CHRISTCHURCH INFANT SCHOOL
EDUCATIONAL VISITS POLICY
Overview
Safely managed educational visits with a clear purpose are an indispensable part of a broad and balanced curriculum. They are an opportunity to extend the learning of all pupils, including an enrichment of their understanding of themselves, others and the world around them. They can be a catalyst for improved personal performance, promote a lifetime interest and in some cases lead to professional fulfilment. Educational visits are to be encouraged.
This school recognises its duty of care and statutory responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare of pupils, staff, volunteers, providers and members of the public in connection with educational visits for which it is accountable.
Purpose
· To ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to benefit from educational visits
· To ensure that all visits are safe, purposeful and appropriate to meet the educational needs of pupils taking part
· To enable the school to identify appropriate functions, responsibilities, training, support and monitoring for governors, staff, volunteer assistants, pupils and providers involved in educational visits
· To ensure that whenever appropriate, further advice is sought from the LA and from other technically competent sources.
Key Principles
Staff
· All visits will have a clear, recorded educational purpose and will be planned sufficiently well in advance in accordance with good practice and effective planning procedures detailed in the DCC Policy of Safety and Guidance – Offsite Events and Adventurous Activities. The governing body will include in its role the support of school policy and procedures for educational visits including the reporting of visits
· The Headteacher will be responsible for the approval of all visits, or may designate this function to the Educational Visits Co-ordinator.
· A named and trained Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) will be appointed to support the governing body and Headteacher; In the absence of a suitably trained Educational Visits Co-ordinator the head teacher automatically assumes this role.
· There will be a named and approved Event Leader (and where appropriate, deputy) on all educational visits. This Event leader will be specifically competent for the role as detailed in the DCC Policy of Safety and Guidance – Offsite Events and Adventurous Activities. If in any doubt confirmation will be sought from the Outdoor Education Adviser.
· Working with the EVC as necessary, the Event Leader will be responsible for all aspects of the planning, risk assessment and organisation of the visit. The Event Leader will assume full responsibility during the visit, including ongoing risk assessment
· The Event Leader will ensure when purchasing goods and services that appropriate checks are made and that insurance and financial procedures have been followed
· Details of any residential visits at home or abroad or day visits involving activities of a hazardous nature will be submitted to the LA for assessment/monitoring through use of FORM 5 at least 1 month before the departure date.
Parents and carers
· The school will provide parents and carers with information about policy and procedures relating to the safe management of educational visits
· Parents and carers will be given sufficient written and supplementary information about educational visits to enable them to make informed decisions and give written consent together with medical and emergency contact details
· Whenever appropriate for higher risk, residential and foreign visits a briefing meeting with parents/guardians will be arranged
· Expectations with regard to behaviour and codes of conduct will be explained to parents/guardians. This information will include the necessity of meeting additional costs and making collection arrangements in certain circumstances.
Pupils
· Wherever possible, pupils should be involved with the planning of an educational visit, establishing codes of conduct, assessing and managing risk and evaluating their own learning, development, attitudes and behaviour
· Pupils should be adequately briefed about aims, expectations and codes of conduct for all educational visits. Ongoing briefings are an important element of learning and safety.
Teacher Preparation
When planning a trip teachers are directed to the guidance available on the OEAP National Guidance which gives advice on all aspects of trip planning and provision. The teacher should carry out an exploratory visit beforehand and they should also refer to the checklist on the back of the risk assessment form (APPENDIX 1)
Transport should be organised well in advance of the trip. Coaches should be booked with seat belts and pick up and drop off times should allow plenty of time. If the trip is weather dependant teachers should have an alternative plan.
When going on trips the teacher should ensure that they take the following with them:-
Class medical box, including medicines and first aid kit
Spare clothing if necessary
List of all trip participants
Contact number of the school
Emergency procedures sheet (See Appendix 2)
Mobile phones (belonging to school)
A list of all trip participants should also be left at the school office, including identification of which coach they are on. The school will hold the emergency contact details.
Emergency LA number only to be used by the school in cases of serious emergency when support is required from DCC – 07623 544346
Risk Assessments
The law requires an employee to take all reasonable measures to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, their own safety of those who may be affected by their actions in the course of their duties as employees.
