Child Protection
We promote, value and respect the right of every child to feel safe and secure. All members of our community are expected to exercise vigilant duty of care in cases of concern. Our school not only educates our staff in how to react when they hear of or suspect an incident, we also empower both our students and our staff about their rights and responsibilities with regards to child protection.
We hold the responsibility for the wellbeing and safety of every child in our care. We take this responsibility very seriously and have built a robust school culture and campus environment to reflect this.
Tyler Hafen, Head of Child Protection Team
The BIS Child Protection Policy as well as specific response procedures and pathways has been developed in accordance with the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989), of which Germany is a signatory. As an international school, BIS is also committed and obliged to meet the German national requirements in developing and implementing its child protection policy. Staff training on child protection awareness and procedures occurs on an annual basis. Our Child Protection Team consists of officers trained to deal with reported cases of safety breaches. Tyler Hafen is the CPO for Secondary School, Daniela Semar is the CPO for Primary.
Due diligence when hiring
BIS undertakes a rigorous security and reference-checking process for all our employees. For local staff, this includes an extended security check from the German authorities. For faculty joining BIS from other posts, this includes an extended police check from the last country of residence. It is school policy to actively seek confidential references for all new employees and to regularly update employee awareness through in-house training.
Secure campus
Located in a safe, green suburb of Bonn, BIS has a closed campus which fences in all buildings and playgrounds. We have a long-standing team of guards who monitor school entrances and the campus parameters. Our security team is known not only for their professionalism, but also that they know the names and children of BIS families and welcome students every morning with a big smile.