Open Bench · Safeguarding
How we keep students safe. In writing, before the first session.
Open Bench teaches children, and its instructor is himself a minor. That combination demands rules that are written down, public, and followed without exception. These are ours. A school, a parent, or a safeguarding officer should be able to read this page and know exactly what happens in a session.
01
An adult is present in every session
A member of the Review Board or a designated adult volunteer attends every live session for its full duration. No session runs without one. If the adult cannot attend, the session is postponed.
02
No one-to-one contact, ever
There are no private video calls, no private messages, and no direct-message channels between an instructor and a student. All contact runs through a monitored group channel or through a guardian's email address. This protects the student and the instructor equally.
03
A guardian consents in writing for every participant under 18
Enrolment is not complete until a parent or guardian has confirmed by email. The consent covers attendance, the communication channels above, and separately — as an opt-in that can be declined without affecting participation — whether the student's work may be published under their name.
04
Cameras optional, recordings explicit
Students are never required to turn a camera on. Sessions are recorded only when every guardian has agreed; otherwise only the instructor's screen and voice are captured, and the recording is shared only with that cohort.
05
Names are published only with consent
A dossier carries whatever name the student and guardian agreed to: full name, first name only, or a pseudonym. Consent can be withdrawn later and the dossier will be re-issued under the new preference.
06
No personal health information is collected
We never ask a student about their own health, their family's health, or their diagnoses. The course is about public data. If a student volunteers something personal, it is not recorded.
07
No cost, no payment details, no upsell
Open Bench is free and collects no payment information of any kind. There is nothing to buy, and no one will ever be asked for a card.
08
A clear route to raise a concern
Any student, guardian, or teacher can write to the safeguarding address below and reach an adult on the Review Board directly, without going through the instructor. Concerns are acknowledged within three days.
Code of conduct
Four rules, and the instructor is held to all of them first.
Treat every question as a real one. Nobody is mocked for not knowing something — that is the entire premise of the course.
Disagree with the evidence, not the person.
Do not share another student's work, name, or image outside the cohort.
Say so when you are wrong. The instructor goes first.
Raising a concern
You can reach an adult without going through the instructor.
This matters more than usual here, because the instructor is himself a minor. Any student, guardian, or teacher can write directly to the Review Board at the address below. Concerns are acknowledged within three days.
safeguarding@wppfoundation.orgGoes to
Dr. Sukumar Kalvapudi
Research Lead & Chief Advisor
Dr. Devaki Kalvapudi
Curriculum Reviewer
Open Bench collects no payment information and never asks a student about their own health. If anything claiming to be Open Bench asks you for either, it is not us.
Read this, then apply.
Applications are open. Nothing proceeds until a parent or guardian replies to us directly.