Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
Score Better Ltd
Version 1.0 · Last updated: 7 September 2026
1. Purpose and Scope
Score Better Ltd provides online educational sessions, assessments, programmes and related support for GCSE students.
This Policy explains how we seek to protect students from harm and respond to safeguarding concerns.
It applies to Score Better’s founders, tutors, customer support advisers, contractors and anyone else working with or communicating with students on our behalf.
For this Policy, a child or student is anyone under 18.
2. Our Commitment
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Score Better is committed to:
putting the welfare of students first;
providing a safe and respectful online learning environment;
taking concerns seriously and responding promptly;
maintaining appropriate boundaries between adults and students;
preventing physical or psychological harm, abuse, bullying, harassment and exploitation; and
working with parents and relevant authorities where necessary.
Score Better does not tolerate conduct by anyone working on its behalf that could harm a student.
3. Safeguarding Responsibility
Score Better maintains a Safeguarding Team responsible for receiving and managing safeguarding concerns.
Safeguarding concerns should be sent to:
safeguarding@scorebetter.co.uk
This address is monitored by authorised members of the Safeguarding Team.
4. Reporting a Concern
A student, parent or other person may report a concern to any Score Better team member or directly through the safeguarding email address.
Concerns may relate to:
a student’s safety, welfare or wellbeing;
behaviour or communications involving a student;
online safety or conduct during a Score Better service; or
the conduct of a Score Better team member.
A team member who receives a concern must pass it promptly to the Safeguarding Team. They must not promise confidentiality or conduct their own investigation.
5. Responding to Concerns
The Safeguarding Team will consider the information and decide what action is appropriate.
Depending on the circumstances, Score Better may speak with the student or parent, preserve relevant records, take appropriate protective action or refer the concern to the relevant safeguarding authority or emergency service.
Parents will normally be informed unless doing so may increase the risk to the student or conflict with advice from a relevant authority.
If a child appears to be in immediate danger, the police should be contacted on 999.
6. Online Sessions and Communications
Score Better uses approved channels for lessons, assessments and programme communications.
Student cohort communications will normally include the student, their parent or guardian and authorised Score Better personnel.
All communications must be professional, relevant to the service being provided and conducted with appropriate boundaries.
Any necessary individual interaction will be pre-arranged, conducted through an approved channel and visible or accessible to the parent or guardian.
Communication should normally take place during reasonable programme hours unless an urgent safeguarding concern requires action.
7. Recordings and Online Conduct
Score Better may record online educational sessions where participants have been informed.
Recordings must be stored securely and accessed only for an authorised purpose. Students and team members must not independently record, publish or redistribute sessions without permission.
Everyone participating in Score Better’s services is expected to behave respectfully and use online communication tools appropriately.
Score Better may take proportionate action, including warning, muting, removing or suspending a participant, where reasonably necessary to maintain a safe learning environment. Serious or safeguarding concerns will be handled under this Policy.
8. Staff and Contractor Suitability
Score Better takes reasonable steps to ensure that people working with students are suitable for their roles.
Child-facing personnel must:
complete appropriate identity, reference and role-suitability checks;
complete an appropriate DBS check where lawfully available and relevant to the role;
complete any safeguarding and other training reasonably necessary for their role;
follow Score Better’s safeguarding procedures and code of conduct; and
maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Child-facing responsibilities will be assigned only after the necessary checks and training have been completed.
9. Concerns Involving Score Better Personnel
Any concern about a Score Better team member must be reported promptly to the Safeguarding Team.
Where a concern involves a member of the Safeguarding Team, it may be reported directly to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer, children’s social care service or police.
Score Better will take appropriate protective action, cooperate with relevant authorities and avoid taking steps that could interfere with an official process.
10. Emergency Information
Score Better collects appropriate parent, guardian and emergency contact information.
Parents are responsible for keeping their contact information current. Where an urgent concern arises, Score Better may request information reasonably necessary to assist emergency services.
11. Records and Confidentiality
Safeguarding information will be recorded factually, stored securely and shared only with authorised people or relevant authorities where necessary.
Information may be shared without consent where this is necessary to protect a child or comply with the law.
Safeguarding records are handled in accordance with Score Better’s Privacy and Cookie Notice.
12. External Help
Safeguarding concerns may also be reported to:
the police on 999 where someone is in immediate danger;
the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000;
Childline on 0800 1111; or
the relevant local authority children’s social care service.
Local authority details can be found at www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
13. Review
This Policy will be reviewed at least annually and following any serious safeguarding incident, material operational change or relevant change in guidance.