Child Protection
KIS takes great pride in developing and maintaining a supportive and inclusive community for its students, parents, and staff. This means ensuring that all members of the community are safe, cared for, and welcomed. Policies, procedures, and practices in key areas build the foundation upon which this initiative is built.
The following summaries highlight the key areas that we have used to build this foundation. All staff at KIS are familiar with these policies and procedures and all members of the KIS community are encouraged to explore these areas so that we all act in the best interest and safety of our students.
Safe Hiring Procedures
The thorough recruitment practices at KIS includes a mandatory probationary period, an ongoing cycle of goal setting, and regular performance reviews. Through a thorough interviewing process, conducting professional reference checks, verifying qualifications and places of previous employment, as well as police criminal reference checks for all staff, we can ensure we are doing everything possible to employ the very best professionals to join our school community. All faculty and staff at KIS sign, as a condition of employment, a Code of Conduct form attesting to an understanding of all of our key policies regarding health, safety, and well being.
Safeguarding and Child Protection
KIS is a ‘Child Safe’ School. Our Child Protection and Safeguarding policies and procedures have been commended by the Council of International Schools (CIS). There are clear guidelines for all community members regarding expectations when working and interacting with our students to ensure their safety and well being while in our care.
Mandatory training is provided for all staff to ensure they are aware of our child protection protocol. These guidelines also outline and support the protocol of reporting any child protection issue, with systems in place to guide and work them through.
Student Discipline
Students in both divisions are involved in setting classroom agreements of acceptable behaviour regarding their conduct when at school. These agreements, combined with clear policies for school wide behaviour expectations, ensure that each student knows what is expected of them.
Inclusion
At KIS we advocate for inclusivity. Our students are encouraged to celebrate each other’s differences and to acknowledge each other’s strengths and talents. With such a diverse student community, this means that our students are continually developing their multicultural and international mindsets. In addition, services offered by the Student Support Team and our comprehensive counseling model support community members whenever necessary.
Social and Emotional Support
Students are supported in a variety of ways, from learning to solve problems that may arise in friendships, to learning what peer pressure is, and knowing who to talk to when they need support. Strong pastoral care practices, a close-knit community, Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum, and social-emotional counseling all support our students’ well-being and help them prepare to take on the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. At KIS we have a clear definition of what bullying is and is not, and should the need arise, our no-tolerance anti-bullying policy and procedures provide support to students, parents and teachers as they deal with the situation.
Student Support Services
The Student Support Team in both the Primary School and the Secondary School collaborates with the teachers, and other members of faculty and staff, to ensure that learning for all students is accessible and given equal priority. Our student support team works in collaboration with counselors, teachers, students, and families to ensure that students have the support they need, no matter their learning needs.
Security
The KIS campus is a safe and welcoming environment in which students can learn. The CCTV cameras, automated flap-gates, personal electronic ID cards, and our professional and friendly school security staff stationed at the entrance to the school, ensure that all community members are accounted for and safe on campus. Visitors to KIS are personally escorted around the campus. Thanks to these precautions, parents can feel assured that their children are safe, accounted for, and able to move around their school without any concern.
Student Health
All staff at KIS who work directly with the students regularly participate in First Aid training. The school has an infirmary with three full-time nurses and first aid equipment which includes AED devices. To help prevent infectious diseases and as an additional measure, everyone entering the KIS campus has their temperature checked using a thermal scan prior to being permitted access. External factors such as the air quality, outdoor temperature, and weather conditions are also closely monitored, and procedures are in place to deal with these to ensure the safety of the entire community.
Emergency Drills
To help everyone be prepared in the case of an emergency, students and staff regularly practice evacuation (fire) drills and lockdown drills. Emergency and crisis plans are in place so the school acts quickly and effectively in response to any situations that may arise.
Air Quality Management Guidelines
Air pollution is a growing concern worldwide. Research indicates that exposure to air pollution can impact health. Studies on long-term health effects typically focus on individuals who are exposed to unhealthy air for an extended period, often many years. However, evidence also indicates that short term exposure can create health concerns, particularly for children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. Young children are at increased risk of these health effects because they tend to be more physically active, their lungs are still growing, and they are more likely to have asthma or acute respiratory illnesses which can be aggravated when pollution levels are high. KIS routinely monitors particle pollution, specifically Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5). PM2.5 are fine particulates in the air, which can get into the lungs and may even enter the bloodstream.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) was designed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is used to determine air quality. The EPA developed a series of levels (linked here) to help the public better understand the impact of air pollution and determine when air pollution reaches unhealthy levels. KIS has developed its practices in collaboration with other international schools in SE Asia,China and the US, based on information from the EPA, World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Based on new studies and confusion around the complexity of AQI calculations, KIS has updated our Air Quality Guidelines to be based solely on PM2.5 levels, which is usually the most dangerous airborne particulates.