Last updated: 5 August 2026

Legato Dance work with children and families as part of its activities. The purpose of this policy statement is to set out our commitment: 
  

• to prevent bullying from happening between children and young people who are a part of our organisation or take part in our activities 

• to make sure bullying is stopped as soon as possible if it does happen and that those involved receive the support they need 

• to provide information to all staff, volunteers, children and their families about what we should all do to prevent and deal with bullying. 
   

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Legato Dance, including senior managers, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in the UK. Legato Dance does not tolerate bullying in any of our classes.  

What is bullying?

We believe that children and young people should never experience abuse or bullying of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and operate in a way that protects them. Bullying is the intimidation of an individual or group by another individual or group. Bullying can take place in a dance education setting in a variety of ways, such as: 

• emotional (through undermining, unfriendly, exclusionary or threatening behaviour) 

• verbal (through name-calling, rumour-spreading or teasing) 

• physical (through any use of physical force with malicious intent) 

• misuse of technology (through capturing footage without consent) 

• discrimination (through racist language or culturally derogatory comments) 

• sexual (through unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments) 

• discrimination of ability (through attacking a person’s special educational needs or disabilities) 

This is not an exhaustive list, but aims to demonstrate the types of bullying that may occur in this setting. We recognise that bullying causes real distress and affects a person’s health and development, and in some instances, bullying can cause significant harm. All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse. Everyone has a role to play in preventing all forms of bullying (including online) and putting a stop to bullying. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We recognise that bullying is closely related to how we respect and recognise the value of diversity. We will be proactive about seeking opportunities to learn about and celebrate difference, increasing diversity within our staff, volunteers, children and young people, and welcoming new members to our organisation. 

Bullying prevention

At Legato Dance we are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils and staff, so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is totally unacceptable at our schools. We will seek to prevent bullying by: 

• developing an ethos around how everyone involved in our organisation is expected to behave, in face-to-face contact and online, and within all our activities 

• holding regular discussions with staff, volunteers, children, young people and families who use our organisation about bullying and how to prevent it. These conversations will include: 

• our joint responsibility to look after one another 

• practising skills such as listening to each other 

• dealing with problems in a positive way 

• ensuring that all staff and students feel supported and encouraged 

• providing support for all staff and volunteers on dealing with all forms of bullying, including racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic and sexual bullying 

Encouraging agency and voice

A key factor in preventing bullying and in creating a caring, friendly and safe environment is by promoting agency and voice. Staff and volunteers can model this by encouraging pupils to be open about their concerns, by explaining how concerns can be raised safely and confidentially, and by raising awareness about bullying. Emphasizing voice and agency can be achieved in the way lessons are taught, not just through directly talking about bullying. 

Responding to bullying

Sadly, despite taking careful measures, bullying can still occur. It is possible to become aware of it through a range of different ways: 

• Observing behaviour that concerns you 

• Noticing that an individual or group are showing signs of distress (e.g. they might become quiet or withdrawn) 

• An individual might open up about being bullied 

• An individual might refer to someone else that is being bullied. 

When this happens it is important for staff and volunteers to remain calm and reassure anyone who is telling them information about bullying that they have done the right thing and that they are going to treat what they have been told sensitively. In responding to incidents of bullying, we will make sure that: 

• the needs of the person being bullied are met 

• the needs of the person displaying bullying behaviour are considered 

• needs of others who have witnessed the behaviour are met 

• our organisation as a whole reflects on how to learn from what has occurred 

All teachers should encourage pupils to disclose incidents of bullying. Teachers should also disclose incidents to the rest of the staff team. In general, decisions about how to respond to incidents of bullying should be taken between the teacher and the rest of the staff team. In some cases, where an immediate response is required, a staff member should take a decision that prioritises deescalating the situation and inform the student and their parent or guardian that the incident will be followed up. All allegations of bullying will be taken seriously and investigated. All concerns and incidents should be recorded in writing, including frequency and type of incident. This enables ongoing monitoring over time. Parents/guardians will be involved if the staff team deem it necessary, with the hope that they will work with staff either to support those who have been bullied or to change perpetrator behaviour. 

If necessary, sanctions may need to be implemented where bullying behaviour continues. This will be decided by the staff team and discussed with parents/guardians. We will review the plan we have developed to address any incidents of bullying at regular intervals, in order to ensure that the problem has been resolved in the long term. 

A useful range of guidance and further information on bullying can be found below: 

• NSPCC anti-bullying resources 

• Anti-bullying alliance support 

• Kidscape resources 

• Royal Academy of Dance resources for boys in dance 

Last updated: 5 August 2026

Purpose

Legato Dance work with children and families as part of its activities. The purpose of this policy statement is to ensure clear guidelines around appropriate and consensual physical contact as part of dance education.

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Legato Dance including senior managers, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in the UK.

What is physical contact?

Dance is a physical activity. Dance education can benefit from appropriate physical contact between students and teachers within the classroom setting. Times in which a teacher may consider using physical contact:

• When they believe that a student may injure themselves

• When demonstrating a concept (for example with a foot or knee)

• When correcting posture and alignment of the back or ribcage

• When a position needs supporting (such as to demonstrate leg height)

• When moving dancers in relation to one another

• When guiding students into a space or activity

Students may also be encouraged to hold hands with each other during exercises, as part of partner-work elements of dance education. Other appropriate contact may include:

• Handshakes

• Hand-holding or shoulder hugs (not face-to-face) for comfort

• Assistance with uniform e.g. socks and shoes or hair ties

Where a child needs assistance with changing or toileting great care must be taken so that the child is assisted in the way that involves the least physical contact. Parents/guardians are encouraged to practice changing with difficult items of clothing (leotards/tights) with their child at home. All students must be toilet-trained and be able to use a toilet unaided.

Aims

Legato Dance aim to equip teachers with the tools to demonstrate such concepts through vocabulary, self-demonstration or encouragement of a student’s self-exploration. In some instances, physical contact may be necessary in addition to this. The guiding principle when making any physical contact with a student if to ensure it is necessary, that the student has given their consent, and that the student is comfortable. Legato Dance recognise responsibility for the safeguarding and welfare of both students and teachers.

Code of Conduct

It is important to contextualise physical contact with a student. Staff will assess that the following parameters are considered, before instigating contact:

• ensuring that other children are or another adult is present

• ensuring that no favour is shown to individual children

• that comforting contact only occurs with a specific reason until the child is calm (e.g. holding a hand until a child has stopped crying)

If a teacher is to make physical contact with a student for educational purposes, the following procedure must take place. Legato Dance will train all teachers, volunteers and support staff in this methodology.

1. The teacher will assess what is appropriate in relation to the individual student. They will also assess location and the needs of others within the classroom

2. The teacher will explain and self-demonstrate their teaching point, clearly outlining the means of and/or benefit of correct placement, how to prevent injury etc.

3. The teacher will gain consent from the student before any contact is made

4. All teachers will act with sensitivity and care, without using force

5. Even if consent is given by a student one occasion, it should not be assumed that it is given for all cases and consent should always be sought

This code of conduct will be available to all staff and volunteers, for full transparency. All staff are subject to an up-to-date Enhanced DBS certificate.

Emergency procedures

Teachers have a duty of care to all students. When a student is in danger to themselves or may cause danger to others a teacher must intervene. The primary means of this intervention is verbal. In the event that a student can only be prevented from injuring themselves through immediate physical contact (e.g. preventing a student from losing their balance), then the teacher may do so, recognising that it will not have been possible to ask for consent. In such circumstances, the teacher should make sure the student is comfortable afterwards. This principle also applies in the event that first aid is required, taking into account the standard parameters of (paediatric) first aid.

Informing staff

We recognise that physical contact can cause distress for certain individuals. All students have a right to learn in a safe and comfortable environment. Everyone has a role to play in enacting this. Teaching staff and assistants will be made aware of how individual needs can be met. Any individual with specific needs will have their details made known to all staff with whom they come into contact.