A risk assessment is an essential tool in reducing the level of risk that staff and their pupils are exposed to. Only when the planned activity has been considered in conjunction with other information, such as predicted behaviour of pupils, different weather conditions and other variable hazards, can it be claimed that all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure the safety of your pupils and staff. The risk assessment document provides evidence that all appropriate factors have been taken into consideration.
There are three types of risk assessment:-
¨ Generic – provided by the LA in the form of guidance about Health & Safety.
¨ Visit/Site Specific –produced by the school. This applies to sports fixtures and educational visits. (If visiting providers outside the DCC teachers should ask to see their risk assessments).
¨ Ongoing – taking account of changing situations during or just prior to a visit. This involves objective observation, i.e.: realising a change in the weather, or subjective feelings, ie: realising the children are uneasy with an activity.
The risk assessment (visit/site specific) should be recorded, dated and approved by the Headteacher/EVC. (APPENDIX 1) The information within it should be communicated to all who take responsibility during the visit/activity. All the control measures must be implemented. The risk assessment must be shared with the helpers before the trip begins. (This usually takes the form of a verbal briefing). Children should also be informed about any apparent risk and given clear direction and expectations for behaviour.
Staff should be aware that risk assessment is a dynamic and ongoing process and risk needs to be reviewed throughout the trip and acted upon should circumstances dictate.
Frequent visits to local venues such as Christchurch may not need a risk assessment every time, but will need to be reviewed at regular intervals to take account of changes to the site.
First aid
On a trip involving KS1 pupils first aid has to be available and accessible . A first aid kit has to be taken along with staff willing and able to administer first aid. It is not a requirement that staff are qualified first aiders unless the destination will result in the class group being away from help for a significant amount of time.
For Foundation trips a member of staff with paediatric training has to accompany the Foundation classes.
Every effort should be made to include pupils with special medical needs on school visits whilst maintaining the safety of all group members. Details of medical needs should be recorded and carried with the group. Health plans for pupils with severe medical needs should be taken with the group.
Vetting suitability
DBS checks are not required if adult volunteers remain under the supervision of a teacher. However if a parent helper is required to be left completely unsupervised for a significant length of time, then a DBS check will be required.
Supervisory ratios
The standard ratio for trips at our school is 1:6 in KS1 and 1:4 if possible in Foundation, however if the activity involves greater risk then the ratio will be decreased. Some children may require 1:1 support for behavioural and/or SEN.
Whatever the length of the visit regular head counting is essential to ensure children are where they should be. This is vital before and after embarking on any type of journey.
Equal opportunities
Every effort should be made to ensure that school journeys and activities are available and accessible to all who wish to participate, irrespective of SEN, disability, ethnic origin, gender, religion etc.
Information to and from parents
Parents must be invited to give ‘informed consent’. Parents are asked to sign a consent form when the child enters school. This gives the school permission to take their child out into the local vicinity without the need for a separate consent form. The local vicinity is defined as that which is within easy walking distance. However staff should check that all parents have completed this form. A record is kept in the school office and class registers. Parents will still need to be informed that such a trip is taking place.
For trips that involve longer distances parents must give their consent for that specific activity. The teacher should therefore send out information well in advance.
This letter must:-
¨ Give clear information about what activities/sites the trip involves
¨ Seek the parents consent
¨ Make it clear that staff stay with the children throughout the visit, although a named Activity Provider will take responsibility for some activities
¨ Make it clear if responsibility is being passed over to an Activity Provider (in this circumstance event leaders should check the competency/qualifications of the provider
¨ Establish if the child has any medical needs or circumstances not already brought to the school’s attention
¨ Request an emergency contact number for the child on the day of the trip
¨ Ensure that parents have agreed to drop off/pick up their child at a specific time if outside school hours
Links
Although this policy focuses on the management of health, safety and welfare, educational visits are an integral part of the strategy for learning and the curriculum plan. The policy should therefore be linked to complementary policies concerned with such issues as equality of opportunity, special educational needs, social inclusion and staff development.
Further documentation and guidance is available at www.dorsetforyou.com/schoolsafety
DCC Policy of Safety and Guidance – Offsite Events and Adventurous Activities.
