Data Protection Policy for Bramley Cofe Primary School

Offsite Visits

POLICY

Reviewed: ………Autumn 16Signed: ……………………………………………..

Chair of Governors

Next Review: …Autumn 17

1. Principles

The School is committed to incorporating educational visits into its scheme of work,

providing that it will enhance pupils understanding and experiences, and that their

inclusion is practical, considering the constraints of staffing cost and time. As such, it will appoint an Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) to oversee all offsite trips in partnership with the Headteacher and the Governing Body.

Educational visits should be available to all of the pupils concerned, and should be

organized accordingly, with particular consideration being given, especially when

selecting venues and organizing transport, to any pupils who have sensory or physicalhandicaps. All educational visits should have clear, relevant and achievable aims an objectives.

A major consideration in the organisation of any visit must be the safety of the

participants and so both the LA Guidelines and the School Policy must be complied

with. The minimum adult to pupil ratio is dependent on the nature of the visit and theage of the pupils. Staff must therefore check that they comply with all School and

LA requirements and regulations. The Risk Assessment forms for all schooltrips/visits have to be signed off by the School’s EVC or the Headteacher.

Full HCC guidance can be found in the document ‘Offsite and Educational Visits’ in the EVC folder of the school server. A printed copy is also retained in the staff room.

The HCC recommended online approval system ‘Evolve’ must be used for all trips and visits. This can be found at .

B. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The LA (as the “employer”)

The role of the Local Authority is to:

Provide written guidelines for governors, the Headteacher and teachers including advice on risk assessment.

Provide emergency telephone contact for the duration of the visit where necessary.

Ensure training needs have been addressed.

Provide access to named staff for advice.

Maintain appropriate insurance cover.

Hold details of the designated EVC and direct all correspondence regarding educational visits to both the Headteacher and the EVC.

The Governing Body

The role of the Governing Body is to:

Appoint an Educational Visits Co-ordinator within the school who must have attended an off- site safety course and be able to disseminate the relevant materials and information through

the school (see the role of the EVC, below).

Have procedures in place to monitor and review safety during off-site visits and activities.

Understand its role in incident and emergency management systems.

Assess proposals for certain types of visit (adventurous, residential and overseas) and submit these proposals to the LA if appropriate.

For adventurous, residential and overseas visits:

o Ensure that a risk assessment of the visit is carried out, where appropriate.

o Check that appropriate safety measures are in place.

o Ensure that planning conforms to all LA guidance pertinent to off-site visits andactivities and the school's own Health and Safety Policy.

oCheck that training needs have been addressed and that the staff leading the visit are competent to do so.

Headteacher

The Headteacher, in addition to responsibilities as part of the Governing Body:

Takes sole responsibility for ensuring the proper supervision and planning of all activities that are not residential, overseas or considered adventurous.

Ensures that a competent leader, who is appropriately qualified, leads each off-site activity.

Holds a debriefing session with each group leader after each group returns, in order that future off-site activities can be enhanced if necessary.

Educational Visits Co-ordinator

The role of the Educational Visits Co-ordinator is to:

Liaise with the Local Authority to ensure that educational visits meet their requirements including those of risk assessment.

Support the Headteacher and Governing Body with approval and other decisions.

Assign competent people to lead or otherwise supervise a visit.

Assess the competence of leaders and other adults proposed for a visit.

Organise thorough induction and training of group leaders and other adults taking part in a visit.This will commonly involve training such as first aid and hazard awareness.

Ensure all safeguarding procedures are in place.

Work with the group leader to obtain the consent or refusal of parents and to provide full details of the visit beforehand so that parents can consent or refuse consent on a fully informed basis.

Organise the emergency arrangements and ensure there is an emergency contact for each visit.

Ensure that first aid kits are available to groups taking part in off-site activities and a designated member of staff checks these regularly.

Keep records of individual visits including reports of accidents and 'near-accidents'.

Review systems and, on occasion, monitor practice.

Group Leader

The role of the Group Leader is to:

Have a clear view of the purpose of the visit.

Plan and prepare for the visit and assess the risks.

Define the standards of behaviour expected of the group (via a “code of conduct”).

Ensure that all supervisors/helpers are chosen carefully and are aware of likely hazards.

Ensure that all supervisors/helpers are fully briefed as to the purpose of the visit, their responsibilities, the level of supervision required and standards of behaviour expected.

Ensure that helpers (non-teachers) are not left in sole charge of pupils (unless agreed and competent to do so).

Ensure that all supervisors/helpers in charge of children on off-site activities understand that they have a duty of care. There is a higher duty of care on teachers and other professionalstaff.

Ensure that any supervisor who is designated to take responsibility for first aid has the appropriate knowledge and experience of medical care for the activities to be undertaken andis provided with suitable first aid equipment.

Provide sufficient information to enable parents to make an informed decision on whether their child should go on the visit.

Tell parents how they can prepare their child for the visit e.g. by reinforcing the code of conduct.

Ask parents to agree to the arrangements for sending a pupil home early, including agreement on who meets the cost.

Make special arrangements for parents with special needs, e.g. English as a second language.

Teachers

The role of Teachers on an educational visit is to:

Do their best to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the group acting as any reasonable parent would do in the same circumstances, but judged in the context of their position as a professional teacher. This responsibility cannot be delegated and applies to all activities and all situations.

Follow the instructions of the group leader.

Help with control and discipline.

Consider stopping the visit or activity and notifying the group leader, if they think the risk to the health and safety of pupils in their charge is unacceptable.

Teachers on school-led visits act as employees of the LA, whether the visit takes place within or outside normal school hours.

