Associate Terms and Conditions

Academic year 25-26

The associate scheme is administered by Swindon Music Service on behalf of the GSW Music Hub

Welcome to our Associate scheme. Our agreement with you about Associate status is framed in a spirit of cooperation, collaboration, support and making things happen.

As well as the high quality of provision for young people expected by all our stakeholders, these T&Cs must:

a. adhere to the requirements of funding we receive and with which we support your work

b. adhere to regulatory frameworks affecting (or likely to affect) your and our work, particularly those relating to schools where the majority of work takes place or to which it is connected

c. align to our wider values and strategies

In this document we use “Associate” to refer to both individual Associates and Associate Organisations – where there are specific differences between the two, we have identified that clearly.

The benefits of being a Swindon Music Service Associate include:

a. Access to tuition subsidies and instrument hire scheme for the children and young people you work with

b. Free listing in the searchable Associate Directory which signals to schools, families and organisations that you are a member of a quality assured music provider scheme

c. Access to exclusive funding and bursaries that are offered periodically

d. Access to CPD events, workshops, conferences, and support including free Safeguarding Training

e. Exclusive access to a bespoke work opportunities and other resources

f. Regular bulletins, including briefings on national policies relating to music education

g. Access to a network of professional colleagues

Peter Clark

Peter Clark, CEO, Swindon Music Service & Strategic Lead for GSW Swindon & Wiltshire 

Part A) Terms and conditions of membership

In order for the Associate Scheme to retain value for both its members and the musical communities to whom they provide services it’s important that there are terms and conditions of membership in place to protect its status.

1.  All Associates are expected to adhere to the Associates’ Code of Conduct (see Part E). The Code will be reviewed every year and updated in light of local or national government requirements, user experience and/or best All Associates will be aware this is a requirement of Associate status.

2. All Associates are required to complete an Annual Data Return

2.1…which also asks that you gather and report pupil ethnicity. This will be easiest for you to do when you recruit and make agreements with pupils and their parents/carers and we will provide some resources to help with this. We will also remind you and guide you through it with hints in Associate bulletins.

2.2 We will continue to ask Associates providing 1-1 and small group tuition to provide information relating to income from that work. The recording system will be anonymised. This information is powerful in advocating the economic side of Associates’ work

3. All Associates should have a commitment to ongoing professional development (and responding to constructive feedback) – see Code of Conduct

4. All Associates must respond professionally and appropriately to any complaints, issues or concerns that may be raised by schools, parents/carers, children & young people or other agencies. Please refer to the Code of Conduct in Part E of this document: Prioritising the welfare of children and young people and providing a safe environment.   If a complaint, issue, or concern relates to safeguarding children then we advise schools / parents & carers, young people or Associates themselves to refer immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), or Integrated Front Door (IFD) (which includes the Multi-Agency Support Hub (MASH). You must always call the police if a child is in immediate danger.

5. All Associates must have their own written safeguarding policy, relevant to their own teaching practice and environment, and this should be reviewed at least once a year and updated as appropriate.

6. All Associates must ensure that they and those working on their behalf have appropriate Safeguarding Training (Equiv Level 1) undertaking a full course every 3 years with annual top ups aligned to Keeping Children Safe in Education. You can access this training through Swindon Music Service as part of your Associate membership. If you undertake your annual safeguarding training with another provider, you need to tell us that on The online declaration form and then confirm the date and provider when you have completed it by emailing admin@smscio.co.cuk ideally attaching evidence.

7. Additionally, each year Associates will be required to have read and confirmed their understanding of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 Part 1 AND Annex B. Associates delivering out of school activities should readand adhere to Keeping Children safe in out of school activities as detailed in Section 2, Para 169 on Page 46 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024

8. They should also be aware of DfE non-statutory guidance: After school clubs, community activities and tuition – safeguarding guidance for providers Sept 2023

9. All Associates must make sure they fully understand the scope of their responsibilities and how all aspects of safeguarding children relate to their own music teaching and leading. Please refer to the Code of Conduct in part E of this document: Prioritising the welfare of children and young people and providing a safe environment.

10. Associates make a self-declaration on joining the scheme and repeat it on an annual basis. As part of this Individual Associates and Organisations must also inform Swindon Music Service within 24 hours if they, their organisation or any staff member/contractor is being investigated by any agency or organisation in relation to concerns about conduct or behaviour towards children or young people.

11. Individual Associates and Organisations must inform Swindon Music Service within 24 hours if they are or havebeen in dispute or significant disagreement with a school, organisation or parent which may later surface or be reported to Swindon Music Service whether as a low level concern or not. We ask this so we can help if needed.

