Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

Operated by Townhouse Education Ltd · Approved by the Board of Townhouse Education Ltd

1. Policy Statement

The Study Floor is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults who use our services.

We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we are committed to creating a safe, respectful and secure online learning environment. The welfare of children and young people is paramount in all decisions and actions undertaken by The Study Floor.

This policy applies to:

students;
parents and guardians;
tutors;
teachers;
schools and educational organisations;
contractors;
employees;
volunteers;
users of The Study Floor platform and services.

2. Designated Safeguarding Lead

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for The Study Floor is:

Charlotte Davies
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Email: hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk

The DSL is responsible for:

overseeing safeguarding arrangements;
receiving safeguarding concerns;
assessing safeguarding risks;
maintaining safeguarding records;
liaising with schools, parents and external agencies where appropriate;
ensuring safeguarding procedures are followed;
supporting the implementation of this policy.

3. Legal Framework

This policy is informed by relevant UK legislation and guidance, including:

Children Act 1989;
Children Act 2004;
Education Act 2002;
Data Protection Act 2018;
UK GDPR;
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE);
Working Together to Safeguard Children;
Online Safety Act 2023;
Prevent Duty Guidance.

4. Safeguarding Principles

The Study Floor seeks to:

protect children from harm;
provide a safe educational environment;
identify safeguarding concerns promptly;
respond appropriately to concerns;
support safe use of educational technology;
promote digital wellbeing and online safety;
work collaboratively with parents, schools and authorities where appropriate.

5. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

Child means any person under the age of 18.

Safeguarding means protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and harm and promoting their welfare.

Child Protection refers to activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or are at risk of significant harm.

6. Types of Abuse

Safeguarding concerns may include, but are not limited to:

Physical Abuse — deliberately causing physical harm.
Emotional Abuse — persistent emotional maltreatment affecting emotional development.
Sexual Abuse — forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities.
Neglect — persistent failure to meet a child’s basic needs.
Online Abuse — including cyberbullying, exploitation, grooming, coercion, harassment or harmful online activity.

7. Online Safety

The Study Floor recognises that online risks may include:

cyberbullying;
online grooming;
exploitation;
inappropriate content;
identity theft;
scams and fraud;
exposure to harmful material;
misuse of AI tools.

The platform may implement safeguards including:

account security measures;
content moderation;
reporting mechanisms;
monitoring of misuse indicators;
user controls;
access restrictions where necessary.

8. AI Safety

The Study Floor may provide AI-powered educational tools.

Users must not use AI features to:

generate harmful content;
engage in bullying or harassment;
facilitate cheating;
impersonate others;
produce illegal content.

AI systems may be monitored to identify potential safeguarding risks and misuse.

9. Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

Any safeguarding concern should be reported immediately to: hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk

Reports may include concerns relating to:

abuse;
neglect;
exploitation;
self-harm;
suicidal ideation;
bullying;
grooming;
inappropriate communications;
threats of violence;
illegal activity.

Users should provide as much information as possible when making a report.

10. Responding to Concerns

Upon receiving a safeguarding concern, The Study Floor may:

assess the information received;
gather relevant information;
restrict access to accounts where necessary;
preserve relevant evidence;
contact parents or guardians where appropriate;
notify schools or educational institutions where appropriate;
seek professional safeguarding advice;
make referrals to external agencies.

11. Emergency Action

Where there is an immediate risk of serious harm, The Study Floor may contact:

police;
children’s social care;
safeguarding authorities;
emergency services;
other relevant agencies.

The safety of the child or vulnerable person will always take priority.

12. Confidentiality

Safeguarding information will be handled sensitively. Information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis and where necessary for safeguarding, legal or regulatory purposes. Absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where safeguarding concerns arise.

13. Record Keeping

The Study Floor may maintain records relating to safeguarding concerns, including:

reports received;
actions taken;
communications;
referrals made;
outcomes.

Records will be retained in accordance with legal and safeguarding requirements.

14. Staff and Contractor Responsibilities

Any employee, contractor or authorised representative of The Study Floor must:

comply with this policy;
report safeguarding concerns immediately;
maintain appropriate professional boundaries;
protect user information;
cooperate with safeguarding investigations.

15. Prohibited Behaviour

Users must not:

bully or harass others;
engage in grooming behaviour;
share inappropriate content;
exploit or manipulate other users;
encourage self-harm;
threaten violence;
misuse communication tools.

Breaches may result in suspension or permanent removal from the platform.

16. Educational Organisations

Where schools, tutors or educational organisations use The Study Floor, safeguarding remains a shared responsibility.

Educational organisations remain responsible for:

safeguarding duties owed to their students;
obtaining appropriate permissions and consents;
monitoring student welfare;
complying with statutory safeguarding obligations.

17. Training and Review

The Designated Safeguarding Lead will review safeguarding procedures periodically to ensure ongoing effectiveness and compliance with applicable guidance and legislation. This policy will be reviewed at least annually.

18. Whistleblowing

Any individual who believes safeguarding concerns are not being appropriately addressed may raise concerns directly with the Designated Safeguarding Lead. No person will be disadvantaged for raising genuine safeguarding concerns in good faith.

