Explore the New Additions to the Handsam Library

New Quick Guides and Policies

Handsam would like to make you aware of the new or updated Quick Guides you can now access through our Quick Guide Library. We respond to the needs of our customers, through safety issues we encounter on audits or direct requests for content on particular subjects when expanding our resources. This allows us to continue to grow our library around the direct compliance needs of our clients.

RAS70 Coach Travel

Transporting children, of any age, whether to and from school on a daily basis; or occasionally off-site is a high-risk activity. This is especially true when using an external supplier to provide the transport, as the level of risk will naturally increase when engaging a third party that is not directly under the control of the school. It is also likely to add a level of complexity to a school’s risk assessment process. The Health and Safety Executive states that most serious school trip accidents involve ‘underlying management failures’ and is keen to encourage schools and local authorities to focus on how real risks are managed and not on ‘paperwork’. They recognise there is a challenge for schools to strike a balance between protecting pupils from risk while enabling them to learn from educational trips.

Example Blended Learning Policy

This example policy covers:

  • Principles
  • Aims
  • Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning
  • Approaches
  • Policy Review

Example Acceptable User (ICT) Policy

This example policy covers:

  • Support
  • Key things for employees to consider
  • Use of email
  • Use of internet
  • New and departing staff
  • Security and passwords
  • Network and file security
  • Mobile phones
  • Use of laptops
  • Screen locking
  • Direct access
  • Policy review

Example Home Working Policy

This example policy covers:

  • General Principles Underlying the Policy
  • Scope of the Policy
  • Roles and Responsibilities - The School - The Nominated Officer - Employees
  • Applying for Home Working
  • Refusing a Request for Home Working
  • Requirement to Undertake Home Working
  • Communication
  • Data Security
  • Expenses
  • Health and Safety
  • Appeal
  • Dealing with Abuse of the Policy
  • Appendix 1 – Application Form
  • Appendix 2 – Financial Expenses
  • Appendix 3 – Appeal Pro-forma
  • Appendix 4 – Appeal Procedure
  • Useful Contacts
  • Policy Review

Example Policy Frontispece or Control Sheet

  • The school or academy can adjust this example policy frontispiece/control sheet to suit its particular circumstances and requirements.
  • It is very important for schools to have a very well documented audit trail for all policies so that the reasons for them being updated are clear and show that they have amended and updated them appropriately and the reasons for this. This information should be provided at the very start of all policies and be the first thing seen by any reader.

GOV07 Independent Schools Registration

Part 10 of the Education Act 2002 requires all independent schools to be registered with the Department for Education. Use this Quick Guide to find out about the conditions and responsibilities surrounding independent school registration.

This guidance has been significantly updated

New Example Domestic Abuse Policy

This example policy covers:

  • Responsibilities - School - Nominated Officer - Employees - School’s HR Function or Member of Staff Responsible
  • Possible Indicators of Domestic Abuse
  • Support
  • Minimising Risk in the Workplace
  • Misconduct
  • Appendix 1 – Useful National Agency Contact Details
  • Useful Contacts
  • Policy Review

Example Remote Learning Policy

This example policy covers:

  • Staff Responsibilities
  • Approaches to Remote Learning
  • Remote Learning
  • Expectations of Staff - Planning - Operational - Communicating with Parents, Carers and Pupils
  • Expectations of Pupils
  • Pupils Struggling with Remote Learning
  • Expectations of Parents
  • Reporting Safeguarding Concerns
  • GDPR and Data Protection
  • Policy Review

Example Freedom of Information Policy

This example policy covers;

  • Scope and purpose
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Procedures
  • What a publication scheme is and why it has been
  • developed
  • The method by which information published under this scheme will be made available (refer to Appendix A)
  • Charges which may be made for information published under this scheme (refer to Appendix B)
  • Written requests
  • Complaints
  • Policy Review
  • Appendix A: Information to be published
  • Appendix B: Schedule of charges

Example Bereavement Policy

This example policy covers:

  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Links to National Guidance
  • Policy Principles
  • The Initial Response
  • Informing Staff, Pupils and Parents
  • Death in Service (Employee)
  • Funerals
  • The Media and Social Media
  • Support
  • Bereavement Pay and Leave (Employees)
  • Behaviour Issues (Pupils)
  • Specific Circumstances
  • A Death Involving Murder or Manslaughter
  • Remembrance Activities
  • Managing Transitions (Pupils)Teaching About Bereavement and Grief (Pupils)
  • Appendix 1 - Support Options for Bereaved Families
  • Appendix 2 - Process to follow in the Event of a Death
  • Appendix 3 - Process to Follow in the Event of a Death of a Pupil by Suicide
  • Useful Contacts
  • Policy Review

Find out more about our Quick Guides and Policies

The Handsam Quick Guides Library contains over 900 documents with all the relevant information, exemplars, checklists and guidance notes you need to ensure you're up to date, including all the DfE, HSE and other formal resources all in one place. It's unique!

Handsam also offers various different policies packages, including providing you with easy-to-use templates for you to tailor yourselves, reviewing your existing policies, or working with you to deliver fully bespoked policies for your school, college or MAT.

If you're not a Handsam client, or you don't buy our Quick Guides or one of our Policies packages, please contact us to discuss how we can help to keep you organisation compliant.