12. Individual Associates and Organisations must inform Swindon Music service within 24 hours if they or a member oftheir team / staff are involved in any incident which may later appear on a DBS record or court records or as a low level concern. We ask this so we can help if needed.

13. All Associates must have appropriate Public Liability Insurance and be sure that this covers all their teaching and music leading activity. You will be required to confirm this in your annual declarations.

i) All individual Associates and those working with young people on behalf of Associate Organisations must have an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. They should sign up to the DBS annual updateservice to enable minimum annual checking of their DBS status by the organisation’s DSL or

ii) On an annual basis and using the Update Service, Swindon Music service will check the DBS status of individual Associates and the named lead contacts for any Associate Organisation which is not governed by/ accountable to a board of trustees and/or accountable to other local or national government authorities / commissioners.

14.    All Associates must respond to communications from Swindon Music Service, on behalf of GSW Swindon & Wiltshire regarding their membership of the Associate scheme in a timely manner.

15. Although GSW Swindon & Wiltshire is not an employer or employment agency we actively promote, and advocate the Associates Directory to Wiltshire schools, organisations and families. For this reason, all Associates are expected to ensure that they and any staff and contractors working on their behalf have the Right to Work in the UK. This is covered when an organisation or individual joins the scheme.

16. All Associates should inform Swindon Music Service of any changes of name or professional (trading) name, lead contact, address and contact details, or any changes to their organisational status.

Additional requirements specific to Associate Organisations

17. Associate Organisations are required to provide Swindon Music Service with a Letter of Assurance regarding safeguarding checks and safe recruitment processes for any of their employees / contractors who work with children and young people in Wiltshire. Within the letter, they will also provide a list of those employees / contractors and the name of their Designated Safeguarding Lead and if applicable their Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. This will be provided on joining the scheme and again on an annual basis or when new employees / contractors are added.

18. Associates delivering out of school activities should also be confirming they adhere to Keeping Children safe in out of school activities as detailed in Part 2, Para 169 on Page 46 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024

19. hey should also be aware of DfE non-statutory guidance: After school clubs, community activities and tuition – safeguarding guidance for providers Sept 2023

20.  Exceptions can be made to the requirement for Enhanced DBS as described above and for safeguarding training described above when

20.1 the employee / contractor concerned is a visiting artist / performer supplied by the AssociateOrganisation who would have no unsupervised access to, or contact with children & young people, and

20.2 when this is approved by any relevant school or other

However, organisations should still carry out all possible checks to ensure that artists / performers are suitable and appropriate for young people, and should ensure that all relevant safeguarding briefings and inductions are carried out.

Part B) GSW Music Hub’s commitment to Associates

GSW Swindon & Wiltshire aims to:

a. Keep Associates updated with any news or information about music teaching and leading with children and young people.

b. Provide regular, accessible opportunities for professional CPD and training including Safeguarding

c. Set out clear, reasonable timescales for Associates to provide

d. Be fair and flexible in all our relationships with

e. Use clear language in all our

f. Listen to and consult with Associates and other stakeholders about all areas of our work as appropriate & feasible.

Part C) Leaving the Associate scheme / terminating Associate status

1. If you or your organisation wish to leave the Associate scheme, please let us know by email

2. If an Associate does not adhere to the terms and conditions of membership, including the Associate Code of Conduct, Swindon Music Service reserves the right to terminate their Associate status. This action would normally only be taken following a reasonable process of communication between the Associate and Swindon Music Service.

3. When an Associate leaves the Associate scheme:

3.1Their Associate Directory profile is unpublished, and after a period of three months their Associate profile information and all related records are deleted from our systems.

3.2 Where we are aware of current or recent working connections with schools, we’ll let the schoolsknow they are no longer an Associate.

3.3 Where instrument hire and/or subsidies have already been committed then we will suggest solutions to the hirers / subsidy recipients. The detail of this will depend on where we are in the annual cycle.

3.4 No further subsidies or instrument hire will be available to that Associate’s

4. If an Associate who has left the scheme, or who has had their status terminated wishes to return to at any point they can re-apply using the open application (Note: this may not be possible if a termination is related to safeguarding concerns or issues).

Part D) Swindon Music Service Complaints Procedure

Associates need to be aware of our Complaints Procedure as it details how Swindon Music Service deals with concerns and complaints, including those raised about or by Associates.

It is written for the potential complainant and makes reference to this document.

Please read the procedure here: https://smscio.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SWINDON-MUSIC-SERVICE-COMPLAINTS-POLICY.pdf

IMPORTANT REMINDER: If you have ANY concerns at all related to safeguarding you must refer to statutory national and local government guidance – check the Worried about a child, or an adults’ conduct? flow chart available here.

Part E) Associate Code of Conduct for Academic Year 25-26

This Code of Conduct outlines the responsibilities and conduct expected of all members of the Associate Providers membership scheme.

a. Individual Associates work on a freelance basis, as music tutors / leaders with children and young people in Wiltshire schools and a range of other (out of school) settings in the county.

b. Associate Organisations range from small organisations, partnerships and co-operatives to large local, regional and national organisations.

c. The Associate model operates on a collaborative rather than competitive basis.  To maintain a sustainable and equitable approach for all stakeholders, Associates are expected to ensure that lesson provision to schools is appropriately costed.  Any free lesson provision should be limited to exceptional, pre-agreed one-off activity and must not be provided on an ongoing basis or over a period of time.

Collectively, Associates deliver a range of music opportunities, from structured tuition to one off projects and events for children and young people in Wiltshire schools and in a range of other (out of school) settings in the county.

All Associates are in a position of trust and have a duty of care towards children and young people in whatever setting or context they are working. Associates are likely to be seen as role models and are expected to act appropriately.

We ask all Associates to sign up to this Code of Conduct whether they currently work in schools or not.

Associates also need to find out about and follow all current safeguarding policies and behaviour requirements of anyspecific school or other setting in which they’re working, as well as any other professional organisations of which they are a member.

Within the Terms and Conditions of membership, this Associate Code of Conduct will be reviewed every year. It will incorporate any relevant annual updates made to DfE statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education and the non-statutory guidance Keeping children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition.

All Associates will be asked to reaffirm their sign up to the T&Cs and this Code of Conduct on an annual basis. Please read the following sections you can then confirm you agree to the terms & conditions

 

As an Associate you are committing to the following:

1. Prioritising the welfare of children and young people and providing a safe environment
2. Conducting yourself / your organisation in a professional and responsible manner
3. Using appropriate and clear communication
4. Ongoing professional development
5. Managing business effectively
6. Working collaboratively and in partnership
7. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) values

1.   Prioritising the welfare of children and young people and providing a safe environment

As an Associate, whichever setting you are working in, you / those who work for you are in a position of trust and working in a regulated activity.

If you are concerned that a colleague, member of staff, volunteer or contractor may have done any of the following – including any low-level concern – you must take action:

a. behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child? and/or

b. possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child? and/or

c. behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children? and/or

d. behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with

You can access our guidance flowchart here:

You / those who work for you need to be sure that you know what to do if you have any concerns in any setting that you work in – from schools to community settings, or teaching in private settings, including from home or online.

Safeguarding is also about protecting yourself /those who work on your organisation’s behalf as music leaders and teachers, and not putting yourself or those who work for you in any situation that could lead to misinterpretation.

Creating a culture in which all concerns about adults are shared responsibly and with the right person, recorded and dealt with appropriately, is critical. If implemented correctly, this should:

a. enable schools and colleges to identify inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour early

b. minimise the risk of abuse, and

c. ensure that adults working in or on behalf of the school or college are clear about professional boundaries and act within these boundaries, and in accordance with the ethos and values of the institution.

You must make sure that all music session / workshop / performance / practice / teaching environments and equipmentyou use are safe for children and young people. This includes teaching or workshop leading methods and practice, carrying out all relevant health and safety risk assessments, and being covered by insurance.

Associates working in schools: all Associates who work in schools are required to read and understand KeepingChildren Safe in Education 2024 Part 1 and Annex B. This government document is updated annually and the update usually becomes statutory every September. Even though this is for schools and colleges, Part One is useful for all who work with children and young people. As part of our commitment to Associates GSW Wiltshire & Swindon provides support with this. This requirement is in addition to Safeguarding Training and annual top-ups.

Associates working in out of school settings: if you work in out of school settings, we recommend that you read this guidance and check annually for updates Keeping children safe during community activities, after- school clubs andtuition (Non-statutory). This guidance is written for individuals as well as organisations and although it is voluntary guidance (i.e. not monitored by the DfE) it does lay out legal requirements. You should designate an adult (which could be yourself) to have lead responsibility for safeguarding children while they are in your care (as per page 21 of guidance referenced).

