Online Music Provision Policy (2024)

This Policy provides expectations and guidance for the delivery of music provision online.

Essex Music Service provides instrumental learning lessons as an online service for where either we are unable to provide a local face-to-face lesson or for those who prefer the flexibility this approach offers.

For all online learning during the 2024- 25 academic year, the Zoom platform will be utilised for delivery. This policy covers the safeguarding and operational requirements for online learning delivery to ensure that the safeguarding of all taking part is managed to the highest standard and that the processes that must be followed are clear.

Safeguarding is our highest priority, and any concerns are followed up immediately to ensure a safe and secure environment for learning. To support all parties during online provision, lessons will be recorded and stored securely on a cloud (in line with GDPR requirements) for a maximum of 28 days. This is done:

• for safeguarding purposes,
• to ensure that the lesson has taken place, and
• to review in case of any issues that may arise.
• We have a risk assessment for this work, based on this policy, as well as on health and safety, and safeguarding policies.

Online tuition is carried out under the same Terms and Conditions as on our website at https://www.essexmusichub.org.uk/site/policy

Requesting lessons

• Before booking lessons, it is the parents responsibility to ensure that there is suitable equipment owned or accessible to support access to virtual lessons.
• Online lessons can be booked via Speedadmin through our online Community Music Centre provision.
  • Online Community Music Centre – Essex Music Education Hub 
• Once a booking has been received, we will send through an invoice that must be paid before the lessons can then be allocated to a tutor and set up for delivery.
• Lesson requests received will be allocated to tutors on a first-come-first served basis, and where we do not have availability, a waiting list will be created.

Setting up of lessons

• All lessons must be timetabled during the working hours of Monday to Saturday.
• Lessons will be conducted through the Zoom platform, and tutors will use their Essex County Council Zoom account only to deliver lessons. No other platform or account is permitted.
• Once requested, lessons will be timetabled on Speedadmin, and an email will be sent to the parent registered on Speedadmin confirming the virtual room ID that the lesson will take place in.

Accessing the lessons

• Before attempting to access your first lesson, please visit Zoom’s download store and ensure the correct software is installed.
  • Download Center for Zoom Apps and Plugins | Zoom
• Once installed, you then must create a Zoom account for lessons to take place via. This account should be registered to a parent email account.
• To access your first lesson, prior to the start of the lesson, sign in to Zoom and then enter the meeting ID that you have been sent from Essex Music Service.
• This will then enable access to the waiting room for the allocated tutor, who will be able to grant access to the virtual teaching room when they are ready.

Conduct during the lesson

• Students and Tutors are required to be dressed appropriately for remote learning.
• Attire which would ordinarily be worn in school on a non-uniform day is essential;
• clothing, worn by a student or a Tutor, which does not meet this expectation is not acceptable and lessons should be stopped immediately and reported to the Essex Music Service Safeguarding officer
• Live lessons must be kept to the timetabled length.
• Tutors must always confirm at the start of each lesson that an adult is in close proximity to the student.
• Online classrooms must be regarded as an extension of the physical classroom and the safeguarding expectations that pertain to this, such as, professional communication, attire, and language.
• As with all school-based communications, the content and language of messages must at all times be professional by all parties concerned, including family members.
• Tutors will advise parents if they need to contact them to use formal channels.
• Where a lesson has been arranged and agreed to, and then no attendance or contact made from the parent, that lesson will be forfeited and there will be no expectation on the tutor to make up the lesson.
• Where technical issues prevent an agreed lesson being delivered, it will be at the discretion of the music tutor as to how this lesson is made up.
• Tutors :
  • must not pass their personal mobile number on to students or parents/carers.
  • must not audio or video record, or stream, the lessons film or share any content over social media.
  • must not friend or follow pupils on their personal social media accounts.
• The professional boundaries should remain clear at all times and Tutors must not accept any offers to do online teaching over webcam / video chats outside of the Zoom platform, as this practice increases the risk to student and Tutors and professional boundaries must be maintained in all circumstances.

Suitable environment

• Students and Tutors must be physically located in safe working spaces, appropriate for online lessons; a lounge or study is appropriate, a bedroom or bathroom is not.
• Students should be in a room with or near an adult so that the adult can hear and see the lesson taking place and is the responsibility of the parent/carer to ensure this is happening.
• Tutors should be in a room where others cannot see or listen in, if this is not possible, then headphones must be worn, and screens angled away towards a wall and away from any other people.
• Recommended virtual backgrounds are available on our remote platform (which blocks out any surroundings), as is the option to blur the background.

Communication

• Communication must be undertaken by parents/carers and not students and on parental devices through email to the service, and through the SpeedAdmin communication function or by phone.
• EMS Tutors will only undertake communications using Essex County Council email addresses and/or through SpeedAdmin’s message system.
• Under no circumstances should Tutors or students personal contacts be shared and the use of social media or any way of communicating other than the above-mentioned methods through unofficial channels is strictly prohibited.
• Private chat or sharing of images between students and Tutors are unacceptable.
• All sessions delivered will be recorded and monitored remotely by our core team and SLT.
• Neither student nor Tutor should use Zoom as a means of contacting the other party outside of scheduled lesson times.
• There must be no additional contact made by the music tutor outside of this controlled session.

Obligations

Essex Music Service management will:

• Have a risk assessment that is reviewed and updated by managers for staff carrying out delivery of these activities.
• Have clear procedures for managing queries or concerns for students, parents/carers, and tutors, during and after sessions, including contact details for relevant managers.
• Provide students, parents and carers information in advance about the software to be used for live video sessions, how video and audio data will be recorded and stored, and how and by whom it can be accessed.
• Discuss the process with parents/carers if requested, before any live video lessons take place, to identify any concerns and provide additional support where needed.
• Record live video sessions as part of monitoring and safeguarding.
• Ensure that the collection, storage and processing of recordings of all data including live video sessions fully complies with General Data Protection Regulations.
• Have guidance in place so that all whom tutors come into contact with or they will see via the video link is dressed appropriately for being seen in a public context.

Essex Music Service Tutors will:

• Follow the guidance as detailed in this document.
• Ensure that communication, attendance records and timetabling is maintained accurately.
• Understand that if unavailable for work during the day, they should not operate sessions in the evening without agreement from their manager that they can return to work for this purpose.
• Not accept or offer the opportunity to teach pupils privately outside of Essex Music Service.
• Make sure their device / laptop is plugged in, so a power supply is not cut mid-way through a recording.
• Ensure the camera placement is positioned in the correct way for the lesson, i.e. not too near/far to the camera, showing enough space for the instrument, e.g. with enough space to demonstrate bow hold.
• Check the sound quality is clear, with no interfering background noises.
• Ensure they can accurately describe and discuss techniques that would usually be demonstrated.
• Have resources available and ready to use that will support and enhance the lesson.
• Set clear homework that progresses on from the lesson, ensuring required documents / resources have been emailed to the student’s parents.

Parents/Carers (and students aged over 18) will:

• Follow the guidance as detailed in this document.
• Provide a suitable device for live video sessions with microphone, headphones and camera, and will ensure that the device is switched on and working in time for the start of the session, with power points in a good condition and not overloaded. (Bluetooth headphones and built-in camera and microphone are recommended.)
• Will ensure that Zoom is correctly installed on the device intended, and a Zoom account has been setup by the parent.
• Provide internet connection of sufficient data capacity and bandwidth.
• Ensure that students, they themselves and any other adults or children visible by the tutor are dressed appropriately for being seen in a public context during home visits and live video lessons.
• Ensure that other children and young people under the age of 18 do not come into sight of the camera during live video lessons.
• Not record the screen of the device being used for a live video session.
• Not request the tutor’s email address or mobile number.
• Agree to not share any meeting room ID numbers.
• Not share or redistribute any content.
• Be on site for the whole of the remote link-up and available for a conversation with the member of staff if required during that time.
• Be sensitive in ensuring that there are not interruptions to the work being carried out and conversations at the end of the session do not delay our staff in departing for their next appointment.
• Ensure they attend with their child if they are under 18 years old or provide a suitable adult notified in advance by the account holder to accompany the child.
• Agree that no child will attend an activity unless it has been booked through Essex Music Service, and only at the agreed time.
• Remain in the workspace if requested by the member of staff.

Accept that a session can only be provided if the conditions of the policy are met and that a charge for time may still be liable should it not be possible to provide the session if the staff member deems that they would be unable to comply with the policy.