Missing pupil policy: procedures to be followed In the event of a member of staff suspecting a pupil is unaccounted for, the procedure below should be followed. Contact 

During the school day (0830-1700 Mon-Fri): contact the tutor on duty in the pupil’s boarding-house, who will then, if need be, alert the relevant Houseparent, or in their absence one of the Deputy Heads or the Headmaster.

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Outside the school day (after 1700 and before 0830): contact the tutor on duty in the pupil’s boarding-house, who will then, if need be, alert relevant Houseparent, or in their absence one of the Deputy Heads or the Headmaster. The duty member of the Leadership Team can always be contacted on 07774 541903.

Record 

Tutor-on-duty / houseparent then starts a log of the incident, recording the exact times of each action.

Search & Enquire      

Check signing-out books. Contact staff i/c last activity and other staff who may have seen them. Organise a search of likely places, including practice rooms. Try the pupil’s mobile telephone number. Contact friends. Check CCTV records (if time permits).

After no more than 30 minutes following the alleged absence of the child, if the pupil has still not been located, contact:  

one of the Deputy Heads or the Headmaster. After hours, the duty member of the Leadership Team can always be contacted on 07774 541903. The Deputy Head or Headmaster will then decide whether to call parents and /or police.

Police 



After discussion with the Houseparent and/or parents, the Deputy Heads or the Headmaster will decide if the Police should be called immediately, or whether to carry out further searches or enquiries. If the pupil is not located within a further 60 minutes, the Police should then be called. When the Police are called, the following information will be needed: o Name of the pupil o Date of Birth

Length of time unaccounted for Last known location Description including details of clothing worn, if known Home address and Parent/Guardian details Possible reason for absence Medical information may be required – call the School Nurse if necessary. If the Police take over responsibility for the search, all staff must give full cooperation. If not already aware, the Headmaster must be informed that the Police have been called. o o o o o

  

Parents/Guardians 

The pupil’s Houseparent should contact the pupil’s parents or guardians as soon as the police have been called.

Pupil found   

The parents and police must be informed immediately. It is likely that the police will not take telephone assurance and will visit the pupil to confirm that they are safe. Once the incident is resolved, the Houseparent or Deputy Head should produce a full written account of the incident and send it to the Headmaster within 24 hours. The Headmaster will review relevant policies and procedures and implement any necessary changes.

CJR April 2017