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Grayline Coaches recognises that home-to-school transport presents particular safeguarding responsibilities because drivers may regularly transport children and young people without a parent, teacher or other responsible adult being present.
All employees involved in home-to-school transport must ensure that journeys are carried out safely, professionally and in accordance with the requirements of the relevant local authority, school or transport contract.
The welfare and safety of children and young people must remain the highest priority at all times.
Drivers and other employees undertaking school transport must:
Maintain professional boundaries with all pupils at all times.
Treat every pupil with dignity, courtesy and respect.
Remain polite, calm, patient and professional, including when dealing with challenging behaviour.
Follow the designated route, authorised stopping points and instructions provided by the school or contracting authority.
Ensure that pupils are transported only in accordance with the authorised passenger arrangements.
Report safeguarding, welfare, behavioural or safety concerns promptly.
Never discriminate against or show favouritism towards individual pupils.
Maintain appropriate professional behaviour both on and off the vehicle when carrying out school transport duties.
Use inappropriate, offensive or sexualised language towards pupils.
Make inappropriate jokes, comments or gestures.
Develop inappropriate personal relationships with pupils.
Give individual pupils personal gifts, money or other inappropriate items.
Contact pupils through personal social media accounts or personal messaging services.
Exchange personal telephone numbers with pupils unless specifically authorised for an operational safeguarding reason.
Invite pupils to their home or arrange to meet them away from the transport service.
Photograph or video pupils using a personal mobile telephone or other personal device.
Transport unauthorised passengers without approval.
Communication between drivers and pupils must remain appropriate, professional and related to the transport service.
Drivers should avoid unnecessary personal conversations with individual pupils and should be particularly mindful of situations where a pupil may attempt to establish an inappropriate level of personal contact.
Where a pupil discusses personal, family or safeguarding matters with a driver, the driver should listen appropriately but must not attempt to investigate the matter. Any safeguarding concern must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead in accordance with this policy.
Where Grayline Coaches is responsible for home-to-school transport, drivers must follow the authorised collection and drop-off arrangements provided by the contracting authority.
Drivers must:
Stop only at authorised locations wherever reasonably practicable.
Take reasonable care to ensure pupils can safely board and leave the vehicle.
Ensure the vehicle is stationary before allowing pupils to leave their seats or exit the vehicle.
Take particular care when collecting or dropping off pupils near roads, junctions, car parks and other areas presenting additional hazards.
Follow any specific instructions relating to individual pupils provided by the school, local authority or transport authority.
Report any repeated difficulty in safely collecting or returning a pupil.
Report situations where a pupil is not collected by an authorised person where such arrangements are required by the transport contract.
Drivers must not make unplanned changes to a pupil's normal collection or drop-off arrangements unless instructed or authorised by the appropriate transport authority, school or emergency service.
Lone Working and Professional Boundaries
Drivers may be working alone with children and young people during school transport journeys. Grayline Coaches recognises that this requires particular attention to professional boundaries.
Drivers should:
Remain in public or operational areas wherever practicable.
Avoid unnecessary physical contact with pupils.
Never be alone with a pupil in a situation unrelated to the transport service.
Keep vehicle doors and access arrangements under appropriate control.
Report any situation where they believe professional boundaries may have been compromised.
Report allegations or complaints made against them immediately to management and the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Any physical intervention must only occur where necessary and lawful to prevent immediate harm and must be reported and recorded in accordance with company procedures.
Drivers must comply with Grayline Coaches' mobile telephone and driving policies.
Mobile telephones must not be used while driving except through lawful hands-free arrangements and only where permitted by company policy.
Drivers must never use personal devices to photograph, film or record pupils.
Any communication with parents, schools or transport authorities must be carried out using approved company or contractual communication arrangements wherever applicable.
Grayline Coaches expects all pupils to behave appropriately while travelling.
Drivers should manage behaviour calmly and professionally and must never use physical punishment, threats, intimidation or humiliating language.
Where behaviour creates a risk to the driver, passengers or other road users, the driver should prioritise the safe operation of the vehicle and follow the company's incident reporting procedures.
Persistent or serious behavioural concerns should be reported to the appropriate manager, school or transport authority.
Drivers must not attempt to resolve serious behavioural or safeguarding matters through confrontation.
Boarding and Alighting
Particular care must be taken when pupils board or leave the vehicle.
Drivers should:
Ensure the vehicle is safely positioned before doors are opened.
Ensure the vehicle is stationary and secured before pupils leave their seats.
Check the immediate area before allowing pupils to leave the vehicle.
Be alert to passing traffic, cyclists, pedestrians and other hazards.
Never allow pupils to board or leave the vehicle at an unsafe location unless instructed to do so by an authorised person in an emergency.
