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 on adventure activities and for educational visits.
For those in Scotland, the Scottish Executive Education Department guidance "Health and Safety on Educational Excursions" should be accessed at:
The key points for parents emerging from, or reinforced by, the Glenridding tragedy have been grouped under a number of questions/issues below. We encourage parents to take an active interest in the educational visits that their children will be attending and to help their children to become involved in any discussions about the visit.
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.
The school should have a policy on educational visits
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).
Children should be involved in practical risk assessment and decision-making to help them become “risk aware” (Paras D 10, E 4, E 6).
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.
Risk assessment must inform all the arrangements. See also Key points - risk assessment.
Leaders need to be careful not to create unrealistic expectations (Para E 3).
Parties should be properly equipped for the environmental conditions according to the findings of the risk assessments, including dynamic risk assessments (Para E 5).
Favourable Ofsted reports about school trips are not confirmation of safe practice and are no substitute for thorough risk assessment and monitoring (Para F 5).
There is much useful technical guidance on the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) website (Para A 2).
LEAs should have a policy on the provision of combined water/rock activities (Para A 5).
Nobody should lead water/rock (or 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). For information on the expectations of leaders, see Key points - leaders.
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 responsibility (Para D 6).
Educational Visit Co-ordinators (EVCs) have a specific role within the school in respect of school visits and should have sufficient training and resources to do the job effectively (Para F 3).
General information the safe conduct of educational visits is given in the Conclusions and recommendations.
Key points specific to:
Key points for reference: