Behaviour and Code of Conduct Policy

Street Beat / SBDA Studios

Policy owner	Kim Oakley-Duffill
Date	December 2026
Review date	December 2027

1. Purpose and commitment

Street Beat / SBDA Studios is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, inclusive and positive environment for everyone taking part in our dance school, performing arts activities, rehearsals, performances, workshops and community programmes. We expect all students, parents and carers, instructors, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors to treat one another with respect and to help create an environment where people feel supported, valued and able to participate.

This policy sets out the standards of behaviour expected from everyone involved with Street Beat and explains how concerns about behaviour will be addressed. It should be read alongside our safeguarding, anti-bullying, photography and social media, complaints, equality and data protection policies.

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Street Beat activities and to behaviour connected with the school, including in person and online. It covers:

Students and adult participants.
Parents, carers and family members attending or communicating with Street Beat.
Teachers, instructors, staff, volunteers, contractors and visiting practitioners.
Rehearsals, performances, competitions, trips, workshops and events.
Official Street Beat pages, social media accounts, messaging groups and informal or ‘fun’ group chats where the school or its participants are involved.

3. Our shared values

Everyone involved with Street Beat is expected to help maintain an atmosphere that is:

Respectful: people speak and act courteously, even when they disagree.
Inclusive: differences in age, ability, background, confidence and experience are respected.
Supportive: students are encouraged to learn, improve and celebrate one another’s achievements.
Safe: concerns are raised appropriately and safeguarding instructions are followed.
Positive: communication helps build community and does not undermine, embarrass or target others.
Professional: staff and representatives maintain appropriate boundaries and act in the best interests of participants.

4. Expected behaviour from students and participants

Students and participants are expected to:

Listen to instructors and follow reasonable instructions, class rules and safety guidance.
Treat other students, staff and visitors with kindness and respect.
Avoid bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, aggressive behaviour, name-calling and hurtful teasing.
Respect differences in dance ability, progress, body, confidence, identity and personal circumstances.
Take care of the studio, equipment, costumes and other people’s belongings.
Arrive ready to participate, follow attendance and collection arrangements, and let Street Beat know about relevant concerns.
Do not use phones in classes
Respect privacy and follow photography, filming and social media rules.
Raise concerns with a trusted instructor or management rather than retaliating or escalating conflict.

5. Expected behaviour from parents and carers

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting a positive dance-school environment. They are expected to:

Communicate respectfully with students, other families, instructors and management.
Follow arrival, collection, viewing, venue and event arrangements.
Support instructors in maintaining safe and appropriate behaviour.
Raise questions, concerns or complaints directly and privately through the appropriate Street Beat contact or Complaints Procedure.
Respect the privacy of all students and follow photography and filming instructions.
Avoid confronting, reprimanding or questioning another person’s child directly about an incident.
Avoid using social media or group chats to identify, criticise or discuss individual students, parents, staff or unresolved issues.

6. Expected behaviour from staff, instructors and representatives

Anyone working for or representing Street Beat is expected to:

Model calm, respectful, fair and inclusive behaviour.
Maintain professional boundaries and follow safeguarding requirements.
Give feedback constructively and never humiliate, threaten, bully or discriminate against a participant.
Apply rules consistently and respond proportionately to behaviour concerns.
Protect confidential information and use approved communication channels.
Follow the safeguarding, anti-bullying, photography and social media, data protection and complaints procedures.
Report incidents, safeguarding concerns and relevant breaches of this policy promptly.

7. Social media, messaging groups and ‘fun’ group chats

Street Beat wants its official social media pages, parent communication groups and informal group chats connected with the school to be positive, welcoming and supportive places. These spaces should help people share good news, celebrate achievements, exchange appropriate information and build a sense of community.

They must not become places for airing grievances, criticising individuals, spreading rumours or escalating disagreements. To protect the wellbeing and privacy of students, families and staff, the following expectations apply:

Do not post negative, hostile, insulting or accusatory comments about Street Beat, its classes, students, parents, staff, instructors or management in group chats or on social media.
Do not use group chats or public posts to raise, debate or attempt to resolve complaints, disagreements, staffing issues, class decisions or other concerns about the school.
Do not name, identify, ridicule or indirectly target an individual, share rumours or screenshots to encourage criticism, or invite others to take sides.
Do not post confidential information, personal details, private messages, photographs or recordings of others without appropriate permission.
Keep group chats relevant, respectful and positive. Members should not be pressured to participate in conversations or take sides in disagreements.
If a concern arises in a group chat, do not prolong an argument or respond with further public criticism. Move the matter to a private, appropriate reporting route.

Any concern, complaint or dissatisfaction should be sent privately to the relevant Street Beat contact or management and handled through the Complaints Procedure. This allows the concern to be heard fairly, checked properly and responded to without putting individuals on the spot or involving people who do not need to be part of the matter.

This expectation does not prevent anyone from raising a genuine safeguarding concern, reporting unlawful conduct, seeking appropriate advice or making a protected disclosure where applicable. Urgent safeguarding concerns must be reported through the safeguarding procedure and should not be delayed while following the complaints process.

Street Beat may ask for inappropriate content to be removed and may take reasonable steps to moderate or close group spaces it manages. Where behaviour breaches this policy, management may contact those involved privately and consider proportionate action.

8. Raising concerns and complaints

If a student, parent, carer or staff member has a concern about a class, decision, communication or another person’s behaviour, they should raise it directly and privately with the relevant instructor or Street Beat management. If the concern involves that person, it should be directed to another appropriate management contact.

Concerns should not be debated in parent groups, social media comments or informal chats. Street Beat will listen to concerns respectfully and follow its Complaints Procedure where a formal complaint is made. All complaints will be considered on their individual circumstances, and raising a concern in good faith will not itself lead to unfair treatment.

If the issue suggests that someone may be at risk of harm, the safeguarding procedure takes priority and must be followed promptly.

9. Unacceptable behaviour

Behaviour that may breach this policy includes:

Bullying, harassment, discrimination, threats, aggression or intimidation.
Repeated disruption of classes or refusal to follow reasonable safety instructions.
Abusive, insulting or threatening communications in person or online.
Posting negative or accusatory commentary about individuals or unresolved school matters in group chats or on social media, contrary to Section 7.
Sharing confidential information, private messages, images or recordings without permission.
Retaliating against someone who raises a concern or participates in a complaint or safeguarding process.
Behaviour that compromises the safety, dignity, privacy or wellbeing of students, families or staff.

10. Responding to breaches

Street Beat will consider each incident fairly and proportionately, taking account of its seriousness, context, any previous concerns and safeguarding responsibilities. Depending on the circumstances, action may include:

A private conversation, reminder of expectations or request to remove inappropriate content.
An opportunity to resolve a minor issue constructively where appropriate.
A written warning or agreed behaviour expectations.
Restrictions on participation in a group chat, event or activity, where reasonable and appropriate.
Suspension or termination of participation or engagement with Street Beat in serious or repeated cases.
Referral through safeguarding, complaints, disciplinary or external procedures where necessary.

Serious incidents may require immediate action. Street Beat will not use this policy to discourage legitimate complaints or appropriate safeguarding reports. Information will be handled sensitively and shared only with those who need it.

11. Inclusion, safeguarding and reasonable adjustments

Street Beat recognises that behaviour may be affected by age, disability, additional needs, communication differences or individual circumstances. These factors will be considered fairly when responding to concerns, and reasonable adjustments will be made where appropriate. This does not remove the need to protect others from harm or to respond to serious behaviour and safeguarding concerns.

Any concern involving a child, young person or adult at risk must be managed in line with the relevant Street Beat safeguarding policy. This Code of Conduct does not replace safeguarding procedures.

12. Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually, or sooner if required by changes to Street Beat activities, relevant guidance or lessons learned from incidents. Students, parents and carers, staff and other representatives are expected to familiarise themselves with the standards relevant to them.

Approval

Policy owner: Kim Oakley-Duffill

Date: December 2026

Next review date: December 2027