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Health and Safety Policy

Reference: ET-HSP-001Last reviewed: July 2026

1. Policy Statement

Ember Learning Ltd, is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for all directors, self-employed teachers, and any other persons associated with our operations. As an online-only provider of educational services, our physical risk profile differs from that of a traditional school or office-based organisation, but our duty of care is no less real.

This Policy sets out our approach to health and safety across all aspects of the business: directors and teachers working from home, the online delivery environment, lone working, and the overall management of health and safety risk.

The Company Directors take overall responsibility for ensuring that health and safety risks are identified, managed, and reviewed. This Policy complies with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations.

2. Scope

This Policy applies to:

  • All Company directors
  • All self-employed teachers and associates delivering sessions on behalf of Ember Learning Ltd
  • Any persons visiting or working in any location used for company business

Because Ember Learning operates entirely online, there are no shared physical premises. Directors and teachers work from their own home environments. This Policy reflects that context.

3. Responsibilities

3.1 Company Directors

The Company Directors are responsible for:

  • Ensuring this Policy is implemented, reviewed annually, and communicated to all teachers
  • Identifying and managing health and safety risks arising from the company's activities
  • Ensuring that teachers have access to appropriate guidance on safe home working practices
  • Responding promptly to any health and safety concern raised by a teacher or director
  • Maintaining appropriate records of any accidents or incidents arising from company activities

3.2 Teachers and Associates

All teachers are responsible for:

  • Taking reasonable care of their own health and safety when delivering sessions
  • Ensuring their home working environment is safe, adequately lit, and free from hazards that could affect their ability to deliver sessions safely
  • Reporting any accident, injury, or health and safety concern arising from their work with Ember Learning to the Company Director promptly
  • Not delivering sessions if they are impaired by illness, medication, or any other factor that could affect their professional conduct or judgment

4. Home Working Safety

As all sessions are delivered online from teachers' own homes, Ember Learning requires all teachers to ensure:

  • Their working environment is safe: no trailing cables, adequate lighting, a stable chair and desk setup, and a space free from hazards
  • Their equipment — including device, headset, and any peripheral equipment — is maintained in safe working condition
  • Their internet connection and device security are appropriate for handling student personal data, consistent with the Data Processing Agreement (ET-DPA-001)
  • They take appropriate breaks between sessions to avoid fatigue, in particular where multiple sessions are delivered consecutively
  • They have access to a telephone or alternative contact method during sessions so they can contact emergency services or the Company's Designated Safeguarding Lead without delay if required

5. Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Teachers who regularly use display screen equipment (laptops, monitors) for session delivery should:

  • Position their screen at an appropriate height and distance to avoid neck or eye strain
  • Use a chair that provides adequate back support
  • Take regular breaks, including short breaks between sessions
  • Report any persistent discomfort or work-related health concerns to the Company Director

Ember Learning does not carry out formal DSE assessments for self-employed associates, who are responsible for their own workstation arrangements. Directors may request guidance from the Company if needed.

6. Lone Working

Because all sessions are delivered remotely, teachers work in a lone working context. Ember Learning mitigates the risks associated with lone working by:

  • Requiring all sessions to be conducted via the approved platform, which records sessions automatically
  • Maintaining clear lines of communication between teachers and the Designated Safeguarding Lead during session hours
  • Requiring teachers to notify the Company if they are unable to deliver an accepted session, so that the Company is aware of any unexpected absence
  • Ensuring the DSL and Deputy DSL are contactable during all scheduled session hours

7. Online Delivery Environment

The online nature of Ember Learning' delivery creates specific health and safety considerations, particularly in relation to student welfare. These are addressed in detail in the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy (ET-CPSP-001) and the Online Safety Policy (ET-OSP-001). From a health and safety perspective, Ember Learning will:

  • Ensure that teachers are not required to deliver sessions in circumstances that create an unacceptable personal risk (for example, where a student's behaviour poses a serious and immediate threat)
  • Provide teachers with a clear procedure for ending a session early in circumstances where it is unsafe to continue, consistent with the Teacher Behaviour Policy (ET-TBP-001)
  • Support teachers who experience distressing incidents during sessions, including access to guidance and, where appropriate, a debrief with the Designated Safeguarding Lead

8. Accidents and Incidents

Any accident, injury, near miss, or health and safety incident arising from work carried out for Ember Learning must be reported to a Company Director as soon as practicable. A Company will maintain a record of all incidents reported. Incidents will be reviewed to identify whether any changes to working practices are required.

Where an incident is reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), a Company Director will ensure that the relevant report is made to the Health and Safety Executive.

9. Mental Health and Wellbeing

Ember Learning recognises that teachers working with vulnerable young people in alternative provision may encounter distressing situations. The Company is committed to supporting the wellbeing of its teachers by:

  • Ensuring that teachers can raise concerns about their own wellbeing with the Company Director without fear of disadvantage
  • Providing access to a debrief with the DSL or Company Director following a serious safeguarding incident
  • Reviewing teacher workload where concerns are raised about unsustainable session volumes

10. Review

This Policy will be reviewed annually by the Company Directors and following any significant incident, change in legislation, or material change to the nature of the company's operations.

Adopted 1 July 2026 · Version 1.0 · Reviewed annually, or earlier if a trigger event occurs. The full policy document is available on request — contact hello@embertutors.co.uk.