on a regular basis, will risk their tutoring lessons stopped and the contract will cease. 

 

If the tutee has been set homework, it must be completed and sent back (at least 24 hours beforehand); via Google Classroom before the lesson, so that the tutor can mark it and give feedback in the next lesson. A Google Classroom account will have been set up by the tutor beforehand to enable this to happen.

 

In General, for both face to face and online students; if the student has a specific pen or piece of equipment (such as reading glasses) that is needed for their lesson; they must bring it with them to the lesson. They must also bring with them a notepad (or be prepared) to make notes throughout the lesson.

 

Low-Level Unacceptable Behaviour/High-Level Unacceptable Behaviour

 

The tutor (Stephanie Sybliss) will always have a professional, friendly, respectful and courteous manner when working with all clients/parents and students (whether online or face to face) and in turn this is expected back.

Low-Level Unacceptable Behaviour: It is important that clients/parents work in conjunction with the tutor to tackle any low-level behaviour that the student may engage in. This may include behaviour such as excessive talking, refusal to work or participate in the lesson. It is important that the student comes ready to work in the lesson. Any student that comes to tutoring and consistently engages in unacceptable behaviour, will risk their tutoring lesson being stopped and the possible end of their tutoring contract.

If a student is neurodivergent and has a neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), the parent/client must declare this information before lessons begin, so that the tutor can work with the parent/client on the best strategies on how to effectively work with the student within the lessons.

High-Level Unacceptable Behaviour: At Steph’s Tutoring, there is a zero policy for high level unacceptable behaviour (from a client/parent or student) that has resulted in aggressive, rude behaviour or violence of any sort. This includes behaviour such as: swearing, physical violence, name calling or the use of racist/homophobic/sexist/or anti-semitic terms. This behaviour will result in an instant termination of your tuition contract and no money will be refunded for any lessons that have been pre-paid.  

High-Level Unacceptable Behaviour/Unauthorised Recording or filming of the lesson: At Steph's Tutoring we do not film or record any of our students or any portion of the lessons. This is in line with our data protection policies. Likewise; it is completely unacceptable and against GDPR (General data protection regulations) for clients/parents to record or film the tutor or any portion of the lesson. Any client/parent that is known to have done this will risk an instant termination of their students/learners tuition lessons and no refund will be allocated in this case. 

Client/Parental Participation:

 

During the lesson, whether it is face to face or online; the client/parent must not participate in the lesson or distract the student. They should respect the tutor's expertise and allow the lesson to take place in a naturalistic way.

 

This ensures that the focus remains on the student's learning process and allows the tutor to effectively deliver the lesson without interruptions or interference.

 

Feedback

 

At Steph’s Tutoring, we believe that giving feedback is an important component for students to be able to gain positive learning experiences.

 

We always aim to give feedback in a way that is fair, constructive and beneficial for the student to be able to act upon and learn from it. It is equally important that students accept the feedback graciously and be willing to learn and act on it.

 

 

Homework/Extra Work/Assigned tasks

 

If the student has been given homework/or extra work to do, it is important that they complete the work and hand it in on time, so that it can be marked and feedback can be given. This will help the student to progress in their lessons and the subject they are being tutored on.

 

Overall, Remember, the goal of tutoring is to support a student’s learning to help them succeed academically. Following this policy, will allow clients and students to make the most out of the tutoring lessons and for a student to achieve their academic goals effectively.

Last Updated: Feb 2024

 

©SjS 2024

 

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