Education Scotland is committed to creating safe, inclusive and respectful learning environments for everyone who participates in our professional learning activities. Whether attending online or in person, all participants share responsibility for contributing to a positive, professional experience that supports meaningful learning.

This Code of Conduct sets out the expectations for all attendees at Education Scotland events.

Registration and Attendance

• For online events, please join using your full name and professional email address.
• For in-person events, please bring photographic ID for registration.
• Bookings cannot be transferred to another person.
• If you can no longer attend, please cancel your booking so your place can be offered to someone else.
• By registering or attending, participants agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. Education Scotland reserves the right to remove from an event and future events anyone who breaches this Code of Conduct.

Respect and Privacy

Participants are expected to act respectfully toward others and maintain the privacy and confidentiality of any information shared before and during sessions. This includes:

• Not sharing meeting links, passwords, venue, screenshots, or access details with anyone else.
• Keeping confidential any personal or sensitive information shared by participants. If someone shares a personal experience, please do not share further. Equally, be mindful of the personal experiences you share in terms of your own wellbeing.
• Refraining from any discriminatory, offensive or disruptive behaviour. All forms of abuse, harassment, bullying and intimidation will not be tolerated during and/or after the event.
• If sharing your participation on social media, do not post images or names of other attendees without their explicit consent.
• Unauthorised recording, transcription or AI-powered notetaking tools (e.g. Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Read.ai) are not permitted.
• Participants will be informed verbally and in writing if any part of a session is being recorded or photographed.
• You may opt out of being recorded or photographed by notifying an Education Scotland staff member in advance.
• All information will be managed in line with Scottish Government data handling guidelines and Education Scotland’s Privacy Policy.
• Education Scotland may contact employers and/or relevant professional bodies if behaviour during a session raises safeguarding concerns.

Compassionate Communication

We encourage a culture of kindness and thoughtful communication in our sessions. Participants should:

• Communicate with kindness and professionalism, using discussion tools and/or the chat pane for online sessions, respectfully.
• Listen actively and respond respectfully to differing views, allowing space for others to speak and be heard.
• Support an inclusive and encouraging learning environment. If you have specific accessibility requirements, please mention these in the registration form and/or contact the event organisers for support.
• For online sessions, microphones should be muted when not speaking. You can use the “Hand Up” function to request the opportunity to unmute and speak. The facilitator(s) will invite you to contribute when appropriate, but there may not be enough time for everyone to speak.
• Listen to and follow the instructions of facilitator(s), including their decision of what is off-topic and who is next to speak and for how long.
• If you feel unsafe, uncomfortable or witness behaviour that breaches this Code of Conduct, please speak to an Education Scotland staff member.