Causeway School Learning and Leading Together Offsite Activities and Educational Visits Policy Approved By IEB Date 9 th November 2016 Date for Review November 2018 Written by SLB
Contents 1. Introduction 2. Roles and responsibilities 3. Establishment Specific requirements 4. Risk assessment 5. Establishment template Appendix A Risk assessment Appendix B Consent form 1 Introduction This policy applies to most situations where adults acting in the course of their employment take responsibility for children and young people taking part in offsite activities and visits, as well as when taking part in on-site outdoor activities. 1. Causeway School provides a number of offsite activities and educational visit opportunities for all young people within the establishment. These include annual residential offsite activities and educational visits to Spain and The Battlefields of France and Belgium and also various day offsite activities and educational visits to Theatres, Museums and Art Galleries. 2. The benefits of Learning outside the classroom are fully understood by Causeway School and each visit will set out a clear purpose and learning objectives, which will be reviewed at the end of each visit to see if they have been achieved. 3. The safety of pupils and staff on offsite visits is paramount and Causeway School, will follow the requirements and guidance from ESCC offsite activities and educational visits policy 2015 and also refer to National Guidance produced by the Offsite Education Advisors Panel. 2 Roles and Responsibilities The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places overall responsibility for health and safety with the employer. Who this is varies with the type of school. It is critical that employees understand who is my employer. Employers, have duties to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable: the health, safety and welfare of all employees and volunteers the health and safety for all young people for whom the Director of Children s Services is responsible under the Children Act 2004.
Below are the roles and responsibilities for Offsite Activities and Eductional Visits for Causeway School. Role Responsibilities Governors Knowledge of who the employer is. Ensure there is a policy in place for offsite activities and educational visits. Ensure there is a trained EVC in place for the establishment. Ensure there are training opportunities provided. Ensure the establishment has a visit approval procedure in place and follows ESCC policy for approving visits. Ensure there is a monitoring system in place. Ensure visits support the principles of inclusion. Can have a read only access on exeant to have an overview of all the offsite visits taking place. Head Teacher Offsite activities comply with ESCC policy and National - Mr G Payne Guidance produced by the OEAP. Visits receive appropriate approval before they take place. Ascertained that all staff involved in offsite visits are competent to carry out their role. That there is a designated EVC that meets employer requirements and has undertaken training. Suitable child protection procedures are in place, including vetting at an appropriate level of all voluntary helpers. You are assured that the EVC, Visit Leaders, assisting staff and voluntary helpers are appropriately trained and competent to carry out such tasks as they are allocated. Ensure visits support the principles of inclusion. Educational Visits Co-ordinator Should have experience off leading visits, or qualifications - Mrs S Blake or leadership experience. They should be an experienced visits leader. Should have received EVC training. Supports staff to ensure visits are planned and prepared appropriately following ESCC Offsite Activities and Educational Visits Policy 2013. Ensures staff have access to training to support their role in Offsite Activities and Educational Visits. Approve visits that comply with establishments and ESCC policy. Check that all visits have an emergency contact and the emergency contact is an appropriate person. Ensure staff evaluate visits that have taken place and report accidents and near misses appropriately. Visit Leader Must have experience of leading offsite visits. Must be inducted by the establishment and have knowledge of the establishment s and ESCC policy and procedures for offsite visits and crisis management. Be approved as competent by the establishment. Liaise with the EVC.
Plan and prepare for the visit, including the risk assessment, ensure it is in line with ESCC policy and the establishment policy. Define the roles and responsibilities for other staff on the visit. Evaluate the visit and report and record any accidents and near misses. Assistant Visit Leader Be specifically competent and knowledgeable about establishment and employer policies/procedures, in so far as they affect the responsibilities that have been assigned. Ensure that you have been sufficiently involved in the planning and preparation for the activity/visit, including contributing to the organisation of risk management. Ensure that you understand the role and responsibilities that you have been assigned and how these integrate with other staff and especially that of the activity/visit leader. Contribute to the visit evaluation, and reporting and recording of accidents and near misses. 3 Establishment Specific Requirements All offsite activities and educational visits must be recorded on the Exeant website facility. The only school activity exempt from using Exeant website is PE fixtures and in these circumstances ESCC policy for PE must be followed. A minimum of two staff members should be present for any offsite activity and educational visit, ideally one male and one female staff member, unless in exceptional circumstances with the Headteacher s permission. Visit Leader should ensure there is an appropriate number of female and male staff attending depending on the group dynamics. All offsite activities and educational visits must include a First Aid Trained member of staff who is responsible for carrying the first aid box for the duration of the offsite activity and educational visit, unless in exceptional circumstances with the Headteacher s permission. Minimum staffing ratios for non-hazardous day offsite activities and educational visits is 1 Adult to every 20 Students Minimum staffing ratios for hazardous or residential offsite activities and educational visits is 1 Adult to every 10 Students Additional staffing above these ratios maybe required to support students with special education needs or students with behavioural issues. Parents must be inform in writing of all offsite activity or educational visit that their child is eligible to attend. Parents have the right to withdrawn their child from any offsite activity or educational visit.