Take additional care where pupils have mobility difficulties or other identified needs.
Where a passenger escort is provided, the driver and escort must work together professionally and follow the instructions of the contracting authority.
The driver remains responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle, while the escort's responsibilities will be determined by the relevant contract, school or local authority.
Any disagreement or concern regarding safeguarding, passenger welfare or operational arrangements must be reported to the appropriate manager rather than discussed in front of pupils.
Uncollected Children
Where a pupil is not met at the designated collection or drop-off point and the transport arrangements require an authorised adult to receive the child, the driver must not simply leave the child unattended.
The driver should:
Remain with the child where it is safe and practicable to do so.
Contact the appropriate school, transport authority, control office or designated emergency contact in accordance with the contract arrangements.
Follow the local authority's or school's specific uncollected child procedure.
Contact the police or emergency services where there is an immediate concern for the child's safety.
Record and report the incident.
Drivers must not take a pupil to their own home or make alternative private arrangements.
Drivers must not accept informal requests from pupils to change their normal arrangements.
For example, a pupil must not be allowed to:
Get off at a different location without appropriate authorisation.
Travel on another service without approval.
Bring an unauthorised passenger.
Ask the driver to change the route for personal reasons.
Any request to change a pupil's transport arrangements must be referred to the appropriate school, local authority, transport office or Grayline management.
Drivers should remain alert to changes in a pupil's behaviour or circumstances.
Concerns may include:
A child appearing unusually frightened or distressed.
A child repeatedly arriving with unexplained injuries.
A child making comments suggesting abuse or neglect.
A child discussing inappropriate contact with an adult.
Bullying or intimidation between pupils.
A pupil being collected or approached by an unknown or unauthorised person.
Concerns regarding exploitation, grooming or criminal activity.
A pupil repeatedly refusing to return home or appearing distressed about doing so.
Drivers must not investigate these matters themselves.
Any concern must be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the appropriate authority in accordance with this policy.
Grayline Coaches recognises that allegations may be made against drivers or other employees.
Any allegation concerning inappropriate conduct towards a child must be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or senior management.
The employee concerned must not attempt to investigate the allegation themselves or contact the child or their family regarding the allegation.
Where appropriate, Grayline Coaches will seek advice from the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), safeguarding authority or police before taking further action.
No internal investigation will be conducted in a way that could prejudice a police or safeguarding investigation.
Where vehicles are fitted with CCTV or other approved monitoring equipment, such systems will be operated in accordance with company procedures, contractual requirements and applicable data protection legislation.
CCTV footage may be reviewed where there is an accident, complaint, behavioural incident, safeguarding concern or other legitimate operational reason.
Access to recordings will be restricted to authorised personnel.
In an emergency, the driver must prioritise the immediate safety of all passengers.
This may include:
Contacting emergency services.
Stopping the vehicle in a safe location.
Evacuating passengers where necessary.
Providing appropriate assistance to passengers.
Informing Grayline Coaches' management as soon as practicable.
Reporting the incident and completing the appropriate documentation.
Where there is an immediate risk of serious harm to a child or adult at risk, the Police or emergency services should be contacted without delay.
All drivers undertaking home-to-school transport must receive appropriate instruction and training relevant to their duties.
This includes awareness of:
Safeguarding children and young people.
Professional boundaries.
Recognising signs of abuse and neglect.
Responding to disclosures.
Managing passenger behaviour.
Safe boarding and alighting.
Emergency procedures.
The requirements of the relevant school or local authority transport contract.
Reporting and recording safeguarding concerns.
Drivers must also hold the appropriate driving licence and qualifications required for the vehicle and service they operate.
Grayline Coaches will provide additional guidance where a particular pupil has identified transport, behavioural, medical, mobility or safeguarding needs, subject to the information lawfully provided to the company.
All safeguarding concerns, accidents, allegations, behavioural incidents and significant welfare concerns arising during home-to-school transport must be reported through the appropriate Grayline Coaches reporting procedure.
Records must be factual and should contain:
Date and time.
Vehicle registration or fleet number.
Route or service.
Location.
Names of persons involved, where known.
Factual description of the incident.
Exact words used where relevant.
Action taken.
Persons notified.
Any further action required.
Reports must be completed as soon as reasonably practicable after the incident.
Grayline Coaches operates a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, harassment, bullying, discrimination, exploitation and inappropriate conduct towards children and young people.
The company will take all safeguarding concerns seriously and will work with schools, local authorities, parents, safeguarding agencies and the Police where appropriate to ensure the welfare of passengers.
The safety and welfare of every child travelling with Grayline Coaches is everyone's responsibility.
Grayline
Blackthorn Hill
Blackthorn
Bicester
Oxon
OX25 1TL
