Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
School Trips
The DfES good practice guide “Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits” (HASPEV) and supplements provide the main source of guidance for head teachers in connection with adventure activities and for educational visits.
Head teachers in Scotland should access the Scottish Executive Education Department guidance "Health and Safety on Educational Excursions" at:
The key points for head teachers emerging from, or reinforced by, the Glenridding tragedy have been grouped under a number of headings/questions below.
The points apply to Educational Visits Co-ordinators (EVCs) and to Deputy Head teachers etc when authorised to act on behalf of head teachers. They are also applicable to managers holding broadly similar positions of responsibility in youth organisations etc.
The Key Points – LEAs are also relevant because they set out the support that head teachers might reasonably expect from their LEA.
It is important that you also look at the 10 vital questions which we believe are the essential things anybody should ask about a visit.
Any references in brackets refer to the paragraph numbers in the Investigation Report.
DfES advise that Head teachers should ensure that visits comply with the requirements of the LEA or governing body and the school’s own health and safety policy. Head teachers should ensure that the group leader is competent to monitor the risks throughout the visit.
Head teachers can delegate Health and Safety functions, but need to clearly define responsibilities and establish clear lines of accountability (Para F 1).
Every school should have a person acting as a focal point for Health and Safety who has clearly defined responsibilities and is provided with effective training and resources (Para F 3).
In carrying out their professional duties Head teachers are required to act in accordance with their LEA’s “Fair Funding Scheme”. Fair Funding Schemes should require schools to have regard to Health and Safety requirements (Para G 6).
It should be clear who in a school has specific health and safety responsibilities. The extent and limits of their functions should be clearly set out. They should receive relevant training (Para G 21).
Educational Visit Co-ordinators (EVCs) have a specific role within the school in respect of school visits. They should have sufficient resources and training to do the job effectively (Para F 3).
It should be clear who is to provide generic Health and Safety training and who is to provide subject-specific Health and Safety training (Para G 24).
There should be clear arrangements for maintaining training records (Para G 25).
Head teachers should have clear communication arrangements within school to ensure that Health and Safety information and any implications reach the right people and are shared appropriately. (Para G 22)
LEAs and schools need to be clear about where the day-to-day responsibility for checking qualifications and competence lies (Para B 2). Essential information on checking qualifications and competencies is given in Key points - competencies.
Visits should have clear educational objectives. (Many of the serious accidents to children have occurred on visits not associated with the curriculum) (Para D 4)
Head teachers need to consider whether the school should provide water/rock (or other adventurous) activities and, if so, whether it has the resources to provide them safely in-house, or whether they should approach a licensed provider (Para A 5).
Schools using Outdoor Education Centres (OECs) should clarify roles with the OEC to ensure that appropriate risk assessments are carried out for all aspects of the visit (Para G 11).
If such activities are to be provided by school staff, the head teacher should seek independent verification by a competent person of the suitability of the venue and the technical competence of the proposed leader(s) to provide the activity at that venue (Para A 5).
Head teachers should seek expert advice if new activities are proposed and should check qualifications(Para B 4).
There is much useful technical guidance on the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) website (Para A 2).
Head teachers and other senior managers should be best placed to consider whether a member of staff has appropriate leadership skills, experience and other personal qualities needed to run a particular visit (Para A 4).
Favourable Ofsted reports about school trips are not confirmation of safe practice and are no substitute for thorough risk assessment (Para F 5).
DfES advise that the head teacher’s agreement must be obtained before a visit takes place, together with any necessary approvals from the Governing Body/LEA.
There should be a school policy on educational visits including internal arrangements for approving visits.
LEA and school procedures and policies should draw attention to any supporting documentation and indicate how and why it is relevant (Para C 7).
Schools and LEAs need clear procedures for dealing with any concerns about unsafe practice (Para B 10).
LEAs and schools are strongly advised to have a policy on leaders and helpers bringing additional children on educational visits. If that policy allows additional children to be brought, it should make clear that each case should be subject to a risk assessment which includes possible conflicts of interest (Para D 6).
