Safeguarding · PVG · Disclosure Scotland

Safeguarding, PVG & Disclosure Scotland

Student welfare, safer teaching, professional boundaries and clear reporting routes.

This is GSofM’s public safeguarding source for students, families, tutors, staff and visitors. It explains how to report a concern, how lesson boundaries should work and how PVG checks support safer recruitment.

Report a Safeguarding Concern PVG & Disclosure Scotland External Safeguarding Routes

Immediate risk

If someone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services first.

Do not wait for a school response where a child, young person or adult is at immediate risk of harm or urgent police assistance is required.

999 Immediate danger or emergency.
101 Police Scotland non-emergency contact.

Reporting a safeguarding concern

Raise concerns early and give the clearest information you safely can.

Use this route for concerns connected to student welfare, tutor conduct, professional boundaries, online lessons, another person connected to the premises or school arrangements.

GSofM safeguarding route

Email with the subject line “Safeguarding Concern”.

The school email is the stable public reporting route. Written contact helps the concern to be identified, recorded and assessed appropriately.

Email info@theglasgowschoolofmusic.co.uk
Subject line Safeguarding Concern
Email Safeguarding Concern Alternative Contact Route
Management conflict: if the concern relates to the safeguarding contact, the Director or school management, use an appropriate external route such as Police Scotland or local social-work / child-protection services rather than routing the concern back through the person involved.
What to include

Record facts rather than trying to investigate.

  • The student name and lesson route where relevant.
  • The tutor, date, time and location where known.
  • What happened and who was involved.
  • Whether anyone is currently at risk.
  • Any immediate action already taken.
  • The person’s own words where a disclosure has been made, recorded as accurately as possible.
Do not investigate the matter yourself. Avoid repeated or leading questions. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 first.

Record

The information provided, source of the report, immediate risk and known actions are documented factually and without speculation.

Assess and act

Immediate safety is considered and the next step is determined by the level of risk, including external referral where appropriate.

Need-to-know handling

Safeguarding information is restricted and shared only where needed to protect welfare, meet legal duties or support an appropriate referral.

A non-emergency service complaint that does not indicate a safeguarding risk should use Complaints, Concerns & Feedback. Routine lesson, Portal, timetable or invoice matters should use Current Students.

PVG & Disclosure Scotland

PVG membership supports safer recruitment; it does not replace safeguarding.

Disclosure Scotland manages the PVG scheme. GSofM assesses each role against the regulated-role criteria and uses the appropriate disclosure process before regulated teaching begins.

Regulated roles

PVG membership is a legal requirement where the role meets the statutory criteria.

Disclosure Scotland identifies teachers and children’s tutors among examples of regulated roles. The duties and contact involved in the actual role determine the correct disclosure route.

Five-year membership

The five-year PVG model is now in force.

From 1 April 2026, people who join the PVG scheme or make an existing-member PVG application move into five-year membership. Existing lifetime members remain valid until moved through the official transition process.

Wider safeguarding

A disclosure check is one safeguard, not the whole system.

Safer recruitment also depends on role assessment, references, professional expectations, supervision, communication, boundaries, record keeping and appropriate handling of concerns.

PVG scheme guidance Disclosure Scotland Regulated roles guidance Disclosure Scotland Five-year membership Disclosure Scotland

Lesson safety & professional boundaries

Safeguarding is also visible in ordinary teaching practice.

Clear lesson arrangements, appropriate communication and professional boundaries matter alongside recruitment checks.

Appointment-only

Structured lessons

Lessons and visits should use agreed school arrangements rather than informal drop-in teaching or private side arrangements.

Tutor conduct

Professional boundaries

Tutors are expected to maintain professional, age-appropriate conduct with students and families.

Physical guidance

Necessary, explained and proportionate

Physical guidance for posture or instrumental technique should have a clear teaching purpose, be explained first, remain limited to what is necessary and stop if the student is uncomfortable.

Disclosure

Listen; do not investigate

Listen calmly, avoid leading questions, do not promise absolute confidentiality, record the key facts promptly and use the appropriate safeguarding route.

Online lessons

The same standards apply online

The camera view and learning space should be appropriate, a parent or carer should know when a child’s lesson is taking place, and communication should remain through agreed school routes.

Photography & recording

Permission comes before capture or reuse

Student photography, audio, video or lesson recording is not a routine assumption. A defined purpose, appropriate permission, secure handling and a clear retention or publication basis are required.

Arrival & collection

Changes should remain visible to GSofM

Parents and carers should use agreed school routes for lateness, absence, collection changes or welfare information rather than relying on informal tutor-only arrangements.

Records & confidentiality

Factual, proportionate and need-to-know

Safeguarding information should be recorded factually. Absolute confidentiality cannot be promised where information needs to be shared to protect a child or adult at risk.

Wider personal-information handling is explained in the Privacy Policy. Accessibility or reasonable-adjustment requests should use the Accessibility route.

External safeguarding routes

Use official services where a concern needs external support or referral.

External authorities and official guidance take precedence where a statutory process, emergency response or local-authority referral is required.

Police Scotland

Emergency and non-emergency police contact

Use 999 for an emergency and Police Scotland’s official contact route for non-emergency police matters.

Police Scotland
Child protection

Scottish child-protection guidance

Use the official Scottish route for guidance on reporting a child-protection concern.

mygov.scot guidance
Glasgow local authority

Child and adult protection routes

Glasgow HSCP publishes the current local routes for child protection and adult protection concerns.

Glasgow child protection
Out-of-hours social work

Urgent social-work support

Glasgow and Partners Emergency Social Work Services handles referrals that are too urgent to wait until ordinary social-work offices reopen.

Emergency social work

Safeguarding Questions

Frequently asked questions

Six answers covering PVG, immediate danger, reporting, boundaries and confidentiality.

What is the PVG scheme?
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme is managed by Disclosure Scotland. It supports safer recruitment for regulated roles involving children or protected adults. Since 1 April 2026, PVG membership operates on a five-year basis, subject to the official transition arrangements for existing lifetime members.
Does every role need PVG membership?
No. PVG membership is required where the role meets the statutory regulated-role criteria. Disclosure Scotland identifies children’s tutors among examples of regulated roles, but the actual duties and contact involved must be assessed.
What should I do if someone is in immediate danger?
Call 999 immediately. Do not wait for GSofM where someone is at immediate risk of harm or urgent emergency assistance is required.
How do I report a safeguarding concern connected to GSofM?
Email info@theglasgowschoolofmusic.co.uk using the subject line “Safeguarding Concern”. Include what happened, who was involved, when and where it occurred, whether anyone is currently at risk and any immediate action already taken.
What happens after GSofM receives a safeguarding report?
The concern is recorded factually, immediate safety is considered and the next step is determined by the level of risk. Information may need to be preserved and shared with police, social work or another appropriate authority where necessary.
Will a safeguarding concern remain confidential?
Safeguarding information is handled carefully, but absolute confidentiality cannot be promised. Information may need to be recorded and shared on a proportionate need-to-know basis where this is necessary to protect a child or adult at risk or meet legal responsibilities.

Safeguarding

Raise concerns early and use the route that matches the risk.

For immediate danger, contact emergency services first. For a safeguarding concern connected to GSofM, use the safeguarding email route.

Report a Safeguarding Concern Complaints & Feedback Accessibility Contact GSofM