Adult Volunteers

Those acting as adult volunteers should:

Ensure they are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

Do their best to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the group.

Follow the instructions of the group leader and teacher supervisors, and help with control and discipline.

Speak to the group leader / supervisor if concerned about the health and safety of pupils at any time during the visit.

Pupils

Pupils must (as part of the agreed code of conduct):

Not take unnecessary risks.

Follow the instructions of the leader and any other supervisors (including those at the venue).

Dress and behave sensibly and responsibly.

Be sensitive to local codes and customs.

Look out for anything that might hurt or threaten themselves or anyone in the group and tell the group leader or a supervisor about it.

Pupils whose behaviour may be considered to be a danger to themselves or others should not be allowed on the visit if the risks cannot be adequately controlled. If not allowed, the curricular

aims of the visit should be fulfilled in other ways, wherever possible.

Parents

Parents will need to:

Provide an emergency contact number.

Sign a consent form.

Provide the group leader with information about their child's emotional, psychological and physical health that might be relevant to the visit - usually by means of the consent form.

C. Visits

Before the visit

All school trips/visits however brief are guided by the Off sites Activities andEducational Visits publication. All group leaders are responsible for familiarising

themselves with the following sections:-

 Planning

 Risk Assessment

 Supervision (check with office which adults are CRB checked)

 First Aid

 Emergency Procedure/Critical Incident Plan

If the visit is not a regular event, then staff are expected to carry out a preliminary

visit. For any visits including outdoor activities, a preliminary visit is compulsory inorder to inform the risk assessment.

Each visit/trip will be led by a member of staff with experience of that venue. It is

their responsibility to ensure that all adults participating with the trip are informed of

any safety issues and are made aware of any risk assessment procedures that have

been put in place. Throughout the trip this person will wear a high visibility jacket.

Teachers should be aware of Critical Incident Plan in the event of abreakdown/accident to the coach.

Charges

Bramley Primary School’s policy is to ask for parental contributions for thetrip/visit, however, all children are given the opportunity to be included on the tripregardless of contributions, and all parents are made aware of this contingency.

Parents will be notified as early as possible as to the requested contribution towards

the visit. The school aims that all trips will provide parents with value for money.

First Aid

First aid considerations form part of the risk assessment – these considerations

include:

 Where the group may be divided into smaller groups, it is advisable tohave a further nominated first aider.

 The numbers in the group and the nature of the activity.

 The nature of any likely injuries and how effective first aid would be.

 The level of medical provision on site and the distance to the nearesthospital.

On all visits a nominated person is in charge of first aid arrangements, they are fully

trained first aiders with knowledge of the group’s medical requirements, i.e. epi-pens

and inhalers. A fully equipped first aid box will be taken on trips for use on thecoaches.

First aiders should carry a fluorescent bag which will contain a first aid kit.

Approval for Visits

All trips and visits are reviewed and approved by the governing body to ensure that alltrips are safe, offer value for money and are relevant to the curriculum. Residential

trips are also approved by the LA. All risk assessments must be shared with the health and safety governor prior to the trip or visit taking place.

Informing Parents/Guardians

The parents or guardians must be fully informed about the visit in a letter from the

group leader which should explain;

 the trips aims and objectives

 an outline of the programme making reference to safety issues

 how and when pupils will be supervised

 any clothing or equipment that will be needed

 suitable employment checks are made on volunteers and other responsibleadults including CRB/ISA requirements

 outdoor education, PE and sports services vetted database which confirmsthat safety management checks are in place

 it is a requirement that 2 epi-pens from home are taken on trips for thosewho might need them

When residential visits take place, parents are invited to a meeting with the group

leaders in order to provide key information and address any queries. They arerequested to complete a consent form giving a contact number for that day and alert

teachers to any known medical issues.

Trip leaders

Trip leaders must leave Evolve forms and risk assessments with the school office before leaving the school site. Trip leaders must also take the emergency procedure card with a copy of evolve forms and risk assessments with them on any trip or visit.

Transport

Hired

Parents

Public

Booster seats – damage – replace.

During the Visit

Code of Conduct

 Staff should make frequent references to rules and procedures applicableto the visit or particular activity.

 All pupils are repeatedly made aware of expected levels of behaviour.

 Pupils are encouraged to develop a strong sense of health and safety forthemselves and for others.

 Children are encouraged to tidy, clear and protect the environment they arein.

Accidents

 In the event of an accident, the procedural check list taken from Off SitesActivities and Visits Regulations and Guidelines will be adhered to.

 In the event of a pupil injuring themselves that incident takes priority.

 Small cuts and abrasions can be dealt with using the first aid bag.

 Serious incidents should receive the attention and evaluation of thequalified first aider.

 If required, based on the first aiders medical evaluation, further medicalassistance will be sought after.

 All accidents, however minor, should be reported in the school accidentbook.

 In the event of a serious accident, the school and parents will beimmediately informed.

Illness and Sickness during the visit

 Pupils are encouraged to report if they are feeling unwell during a visit.

 The advice of a first aider should be sought.

 The child should be allowed to leave the activity if necessary.

 If the illness is considered serious, provision is made for them to bereturned to school.

After the visit

The group Leader will review the Risk Assessment and add anyinformation felt appropriate.

The educational worth of the visit is evaluated by both the staff andchildren.

The trip/visit should be used as a stimulus for work in relevant curriculumareas.

All paperwork containing confidential information must be disposed of in line with school policy. This must include returning all paperwork to the group leader and shredding appropriate papers.

Date adopted: Autumn 16

Review date: Autumn 18

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