OEAP NATIONAL GUIDANCE
This policy has been reviewed in line with the 9 principles set out in the Single Equality Policy and an initial screening Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out.
Policy reviewed Feb 2016
Appendices to support policy :
Appendix 1 – Risk Assessment sheet including authorisation and checklist
Appendix 2 – Emergency Procedures Guidance
Appendix 3 - External Provider Check for use with organisations that do not hold the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge
APPENDIX 1
CHRISTCHURCH INFANT SCHOOLAPPROVAL FORM AND ADDITIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT
FOR OFFSITE VISIT OR SPORTING FIXTURE
The risks and controls identified below are ‘Site/Activity Specific’ and in addition to the generic risk assessment/ operational guidance already in place.
Important: The event leader must ensure they have identified the hazards, assessed the risks involved in all aspects of the event and recorded the significant findings.
Teacher/s: / Class: / Date:
Destination:
Other agencies involved: / No. of pupils:
Ratio of adults to children
Transport arrangements:
Dep: Return:
Special arrangements – for children with SEN/Disability:
Are there any additional risks identified that are not already covered by the exisiting operational guidance? Use other sheets if required
Hazard / Risk
Things at the venue, parts of the activity etc that could cause harm / Who is at risk? / Current Controls in Place
Are they adequate? Is the risk acceptable?
Refer to generic Risk Assessments & guidance documentation accessed at or from www.dorsetforyou.com/schoolsafety / Level of Residual Risk
Low, med, high
Organiser’s Declaration
I, the event organiser, believe that the planning undertaken has identified significant risks, and that the agreed operational standards reduce the chance of harm to an acceptable level
Name …………………………………… Signature …………………………..Date…………
Approval
I am satisfied that the preparations undertaken for this event meet the required standards set by both this organisation and the LA and that the leaders have the required personal and professional competencies to implement the agreed safety management strategies.
Name …………………………………… Signature …………………………..Date…………
APPENDIX 1 : CONTINUED
CHECKLIST FOR OFFSITE EVENTSPlease ensure all these points have been considered when planning an event
1) Programme/Timetable: The event has an agreed timetable shared with all participants
2) Purpose: There is a clearly identified purpose appropriate to the age and ability of the children
3) Advice: Where there is uncertainty about safe practice, advice has been sought from someone with expertise and technical competence
4) Guidance Documents: Reference has been made to available guidance such as OEAP National Guidance
5) Preliminary Visit: The party leader has made a preliminary visit or has obtained sufficient information by other means.
6) External Providers: If the event involves activities delivered by a commercial, charitable or private organisation there is confidence that required standards of safety and quality are met.
7) Supervision: Adequate supervision is provided with an event leader and a number of suitably competent adults
8) First Aid: The level of first aid is appropriate for the venue and activity
9) Inclusion: Arrangements have been made for the inclusion of those with medical, behavioural and other needs.
10) Communication with those with parental responsibility: Sufficient information has been provided to, and gained from, those with parental responsibility.
11) Safeguarding: All aspects of the event are organised in accordance with establishment and statutory safeguarding standards.
12) Transport and Travel: All aspects of the event are organised in accordance with the establishment and statutory safeguarding standards.
13) Accommodation: The event organiser has made a preliminary visit to the event site or has obtained sufficient information through other means to give confidence that required standards of safety and quality are met.
14) Risk Assessment: The event leader has identified the hazards, assessed the risks involved in ALL aspects of the event and recorded significant findings (APPENDIX 1)
15) Plan B: Where practicable there is an agreed alternative plan for use in bad weather or other necessary changes.
16) The Group: Group members are adequately prepared for the event and clear about the expected standards of behaviour. Information about group members has been collected and a group list is taken on the visit.
17) Emergency Action Plan: There is an agreed action plan for use in the case of an emergency.
18) Insurance: There is adequate and suitable insurance cover. Details are known to organisers and can be made available to parents.
19) Finance: Financial planning is organised in accordance with organisational and statutory requirements.
20) Evaluation: Discussion will follow the evnt to assess quality and inform future planning/opportunities.
APPENDIX 2