19. Contact Details

Designated Safeguarding Lead
Charlotte Davies
Email: hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk

General Support
hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk

The Study Floor — A service operated by Townhouse Education Ltd
Registered Office:
3rd Floor
86–90 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4NE
United Kingdom

20. Emergencies

The Study Floor is not an emergency service. If a child or vulnerable person is in immediate danger, contact:

999 in the United Kingdom;
local police;
children’s social care services; or
emergency services immediately.

Do not wait for a response from The Study Floor before seeking emergency assistance where there is an immediate risk of harm.

Online Safety Policy

Effective Date: June 2026 · Version 1.0 · Operated by Townhouse Education Ltd

1. Purpose

The Study Floor is committed to providing a safe, secure and positive online learning environment for all users.

This Online Safety Policy outlines the measures we take to promote online safety and the responsibilities of users when accessing The Study Floor website, mobile applications, educational resources, AI-powered tools and related services (“Services”).

This Policy applies to all users, including: students; parents and guardians; tutors; teachers; schools; educational organisations; administrators; and visitors.

2. Our Commitment

The Study Floor aims to:

promote safe and responsible use of technology;
support positive online behaviour;
protect users from harmful content;
safeguard children and young people;
prevent misuse of the Services;
respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns;
comply with applicable UK legislation and guidance.

3. Safeguarding Principles

The Study Floor recognises that children and young people have the right to learn in a safe environment. We are committed to:

protecting children from harm;
promoting wellbeing;
encouraging responsible digital citizenship;
supporting safe educational use of AI technologies;
working with schools, parents, tutors and authorities where appropriate.

Where safeguarding concerns arise, we may take immediate action to protect users and comply with legal obligations.

4. User Responsibilities

Users must:

behave respectfully towards others;
use the Services lawfully;
protect their account credentials;
report concerns or inappropriate behaviour;
respect the privacy of others;
comply with school, college or institutional policies where applicable.

Users must not:

bully, harass or intimidate others;
share harmful or inappropriate content;
impersonate another person;
engage in grooming behaviour;
encourage self-harm or dangerous behaviour;
upload illegal content;
attempt to bypass platform safeguards;
misuse AI tools.

5. Child Safety

The Study Floor is designed primarily for educational purposes. Users under the age of 18 should use the Services with appropriate parental, guardian, school or tutor oversight where appropriate.

We encourage parents and educators to:

discuss safe internet use;
supervise younger users;
monitor educational technology usage;
report concerns promptly.

6. Prohibited Content

The following content is prohibited:

sexually explicit material;
child sexual abuse material;
grooming content;
hate speech;
discriminatory content;
extremist content;
violent threats;
encouragement of self-harm;
illegal activities;
harassment or bullying;
fraudulent or deceptive content;
malicious software or code.

We reserve the right to remove prohibited content without notice.

7. AI Safety

The Study Floor may provide AI-powered educational tools. Users should understand that:

AI responses may be inaccurate;
AI-generated content should be verified;
AI must not be used to facilitate cheating;
AI must not be used to generate harmful content;
AI interactions may be monitored to improve safety.

We may restrict or disable AI functionality where misuse is detected.

8. Reporting Concerns

Users should report any concerns relating to:

bullying;
harassment;
grooming;
inappropriate content;
suspicious behaviour;
safeguarding risks;
account misuse.

Reports may be submitted via hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk or through any reporting mechanisms provided within the Services.

9. Safeguarding Incidents

Where appropriate, The Study Floor may:

investigate reports;
remove content;
restrict user access;
suspend accounts;
terminate accounts;
notify schools or educational organisations;
notify parents or guardians where appropriate;
notify law enforcement agencies;
notify child protection authorities.

The action taken will depend on the nature and seriousness of the concern.

10. Data Protection and Privacy

Online safety measures are implemented alongside our Privacy Policy. Information relating to safeguarding incidents may be retained and shared where:

required by law;
necessary to protect users;
required for safeguarding purposes;
necessary to prevent harm.

11. Security Measures

The Study Floor maintains reasonable technical and organisational safeguards including:

account authentication controls;
access management procedures;
encrypted data transmission;
monitoring and logging;
vulnerability management;
incident response procedures.

12. Third-Party Services

The Services may integrate with third-party providers. While we seek reputable providers, we are not responsible for the content or practices of third-party websites or services. Users should review the relevant policies of any third-party services they access.

13. Staff and Contractor Responsibilities

Any Townhouse Education Ltd employees, contractors or authorised personnel who have access to user information are expected to:

maintain confidentiality;
comply with safeguarding obligations;
report safeguarding concerns;
follow applicable internal procedures.

14. Breaches of this Policy

Breaches of this Policy may result in:

warnings;
content removal;
temporary suspension;
permanent account termination;
referral to educational institutions;
referral to law enforcement authorities.

15. Review of this Policy

This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure continued effectiveness and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

16. Contact

Online safety and safeguarding concerns should be directed to: hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk

General enquiries: hello@thestudyfloor.co.uk