The Annual Consent and Medical form can be used for all non-hazardous day offsite activities and educational visits. Appendix A This form is issued to Parents for completion every October. Parents are reminded on every visit letter to ensure this form is up to date and includes any changes. Parents are able to collect a new form from reception or download the form from the school s website, complete and submit it to the school. For residential offsite activities and educational visits a separate consent and medial form is required. Appendix B All offsite activities and educational visits require sufficient time for planning. Minimum lead time of 6 weeks is recommended for non-hazardous day offsite activities and educational visits. Minimum lead time of 3 months is recommended for hazardous and residential offsite activities and educational visits. If an offsite activity and educational visits requires student contributions, all student contributions must be collected before payment is due on any offsite activity and educational visits invoice. For residential offsite activities and educational visits, students may paid in instalments. However, the school must ensure that sufficient payments are received before the invoices are settled. 4 Risk Assessment Risk assessments must be submitted as part of the approval process. These must be specific and relevant to the young people, staff, environment and activity. The risk assessment should be completed by the visit leader with support from other staff attending the visit. Foreseeable hazards should be listed with reasonable control measures put in place and a risk rating generated. After a visit, the risk assessment should be reviewed if there were any issues, incidents or near misses. If a risk assessment is covering the same group, with the same staff carrying out the same activity it can remain in place for 3 months and then reviewed. For example: every Thursday Year 5 will attend swimming lesson. 5 Establishment Templates Appendix A Annual Consent Form Appendix B Residential Medical and Consent Form
APPENDIX A ANNUAL CONSENT FORM FOR SCHOOL TRIPS AND OTHER OFF-SITE ACTIVITIES Please complete and sign this consent form in full and return it to either main reception or your child s tutor I give permission for a) To take part in school trips and other activities that take place off school premises; and b) If necessary be given first aid or urgent medical treatment during any school trip or activity. Please note the following important information before signing this form: The trips and activities covered by this consent include; o all local non-hazardous visits that take place inside and outside of school hours o off-site sporting fixtures inside and outside of school hours, The school will send you information about each trip or activity before it takes place. You can, if you wish, tell the school that you do not want your child to take part in any particular school trip or activity. Written parental consent will not be requested from you for the majority of off-site activities offered by the school for example, year-group visits to local amenities as such activities are part of the school s curriculum and usually take place during the normal school day. I understand that, while the school staff and helpers in charge of the group will take all reasonable care of the young people. Unless they are negligent, they cannot be held responsible for any loss, damage or injury suffered by my son/daughter arising during the visit. My child has: (delete as appropriate) No illness, allergy or physical disability. The following illness, allergy, physical disability and/or medication: Pre-existing conditions: ESCC insurance may not cover claims for pre-existing conditions whether long term, e.g. epilepsy, or short term, e.g. a broken leg unless it can be shown that GP consent to travel has been obtained and conditions of travel have been met. Consent does not have to be written, it can be verbal. By signing parental consent forms, parents are agreeing to this condition and confirming it has been met. Doctors Name: Surgery.. Telephone:.. I consent to any emergency medical treatment necessary during the course of the visit.
Parental/Guardian signature: Contact Information 1: Emergency Contact 2: Emergency Contact: Name Name Address Address.... Telephone Telephone Relationship to child. Relationship to child. Swimming Ability: (delete as appropriate) My child is a: Confident swimmer / Weak swimmer / Non swimmer Additional information... Consent for taking images: During the visit we are likely to take pictures/videos. We would like to use these in presentations, displays or in booklets, newsletters or publicity. In the event of any images of my child being taken, I consent to them being used for educational purpose. I understand any photos where my child is easily identifiable (close facial shot) I will be informed first. Yes / No (delete as appropriate) Consent to the images being used on the schools website: Yes/No (delete as appropriate) Other information: Please provide details of any other information you feel the school/visit leader needs to be aware of I have completed the form to the best of my knowledge, if any information changes prior to the visit taking place I will inform the school immediately and if required seek medical consent from our GP. Parent/Guardian Signature: Date:.
APPENDIX B Causeway School - Medical and Consent Form Child s Name Parent/Carer s Name & Address Tel No: Alternative Contact's Name & Address Tel No: NHS Number: Name, Address & Telephone Number of Child's Doctor: I consent to my child taking part in the visit to and in the event of my child being taken ill or injured during the period of the visit abroad to the extent that a surgical operation or injection becomes necessary, I authorise the member of staff in charge to sign on my behalf any written consent to operate, as required by the medical authorities. I understand that the staff are aware of how to handle the information I have given on this form safely. * Please delete as appropriate. My *son/daughter has/has not been actively immunised against tetanus (Date) *He/She is/is not as far as I am aware, sensitive to elastoplast, penicillin or other medicine. ANY OTHER ALLERGY, OTHER MEDICAL CONDITION, OR INFECTIOUS/CONTAGIOUS DISEASES SUFFERED IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS: OTHER COMMENT; ie Bed-wetting, Allergies (hay fever),etc: SWIMMING ABILITY: My child is a *swimmer/*non swimmer If necessary, I can be contacted at the following telephone number Daytime (if different from above) Signed: Date: Print Name: