Staff and Volunteer Code of Conduct

Effective date: 25 September 2026
Review date: September 2027

This code applies to all staff, freelance tutors, volunteers, contractors and other adults working with students at Motion Film Academy.

1. Expected conduct

Adults working with students must:

  • Put the safety and welfare of students first.
  • Treat every student with respect, fairness and dignity.
  • Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
  • Use appropriate and professional language.
  • Follow the academy’s safeguarding and health and safety procedures.
  • Report safeguarding concerns promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
  • Avoid favouritism or inappropriate relationships with individual students.
  • Maintain appropriate confidentiality.
  • Use physical contact only where it is appropriate, necessary and reasonable.
  • Challenge inappropriate, discriminatory or bullying behaviour.

2. Professional boundaries

Adults must not:

  • Have a sexual or romantic relationship with a student.
  • Communicate privately with students through personal social media accounts.
  • Give students their personal telephone number where this is not necessary for academy purposes.
  • Arrange private meetings with students outside academy activities without appropriate authorisation.
  • Use inappropriate, sexualised, threatening or humiliating language.
  • Share inappropriate personal information or content with students.
  • Take or share photographs or video of students outside approved academy activities and procedures.

3. Communication and social media

Communication with students should normally take place through academy-approved channels and for legitimate academy purposes.

Adults must not engage in private online conversations with students that are unnecessary for their role.

Any academy-related filming, photography or online publication involving students must follow the academy’s applicable permissions, privacy and safeguarding procedures.

4. Concerns about conduct

Any concern about the behaviour of an adult working with students must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

Where an allegation concerns the DSL, it should be reported to the appropriate external safeguarding authority or police rather than being dealt with by the DSL personally.

5. Compliance

Anyone working with Motion Film Academy is expected to comply with this code and all other relevant academy safeguarding procedures.

Failure to follow the code may result in removal from academy activities and, where appropriate, referral to relevant authorities.

6. Review

This code will be reviewed annually and whenever there are significant changes to safeguarding requirements or academy activities.

Next review: September 2027