How can governors help to ensure the health and safety of children and staff, at the same time as allowing children to take risks that will enable them to develop important life skills? Martin Pounce of Governor’s Agenda interviews Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission to find out.
The principles of sensible risk management are very relevant to schools. They make clear that health and safety is about managing risk responsibly. It is not about stopping important learning activities where the risks are properly managed, nor about creating a totally risk free society. Indeed, children encountering risk sensibly managed are presented with an unrivalled learning opportunity.
One clear message for schools from the principles is the need to avoid concentrating on trivial risks to pupils – such as playing conkers - at the expense of very real risks to the health of staff.
If a particular policy sounds ridiculous, check it out. This can be done in a number of ways. Initially, ask the person responsible to explain the reasons for their decision. This may show that health and safety was not the main driver. If the answers suggest that the decision was based on HSE guidance, then the HSE website is easy to navigate, provides answers to many questions and highlights HSE’s position on a number of issues.
Clear, practical policies to managing issues such as stress and back pain can help to ensure that staff are at work and performing well.
Sensible risk management is about ensuring that staff and pupils are properly protected, with the focus being on reducing real risks. The principles are published at: hse.gov.uk/risk/principles.htm, I urge people to put them into practice.
Schools are generally very good at keeping children safe; thousands of activities take place every year without mishap. Exposure to well managed risks helps children learn important life skills, including how to manage risks for themselves.
Governors have a monitoring role, ensuring that a sensible approach to risk management has been taken and that identified control measures have been acted upon.
Good guidance and examples of good practice within the education sector provide schools with a sound basis on which to make decisions and ensure that worthwhile activities continue for the benefit of the children. Governors should be aware of this guidance and monitor that their school is taking account of it.
A study carried out in 2,500 schools in summer 2005 found that over twenty per cent of primary schools and nearly 70 per cent of secondary schools undertake field trips beyond what is required by the curriculum. A recent survey of 900 school respondents found that most schools offer more ambitious residential opportunities (99 per cent of secondary schools and 86 per cent of primary schools).
Many of the stories about risks in education are based on myth, and my view is that we shouldn’t be fooled by myths. If something sounds ridiculous – check it out.
The vast majority of education activities are carried out safely and responsibly, by teachers who take the time to plan the activities and ensure that things are done right. Thousands of school trips take place every year without any incident, and pupils benefit from taking risks in a managed way, helping with their learning, social skills and understanding of risk. But you are quite right, we need to provide support and reassurance to teachers and help them to concentrate on practical actions, not bureaucracy. Governors have a key role to play.
I would suggest that governors do three things to address concerns.
HSE has straightforward guidance for people involved in organising trips – following this guidance will provide teachers with the confidence to deal with the real risks and so safeguard the children.
Risk assessment should really be about good planning and then putting the plan into practice; It should not be about bureaucratic back-covering. Once again, I’d say: find out whether there is guidance or a model risk assessment that you can check, adapt and apply.
With any risk assessment, focusing on practical steps for managing the real risks is the key. Remember that the assessment is a means to an end, not an end in itself, so keep the paperwork short and to the point.
HSE has revised its guidance Five Steps to Risk assessment. The revision makes the guidance easier to follow and places more emphasis on putting the findings into practice.
It is important that children are made ‘risk aware’ by involving them in practical decision making in a challenging environment. This allows them to develop the attitudes and attributes that enable them to function in a risky and uncertain world.
Giving children the opportunity to be involved in the risk assessment process, as part of their learning, is invaluable. Risk-aware pupils are safer pupils, and we should bear in mind that today’s schoolchildren are tomorrow’s workforce. But I would suggest picking a few particular events or risks, not trying to involve children with every aspect of risk assessment.
Each school will need to think creatively about the options, and how this could be made to work, taking into account the views of their insurers. Get in touch with them and open a dialogue. Schools are being encouraged to consider how they respond to the extended schools agenda. Sensible risk management is not about stopping recreational and learning activities where the risks are properly controlled, it is about focusing on real risks, and on properly protecting workers and the public while enabling innovation to take place.
Sensible risk management is about practical steps to managing real risks, not bureaucratic back covering. Address the real risks, not only to pupils, but also to the health and well-being of your staff. And remember, risk assessment is just good planning – keep it fit for purpose and act on it.