All Associates should produce their own Safeguarding policy, and we advise schools, and parents and carers to ask you for evidence and information:

Use of Associates’ own IT / devices and access to apps & sites whilst in schools

The latest version Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) requires schools to adhere to Digital & Technology standards designed to protect children from harmful content and potentially harmful activity. (KCSiE 2024 para 136) KCSiE clearly understands the positive potential of Technology to education and learning, this is about considering the risks.

This has a potential implication for Associates (tutors / music leaders / providers) who may wish to utilise their own devices / resources as part of their delivery / teaching / assessment.

We advise Associates planning to use devices, sites or apps etc. to make schools aware of this in advance and check their procedures.

We share detailed quality assurance information about the Associate membership scheme with school, parents, carers and other agencies:

Parents and Carers – information about Associates

Schools – information about Associates

Referring and protecting yourself / those who work for you.

You should refer to our guidance flowchart here. From that, be able to identify who you must contact – and be prepared to report yourself or a colleague if you believe a situation, action or incident may be / may have been misinterpreted, or if you have concerns which you believe are not being addressed.

Record the incident in writing. Please also refer to points 10 & 11 at the top of P3 of T&CS

You can contact Swindon Music Service to log your actions but must not delay in contacting the relevant professional or service.

Whistleblowing Advice Line if you ever have concerns about how child protection issues are being handled in your own or another organisation you can contact the NSPCC Whistleblowing advice line for free advice – you can find the information here.

*The Integrated Front Door service provides a 24-hour response to concerns for children 7 days a week, 365 days a year and all staff in the team have training and experience in the support and safeguarding of children. The service consists of the MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub), the Early Support Hub (ESH) and the Out of Hours Service (EDS).

If you have any immediate concerns about a child or young person you should call 999.

Government advice for practitioners about information sharing can be found here.

2.   Conducting yourself / your organisation in a professional and responsible manner.

Always work to the highest possible standards, including lesson, session, project or workshop planning and monitoring.

Use clear and honest communication, appropriate, inclusive language, and model good behaviour.

Signpost young people to wider music making opportunities and support their continuing or further development and progression as appropriate.

Be reliable and punctual. You may need to be flexible when working in some settings. For example, when working regularly in schools, or planning projects and workshops you may need to work in partnership to negotiate and accommodate changes due to non-regular school timetable events, e.g. exams or school trips. Ask schools to give you plenty of notice regarding timetable changes so that you can plan ahead.

Be proactive. For example, if it’s not routinely offered to you, request an induction or briefing for each new education, community or arts setting you work in, plus annual updates for regular or year-round settings you work in, especially interms of safeguarding. Ask if there’s anything you need to know about the young people you will be working with, including any special educational needs or behavioural issues.

Present yourself / your organisation appropriately for the setting and context in which you are working. For example in some settings, certain types of clothing, jewellery, or body modification (slogans, images, tattoos, piercings etc) could be considered offensive or inappropriate.

Don’t engage in inappropriate use of social network sites which may bring yourself / your organisation or Swindon Music Service into disrepute. You should ensure that you / those who work with children and young people on your behalf adopt suitably high security settings on any online personal profiles they may have.

Please also refer to points 10 & 11 of Part A) T&CS

Associates should be circumspect in their use of all social media or any other web-based presence that they may have, including written content, videos or photographs, and views expressed directly or by association with websites/pages or posts established by others (e.g. ‘liking’, reposting or forwarding).

You must consider the long-term implications of any content you have published online, specifically how it might ever have an adverse effect:

a. on your reputation as an individual working with children and in education settings

b. on your ability to maintain good professional boundaries with parents and with children / young people

c. on an impressionable or vulnerable young person

d. on the reputation of GSW Music Hub and the music teaching profession

Associate organisations: Should have an appropriate social media policy in place for those who work for you.

3.   Using appropriate and clear communication

Consider how you / your organisation communicate/s with young people, families and professionals and the language that you use.

For example, language used to encourage improvement should be supportive and positive. It’s never appropriate to be short tempered when working with young people. If you work in a music teaching setting, don’t assume that family members / carers or other professionals will understand some of the music / technical terms, shorthand or acronyms you may use, check that your communication is clear and easy to understand for both musicians and non- musicians.Equally if schools or other professional settings use technical terms or acronyms you don’t understand, do ask for clear explanations.

Other good practice communication examples include:

a. Being sensitive when expressing criticism of young people and avoiding negative comments of any

b. Building positive relationships with praise and encouragement and doing nothing to exploit or undermine the teacher/pupil, music leader / young person relationship.

c. Seeking to boost young people’s self-esteem and develop their confidence as

d. Involving young people in their own learning so they can become autonomous

e. Respecting the confidentiality of information relating to young people unless information sharing is essential for effective safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Further guidance here.

f. Tutors / music leaders should never communicate directly with young people outside of lessons/projects/sessions via phone, email, post or any social media Communication about lessons, sessions and projects should always be between the parents, carers, schools concerned and conducted in a clear, open, professional manner.

