Interschools Music Festival Policies
Interschools Music Festival Policies
The Interschools Music Festival is a musical event for primary and secondary level students. Each year it takes place in Wesley College, Dublin over two days in early March. The festival exists, first & foremost, to give pupils the opportunity to perform, representing their schools within a musical forum. The competitions cover a range of musical genres including classical, rock and traditional. The festival provides a platform for young performers where they can gain confidence and experience in front of an encouraging and sympathetic audience. It aims to provide a musical experience that will enable each competitor to identify and to build on their strengths and talents. Standards are high and the festival provides a perfect testing ground for examinations, other feiseanna and public appearances.
The Interschools Music Festival recognises that the protection of children is of paramount importance. All policies, practices and activities throughout the festival are designed to adhere to the principles of best practice in child protection and welfare. We endeavour to adopt safe practices to minimise the possibility of harm or accidents happening to children.
However, the Interschools Music Festival will not act “in loco parentis” in the care of minors. It is the responsibility of all parents/guardians/carers and teachers to care for their children/students at all times while attending the Festival.
Any issue of concern in regard to child welfare should be reported as a matter of priority to the festival committee, who will forward any matters of concern to the relevant authorities.
Festival staff cannot be responsible for the supervision or care of unaccompanied children and minors. Where parents, guardians and carers are not personally attending the festival with their children, this policy requires that they are satisfied that their children will be accompanied to the festival and adequately supervised by responsible adults acting on their behalf. The Interschools Music Festival takes all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children and young people while attending the festival, however, festival personnel do not directly supervise public areas at all times. The safety of our patrons is important to us. We therefore request that parents/guardians/carers and teachers ensure that children or young people under their care are supervised at all times when using public areas such as toilets, café, lobby, stairs etc.
The festival invites parents, guardians and teachers to join in partnership in order to maintain a safe environment for all competitors. We seek to make a positive statement about the kinds of behaviour which the Festival wishes to promote. It is our wish to create an environment where all students will feel happy and secure.
The festival committee reserves the right to contact the Gardaí or any other relevant state body to report illegal or inappropriate behaviour of any kind.
Photos and recordings should not be taken during any competition performance.
We will be filming and photographing the Interschools Music Festival for our own promotional use. The photographs will be available on our Dropbox for your use after the festival. If you, or any participant under your care, should have any objections to being filmed or photographed in any way, you must let us know by email in advance, please to [email protected]
All festival committee staff are identifiable by a badge, bearing the name and logo of the Interschools Music Festival and their own name. Please inform your child to make contact with a staff member, should they have any enquiry or experience any difficulty
Approved by the Interschools Music Festival Committee
November 2023
