Parents Code of conduct

Work in partnership with parents, guardians and carers to support their child’s learning;
Create a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for students, staff, parents, guardians and
carers;
Model appropriate behaviour for our students at all times.
To help us do this, we set clear expectations and guidelines on behaviour for all members of our community.
This includes staff, students, parents, guardians and carers.
We use the term ‘parents, guardians and carers’ to mean:
Anyone with parental responsibility for a student;
Anyone caring for a child (such as grandparents/guardians or child-minders);
Anyone collecting students on someone else’s behalf.
This code of conduct aims to help Wac Arts work together with parents, guardians and carers by setting
guidelines on appropriate behaviour.

Our expectations of parents, guardians and carers

We expect parents, guardians and carers to:

Ensure children under the age of 8,* or whose special educational needs require it, are supervised
by an appropriate adult throughout their time at Wac Arts;
Respect the ethos, vision and values of Wac Arts;
Work together with staff in the best interests of our students;
Allow staff five working days to respond to non-urgent communication;
Treat all members of the Wac Arts community with respect – setting a good example with speech
and behaviour;
Seek a peaceful and reasonable resolution to all issues where possible;
Endeavour to ensure the accuracy of a child’s version of events when working with Wac Arts to bring
about a peaceful solution to any issue that arises;
Correct their own child’s behaviour (or those in their care), particularly in public, where it could lead
to conflict, aggression or unsafe conduct;
Approach the right member of Wac Arts staff to help resolve any issues of concern, following up by
email to admin@wacarts.co.uk if an appropriate response has not been received.
*Wac Arts strongly recommends parental supervision for children under 11, per its Terms and Conditions.

Disrupting, or threatening to disrupt, Wac Arts’ operations (including events, sharings and
performances);
Swearing or using offensive language;
Threatening physical harm to a member of Wac Arts staff or Board, visitor, fellow parent, guardian,
carer or student, regardless of whether or not the behaviour constitutes a criminal offence;
2
Aggressive behaviour, intimidating, threatening or shouting at members of staff, Trustees, students
or other parents, guardians and carers;
Damaging or destroying Wac Arts’ property;
Abusive or threatening e-mails or text/voicemail/phone messages or other written communications;
Unreasonable demands upon Wac Arts staff to respond to a parental query, or expectations for staff
to communicate outside of normal working hours;
Making electronic recordings of meetings or telephone calls by parents, guardians, carers or staff
without the explicit prior permission of all involved;
Making serial, unreasonable or vexatious complaints;
Posting defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments about Wac Arts, its staff or any member of
its community, on social media platforms or sending such to the media;
Using physical punishment against your child while on Wac Arts premises;
Disciplining another person’s child – please bring any behaviour incidents to a member of staff’s
attention;
Smoking or drinking alcohol on Wac Arts premises (unless alcohol has been allowed at a specific
event);
Possessing or taking drugs (including “legal highs”).

Breaching the code of conduct

If Wac Arts suspects, or becomes aware, that a parent, guardian or carer has or may have breached the code
of conduct, Wac Arts will gather information from those involved, speak to the parent, guardian or carer
about the incident and seek witness statements as it deems necessary to investigate and resolve the matter.
Depending on the nature of the incident, Wac Arts may then:

Send a warning letter to the parent, guardian or carer;
Limit contact by allocating one key staff member to communicate with the parent, guardian or carer;
Invite the parent, guardian or carer into Wac Arts to meet with a senior member of staff, ending a
meeting if this behaviour is displayed
Not reply to communications that are offensive, abusive or derogatory;
Contact the appropriate authorities (in cases of criminal behaviour);
Seek advice from its legal advisers regarding further action (in cases of conduct that may be libelous
or slanderous);
Seek advice from the Local Authority
Ban the parent from the Wac Arts site;
Terminate the service provided to the child/ward of the parent, guardian or carer.

Wac Arts will always respond to an incident in a proportionate way. The final decision for how Wac Arts responds to breaches of this code of conduct rests with the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive will consult the Chair of Trustees before banning a parent from the Wac Arts site or terminating the service provided to the child/ward