LEAs, schools and teachers need to be clear about the scope and limits of the first aid and other qualifications (e.g. lifesaving) held and ensure that they are relevant to any activities being done (Para D 7).
Schools should keep a record of staff with first aid qualifications and their renewal dates and should ensure that this information is available to the Educational Visits Co-ordinator (Para D 7).
It is good practice for documents relating to Health and Safety policies and procedures to be subject to an appropriate level of Document Control (Para C 9).
It is good practice to review Health and Safety procedures in the light of reported incidents (Para F 2).
Schools and LEAs are encouraged to share as widely as possible the lessons from any incidents (Para G 19).
Visits should have clear educational objectives. (Many of the serious accidents to children have occurred on visits not associated with the curriculum) (Para D 4).
Whatever the objectives of the visit, the leader must organise it to the best of their professional ability. There can be no lower standard for “fun trips” (Para D 4).
There should always be a viable “Plan B” to provide alternative activities in case the primary activity is undeliverable. A similar standard of risk assessment should be applied as to the main activities (Para D 10).
The leader should have the competence and confidence to implement “Plan B” (Para D 10).
Nobody should lead water/rock (and other adventurous) activities unless they have been assessed as competent, understand the full range of hazards and risks and can implement rescue and emergency procedures (Para A 3).
There should be verification that leaders of combined water/rock activities
are technically competent and have appropriate personal qualities
(Para A 5).
For information on the expectations of leaders see Key
points - leaders. See also Key
points - competencies.
All arrangements for the visit should be informed by risk assessment (which should be fit for the purpose (Para A 7)). See Key points - risk assessment.
The risk assessment should identify the staffing required to run a visit safely. Staffing should never be decided just by a simple numerical calculation of the ratio of children to adults (Para D 5).
Risk assessments should consider how the party might respond to a serious incident, including identifying any procedures for contacting sources of help (Para E 13).
It is essential that prospective leaders are familiar with all relevant guidelines, including relevant guidance on outdoor and open water activities, and seek expert advice if necessary (Para D 3).
Children should be involved in practical risk assessment and decision-making to help them become “risk aware” (Paras D10, E 4, E 6).
DfES advise that parents should be informed in writing of any off-site visit or activity and should complete a consent form. If the visit/activity is a regular, routine part of the school curriculum which parents have already been informed about through the school prospectus or a letter, seeking annual consent may be appropriate.
Informed parental consent is essential. This requires good communication with parents (Para D 1).
Parents will not be able to give informed consent unless they are given adequate information about the main and alternative (“Plan B”) objectives of the visit and the hazards and risks involved.
It is good practice to hold a meeting for parents before outdoor and residential visits (Para D 2).
It is good practice for a governor to be invited to attend parents’ meetings for visits (Para D 2).
There should be prior parental consent for swimming (Para D 9).
Supervision on educational visits needs to be 24 hours per day 7 days per week. The precise arrangements should be based on risk assessment (Para B7). Parents should be told the arrangements for supervision when consent for the visit is sought.
Head teachers should arrange for the Governing Body to be told well in advance of proposed educational visits (Para C 13).
Head teachers should arrange for the Governing Body to receive evidence of monitoring undertaken by the school and LEA (Para F 6)
Monitoring and audit provide mechanisms for identifying when Health and Safety systems are degraded or abused (Para G 28).
Monitoring by head teachers, senior managers and governors is important
to ensure compliance and prevent complacency (Para F 4).
There should be “field” monitoring of educational visits as
well as checking compliance with precautions identified in risk assessments
and safe operating procedures (Para F 6).
Health and Safety monitoring should be part of wider monitoring arrangements in the context of improving performance (Para F 6).
For further information on monitoring, see Key points - monitoring.
For the role of governors in monitoring, see Key points - governors.
General information on the safe conduct of educational visits is given in the Conclusions and recommendations.
Key points specific to:
Key points for reference: