Appendix: Poets in Schools Terms of Agreement for Schools

If you book a poet visit through The Poetry Society, these are the Terms of Agreement to which you will need to agree.

By confirming a Poets in Schools booking with The Poetry Society, I agree to the following terms:

I will

• Communicate with the poet in advance to clarify all matters pertaining to the visit, providing information and support where required.

• Contact The Poetry Society and the poet as soon as possible if there is a change in circumstances affecting the prospective visit.

• Inform The Poetry Society as soon as possible of any safeguarding/DBS requirements for the visit.

• Inform The Poetry Society as soon as possible of any Covid-19 responses that might affect the poet visit.

• Be the main point of contact for the poet leading up to and during the visit, answering any queries relating to the visit.

• Ensure that the poet is never, under any circumstances, left unsupervised with pupils – whether this is an in-person visit or an online one.

• Ensure in digital visits that the data shared with the poet about the pupils is kept to a minimum, and that pupils’ contact details are never shared.

• Ensure, if at all possible, that a class teacher(s) participates in the poet’s session(s) alongside their pupils.

• Ensure that all staff members present during the poet’s session(s) are fully briefed in advance on the activity taking place, and on their responsibilities during the session(s).

• Ensure that staff-member(s) present in the classroom with the poet remain ultimately responsible for maintaining discipline.

Whilst our poet educators are experienced at working with young people and managing behaviour, overall classroom control remains the responsibility of the staff member(s) present.

• Comply with all reasonable requests from the poet to provide the resources necessary to lead the visit, or ensure that class teachers/ other members of staff are prepared and equipped to provide this.

• Share the school’s policy regarding coronavirus and visitors, as well as any relevant information about bubbles and health and safety, as soon as possible. If the Poets in Schools booking is digital, I will:

• Share the school’s online safeguarding policy with The Poetry

Society and the poet as soon as possible.

• Inform the poet which technology will be used as soon as possible, and ensure they are comfortable with it in advance of the booking.

• Be responsible for pupil behaviour management and mediating muting/un-muting, any ‘chat’ functions, etc. where necessary.

• Help the poet to ensure no pupil is left out during the session, and provide relevant information about pupils before the session.

• If there are pre-recorded video/audio/text-based activities, agree a date by when the poet must send these, and agree in advance whether they will be used by the school afterwards and in what way.

Cancelling a visit

Cancellation by the school of a booked visit, made up to two weeks or more in advance of the date of the visit, will incur no cancellation charges. Cancellations made up to one week in advance of the visit will incur a cancellation charge equivalent to 50% of the total fee for the booking. Cancellations made less than one week in advance of the visit will incur a cancellation charge equivalent to 100% of the total fee.

If the poet is unable to visit the school physically but is able to lead digital workshops, these will be offered as an alternative in the first instance.

If the poet is unable to lead the session in person or online, then The Poetry Society will endeavour to reschedule the session, or to provide an alternate poet to lead the session.

A note on DBS certificates

Most one-off poet visits will fall outside of the definition of regulated activity, for which DBS clearance is required; however, a check may be required for long-term residencies where an author is in regular contact with a pupil or same group of pupils.

We advise poets undertaking work in schools that it is best practice to hold a DBS certificate issued within the last two years, and the majority of our poet facilitators will have this; however, we cannot guarantee this.

Schools/venues should inform The Poetry Society as soon as possible about individual DBS requirements and any other relevant child protection policies affecting the prospective visit. The Poetry Society asks any poets we work with to be aware of the basic safeguarding principles outlined here, and we have a full Safeguarding Policy available to any facilitator.

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