All teachers and assistants are encouraged to discuss with the staff team if they have questions or are not clear on any part of these guidelines. All parents and guardians will be signposted to this policy as part of student registration. We will review the plan we have developed to address appropriate physical contact at regular intervals, in order to ensure best possible practices.

Contact

For any advice in relation to this policy, in the event that you are concerned about any physical contact, or if you have any doubt or uncertainties, do not hesitate to contact us at hello@legatodance.co.uk

This policy should be read alongside the Safeguarding Policy.

Last updated: 5 August 2026

Our commitment to safety

Legato Dance is an independent ballet school rooted in the Tooting community. We teach children from age 3 up to adults of any age. We are deeply committed in our values and in our actions to protecting anyone from harm of any kind. We will always aim to be a safe space for all of our students, creating an environment and culture that gives people agency and confidence.  The following policy explains everything that we do to keep our dance school safe. It is intended to inform teachers and parents alike, and anyone else who wants to understand our approach to safeguarding.  

Roles and Responsibilities

It is everyone’s responsibility to keep children and adults at risk safe. None the less, we recognise the increased responsibility of our school whenever we are engaging with students. Our dance school is made up of the following key roles and each of these roles has their own responsibilities: 

The Principal: The Principal is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, engaging with all customers, deciding the curriculum and classes offered by the school, managing all teachers and assistants, and in ensuring that the school provides safe and quality classes. The Principal also teaches a significant number of classes. 

The current principal is Nina who can be contacted via the following email: hello@legatodance.co.uk 

Designated Safeguarding Lead: The DSL is responsible for ensuring that the safeguarding policy is kept up to date, that it is implemented and is a point of contact for any concerns.  

The current Designated Safeguarding Lead is William who can be contacted via the following email: admin@legatodance.co.uk 

Teachers: Teachers bear responsibility for safeguarding during classes, implementing best practise and responding to any concerns that emerge within the class. 

Assistants: Assistants will follow best practise and will support the Teacher to run the safest possible classes.  

If you any safeguarding concerns about Legato Dance, please contact the Principal or Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible.  

If you do not feel comfortable contacting Legato Dance directly, there are many external organisations you can contact to discuss your concerns, including the Local Authority: 

If you have concerns about a child/ young person, you can contact the Wandsworth Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub at 020 8871 6622 or via mash@wandsworth.gov.uk 

If you want advise on any subject related to safeguarding, you can call the NSPCC free helpline at 0808 800 5000 or learn more via their website.

Safe Staff

A vital part of Legato Dance being a safe school is ensuring that our staff are recruited carefully, that they are trained, and that there are clear expectations about behaviour. The following measures help us to achieve this: 

The Principal will carefully consider the skills, attitudes, and appropriateness of appointing any teacher or assistant.  

All staff, including the Principal, are required to hold an up-to-date DBS check with Legato Dance. This is a background check on to see if a person holds a criminal record or if they have been barred from working with children. Where cover assistants are bought in for sessional work, the Principal will request to see an up-to-date DBS certificate.  

Under relevant legislation, our teachers and assistants who are working children are carrying out a regulated activity. This means that they are eligible for Enhanced DBS Checks with a children’s barred list check. These are the checks will carry out for the Principal, staff, and assistants.  

All staff and assistants will receive regular safeguarding updates. If additional training needs are identified, these will be made available to staff.  

All staff must read and be familiar with this policy and sign the acknowledgement form at the end.  

In terms of behaviour, our staff will follow these key principles of conduct: 

• Staff will encourage all students to be honest and to share any concerns 

• Staff will be supportive of all students, giving them a space to be confident 

• Staff will stay informed about abuse and will be attentive to any signs of harm among students 

• Staff will act on any concerns they have and report any abuse they become aware of. 

• Staff must not contact children personally, via text, WhatsApp, social media or any other platform. The exception to this rule is when a parent gives consent for a child to be contacted. This must only be done via Whatsapp, during standard work hours and for legitimate purposes, such as travel delays. 

• Staff must not give gifts to students or have favourites 

• Staff must not use any derogatory or humiliating language or gestures towards any student 

• Staff must not ignore or encourage others to ignore any signs of harm 
   

Any abusive behaviour by staff within Legato Dance will not be tolerated and will be acted upon immediately. Abuse is a crime and will be treated as such.  

Safe Environments

To ensure a safe environment at all our classes we have considered the possible risks and will ensure the following practises are followed: 

• We will ensure that there are the appropriate number of adults present to keep classes with children safe.  For classes with under 8s, a teacher and an assistant will be present (in line with safety ratios) and there will not be more than 12 students in any class.  

• We will make sure students are arriving and leaving safely. Children must be dropped off and collected by the parent or carer known to the School or prior notice must be given to the School of who will be doing this. For older students and where appropriate, it can be agreed in writing between the parent and the Principal that the students will arrive and leave from class by themselves. 

• We will make sure to keep clear records of attendance. Registers will be taken for each class and we will ensure that all students remain under adult supervision at all times. In the event of a fire alarm, the register will be used to make sure all students are safe.  

• We will consider how the spaces we rent are monitored. All sites we use have their own safeguarding policies. No one will be permitted to enter classes other than staff and students, except when parents are invited to do so such as at the end of classes.  

• We will always consider the particular needs of children or adults with additional needs. For younger children, where toilet trips need adults support, this will be provided by a teacher or assistant. All staff have enhanced DBS checks and are trained in safeguarding.  

• We have considered how physical contact is used in our education. Dance education sometimes involves appropriate physical touch. This must always be with the consent of the pupil and only used where necessary. We have developed a specific policy for this which you can find on the website or which you can request.   
   

• We will monitor student interactions to identify any concerning behaviour. We have developed an Anti-Bullying policy which you can find on the website or which you can request.   

• We will always ensure students privacy. Photography or use of phones is not permitted within class, except by teachers with the explicit prior permission of students or their parents. You can find our privacy notice on the website or request it  for further details on how personal data is managed.  

Read the safeguarding policy in full (download PDF, 190KB)

Last updated: 5 August 2026

Our commitment to health and safety

Legato Dance is an independent ballet school rooted in the Tooting community. We teach children from age 3 up to adults of any age. We are committed to the physical safety of all of our customers. The following policy explains everything that we do to ensure that our dance school is as safe as possible. 

Dancing Safely

During classes, we want to prevent injuries from occurring and to reduce the risk of any harm to customers. To do this, we do a number of things: 

• When you book a class for yourself or your child, you are required to provide relevant medical information and you must update this information in the event of any relevant changes as well as verifying the information at least once a year. This ensures we are aware of any risks and means we can plan classes that are safe for all students. If we need to speak to you about your medical details and the impact that may have on your dancing, we will approach you discreetly. Likewise, if you want to speak to us, please do not hesitate to do so. If we are not aware of any medical details, such as prior injuries, we cannot be responsible for any injuries caused by this within a class. 

• A range of classes are available for different ages (in the case of children) and of different abilities. The Principal can provide advice on which class is most suitable for you or your child. In the event that you book a class and there is mismatch between you or your child’s ability and the demands of the class, such that might pose a risk to you or your child, the Principal of the School can require that you move classes. 

• Our Teachers are trained to pace a class appropriately to avoid injury through excessive exercise and we will only teach using methods that are safe. Please listen carefully to your teacher and do not try to do any exercise other than what they cover within the class.  

• Teachers will carry out warm-up exercises at the beginning of class as part of preventing strains or injuries. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late to a class, the teacher may refuse your participation because they judge it unsafe because you have missed the warm-up or missed important instructions regarding exercises.  

• For the safety of customers, there are certain dress requirements for classes. These are listed on the Legato Dance website. In the event that you or your child does not meet these requirements, the Teacher maintains the right to ask you, for you or your child’s personal safety, not to participate in that class. If you have any concerns or questions about safe and appropriate attire for a class, please discuss with the Class Teacher or the Principal. 

• Proper nutrition is important to dancing safely. Drinking water is not provided by Legato Dance and we cannot guarantee that it is available on the sites that we use. Please bring a bottle of drinking water for you or your child, clearly marking it with you or your child’s name. Similarly, it is your responsibility to ensure that you or your child has eaten sufficiently in the period prior to the class.  

• Where medical conditions, such as asthma, may impact you or your child within your class, it is your responsibility to ensure that medicines are taken at the correct times. Legato Dance staff cannot assist with the administering of medications. 

• Any student who hurts themselves in class or feels unwell should tell their teacher immediately. 

Safe environments

For a dance class to be safe, the physical environment must be safe too for both teachers and students. We have therefore taken the following steps: 

• We have reviewed and hired spaces that we judge to be safe for the purposes of dance education. This currently includes a school hall and a church hall. 

• Our staff have been familiarised with the health and safety procedures of the venues we hire. This particularly includes knowledge about fire escapes, fire alarms, and fire evacuation plans.  We periodically review the extent of fire safety training within the teaching team. 

• In the event of a fire the following key steps will be true, regardless of the venue: raise the alarm and contact emergency services; the class teacher will lead the evacuation of the building via designated safe routes; once in the fire assembly point the teacher will take a register against those who were attending the class; no one should re-enter the building or leave the assembly point before being advised to do so by the fire brigade. In the event of a fire alarm, the teachers must begin evacuation immediately.  

• Staff will always know the location of a first aid kit within a venue or they will have their own with them. We periodically review the extent of first-aid training within the teaching team. 

• At the beginning of a class, the teacher will review the physical space, removing any trip or slip hazards, and identifying any other risks. Any concerns we have about the physical safety of the space, we will raise promptly with the venues that we hire.  

• It is the responsibility of parents to bring their children to the classroom. You must be responsible for your child’s safety when entering the building, for example when coming up stairs.  

• Bags and other property of students must be placed in a designated area to the prevent tripping hazards.  

Responding to incidents and injuries

It is a reality within any physical activity that an injury can occur, even when we do everything possible to mitigate the risk of this.  We have a number of steps in place to ensure that if an injury does occur, we can respond effectively and calmly: 

• When you book a class for yourself or your child, you are required to provide emergency contact details for you or your child. You must ensure this information is up to date.  We will use these details in the event of an emergency.  

• Parents or guardians are asked to consent (for any student under 18) for an authorised first aider to give any immediate and/or necessary first aid treatment. This includes any emergency medical treatment recommended by competent authorities, including emergency medical staff. Parents can opt out of this. However, if they do so they must discuss with the Principal how staff should respond in the event of an emergency prior to that child joining any class.  

• At least one member of staff within a class will always have been trained in first-aid, including paediatric first aid. In the event of an accident, injury, or emergency, a teacher will apply the necessary first aid required to ensure a person’s safety. When the person is safe, they will contact the emergency contact and/ or emergency services, depending on the nature and severity of the injury or incident. If the injury is minor, it may not be necessary to contact the emergency contact of a child but the teacher must discuss the incident with a parent or guardian at the end of the class. No incident should go unmentioned.  

• In classes with smaller children, the teacher will focus on providing any necessary first aid and contacting relevant services; the assistant will keep other children safe and maintain a calm environment.  

• All injuries or other health & safety incidents will be recorded at the end of each class. All incidents will be logged and if any pattern is identified, increased risk mitigations will be put in place. We will also share details of relevant incidents with the venues that we hire. This would be particularly relevant if the physical environment led to the injury.  

• In the event that you believe any injury or damage has arisen due to the negligence of Legato Dance and its staff, you must contact the Principal or file a Complaint via the website detailing your concerns immediately. 

If you have any outstanding questions about our approach to health and safety, please do not hesitate to contact us.