Our Commitment
Safeguarding Policy
The safety and wellbeing of every student is our highest priority. Here is how we protect the young people we work with.
Oxbridge Mentors works with students who are typically aged 15 to 18. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard these young people and to create an environment in which they can learn confidently and safely.
This policy applies to all tutors, staff, and contractors working with Oxbridge Mentors. It is reviewed annually and updated in line with current best practice and statutory guidance.
Version 1.0 · Effective from 18 August 2026 · Next scheduled review: 18 August 2027
DBS-Checked Tutors
Every tutor on our team holds an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, verified before they begin teaching with us.
DBS checks are renewed periodically in line with best practice. We do not permit any tutor to work with students until their check has been completed and cleared.
In addition to DBS checks, all tutors provide proof of their academic qualifications (degree certificates from their university) and supply two professional references.
Online Session Safety
All tutoring sessions take place via secure, established video-call platforms. Sessions are conducted in a professional, structured format with clear learning objectives.
We encourage parents and guardians to be present in the room during sessions, particularly for younger students. Parents always have the right to observe any session.
Tutors are trained to maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times. Sessions focus exclusively on academic content and admissions preparation.
Communication Guidelines
Private one-to-one messaging between a tutor and a student on personal accounts is not permitted. All written contact takes place in supervised channels that include Oxbridge Mentors Ltd.
For school-linked work, messaging takes place through Microsoft Teams. For private tutoring, a supervised group chat that includes Oxbridge Mentors Ltd may be used, and where the student is under 18 a parent or guardian is included in the conversation.
Tutors must not contact students through personal social media accounts, personal phone numbers, or private messaging apps.
Session scheduling, rescheduling, and all administrative communication is managed through our team, ensuring a clear record of all interactions.
Parent & Guardian Involvement
Parents and guardians are our partners in every student's journey. We provide regular progress updates and are always available to discuss your child's development.
After each session, tutors provide written session notes summarising what was covered, progress made, and recommended next steps. These are shared with the parent or guardian on record.
Parents can request a progress review call with the tutor or our team at any time. We believe transparency and open communication are essential to effective tutoring.
Reporting a Concern
If you have any concern about the safety or wellbeing of a student, or about the conduct of any member of our team, please contact us immediately.
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Jason Pahatouridis. You can report a concern by emailing info@oxbridgementors.co.uk with the subject line "Safeguarding Concern", and it will be directed to the DSL. All reports are treated confidentially and investigated promptly.
We aim to acknowledge every safeguarding report within 2 working days. If you have not had a reply in that time, or the matter cannot wait, please do not hold off: use one of the external routes below.
If your concern is about the DSL, please do not route it through us alone. Contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for the area where the concern arose, through that local authority's children's services team. Every local authority in England publishes LADO contact details.
If a child is at immediate risk of harm, call the police on 999. You can also contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 at any time.
We take every concern seriously. Where appropriate, we will involve relevant external authorities in line with statutory guidance.
Low-Level Concerns, Whistleblowing, and Records
We record low-level concerns as well as formal allegations. A low-level concern is any behaviour by an adult working with us that falls below the standard we expect but does not meet the threshold for a referral, including anything that simply leaves a student, parent, or colleague uneasy. Tutors and staff are expected to share these with the DSL however minor they seem, so that patterns become visible early.
Anyone who raises a concern in good faith is protected. Tutors, staff, and contractors can report a safeguarding concern without fear of reprisal, and may take it to an external body, such as the relevant local authority or the police, if they believe it is not being acted on.
Safeguarding records are written up at the time, kept secure, and stored separately from ordinary tutoring notes, with access limited to the DSL. We retain them in line with our retention schedule and statutory guidance, and we do not delete a record simply because a student has stopped working with us. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data more generally.
Complaints Process
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we want to hear about it so we can put it right. Please contact us at info@oxbridgementors.co.uk outlining your concern.
We aim to acknowledge all complaints within 2 working days and provide a full response within 10 working days. If the issue requires further investigation, we will keep you informed of progress.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can ask for the complaint to be reviewed by a director. Where the complaint is about the director, or concerns safeguarding, use the external routes set out under Reporting a Concern above.
Questions?
If you have any questions about our safeguarding practices or want to discuss how we protect your child, please get in touch.