We strongly advise that Associates (and those working on behalf of Associate Orgs) use separate, professional accounts for things like email addresses and online accounts (e.g. Zoom), ones that are specific to music teaching / music leading work and separate to any other personal addresses or online identities they may use. This means you can clearly distinguish between your work and personal correspondence.

4.  Ongoing professional development (and responding to constructive feedback)

Being able to work at the highest possible standard at all times requires commitment to reflective practice and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD means using a combination of approaches and techniques to help support and manage learning.

We expect all Associates to engage in CPD and we provide a range of subsidised opportunities including workshops and conferences to support this but many Associates do other things as well. Networking with peers and buddying up to discuss or watch work, or carrying out your own research to develop repertoire or teaching methods are examples of how you can manage your own development.

Keep an eye on the regular Associate bulletins and the Quavers Rest page on the website for information about events and workshops, including Swindon Music Service’s networking / conference weeks every May and October.

Professional development and its positive impact on your work can be reflected in your online Associate profile and we ask Associates to report back on this in their annual data return.

If you work in schools: Schools are responsible for the activity and provision they allow to take place in their schools. Whilst Swindon Music Service doesn’t currently observe Associates’ work, Associates working in schools should, in principle, be willing to have their teaching or project leading observed by a suitably qualified member of school staff (or designated representative) provided that adequate advance notice and parameters are defined. Please refer to Musicians Union Guidance here.

We encourage schools, parents and carers to ask about professional development when they are choosing a music tutor.

5.   Managing business effectively

Associates should develop and use effective, professional and secure administration systems to manage all aspects oftheir business, including financial transactions and invoicing. From data gathered over the last year we estimate that the economic value of your collective work is between £2.5-3m p/a.

You need to ensure that you comply with all employment, tax and health and safety and GDPR legislation. Associate membership consists of organisations and individuals delivering their music leading in a range of self-employed or employed ways – as sole traders, limited companies, or Community Interest Companies for example, and these are subject to a range of rules and regulations.

Support: Sole traders and freelance professionals are classified as small businesses by Swindon and Wiltshire GrowthHub. This is a government and local authority funded service which can offer and impartial advice on a wide range of business issues.

6.   Working collaboratively and in partnership

When working in settings consider how your music teaching / session / project leading contributes to and connects with that setting’s context and wider agenda for children and young people. For example, in schools, consider links to thewider curriculum and the school’s Music Development Plan, and when working with vulnerable young people, be aware that they might be being supported to develop personal confidence through music activity.

As an Associate and part of a network of providers in Wiltshire, you should be aware of how to identify a range of opportunities to which you can signpost young people. Networking with peers and organisations provides a way to keep up to date with opportunities – keep an eye on the regular Associate bulletins and theQuavers Rest page of the website for information about events and workshops, including Swindon Music Service’s  networking / conference weeks every May and October.

If you work in schools: GSW Swindon & Wiltshire, through Swindon Music Service, asks you to provide them with relevant information about tuition subsidy and instrument hire, and to take part in supporting music education in Wiltshire by providing feedback and data to us in an annual questionnaire.

7.   Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) values

All Associates are expected to share our EDI values:

Equity – we believe it is a fundamental human right for children and young people to enjoy making and learning musicand recognise that different circumstances need different resources in order to reach an equal outcome.

Inclusion and Diversity – we embrace a broad definition of music education, and we value, support, and celebrate all genres, techniques, types, and methods of music making, progression and leading.

Disability – we advocate for the social model of disability, which says that people are disabled by the way society is organised, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference. It looks at ways of removing barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people. We recognise that when barriers are removed, disabled people can be independent and equal in society, with choice and control over their own lives.

Repertoire – We know that as Associates you are motivated by the very best intentions in terms of connecting

with, supporting and progressing their pupils. Do be careful to consider the potential implications of using repertoire that has, or could be interpreted as having, Political, Patriotic, Faith, Race related content, even if it is in the syllabus or curriculum. We live and work in sensitive times and may not be aware of the backgrounds, beliefs or circumstances of pupils and their families & communities. We are not suggesting that certain pieces must be avoided but perhaps that on some occasions it might be wise to check with the school or family first.

Now make your declarations:

All your declarations and data returns are now found in the Glide App.  Log-in to your section of the Associate Directory where you will find your returns to complete.