Educational Visits Policy

Policy details

• Date created - 12/06/2024
• Date reviewed - n/a
• Date approved - 12/06/2024
• Next review date - 12/06/2025
• Policy owner - Michelle Khambhaita

Rationale:

Educational visits are activities arranged by or on behalf of the school, and which take place outside the school grounds. The governors and teaching staff believe that off-site activities can supplement and enrich the curriculum of the school by providing experiences which would otherwise be impossible. All off-site activities must serve an educational purpose, enhancing and enriching our children’s learning experiences.

In this policy we seek to establish a clear and coherent structure for the planning and evaluation of our off-site visits, and to ensure that any risks are managed and kept to a minimum, for the safety and health of all pupils at all times. Within these limits we seek to make our visits available to all pupils, and wherever possible to make them accessible to those with disabilities. The visits usually take place within the school day, but on occasions, take place after school or at weekends. Our school adopts the Co-op Academies Trust Educational Visits Policy which should be read in conjunction with this policy.

Aims

The aims of our off-site visits are to:

• enhance curricular and recreational opportunities for our pupils;
• provide a wider range of experiences for our pupils than could be provided on the school site alone;
• promote the independence of our children as learners, and enable them to grow and develop in new learning environments.

Residential activities

Children in upper Key Stage 2 have the opportunity to take part in a residential visit. The residential visit enables children to take part in outdoor and adventure activities as part of their PE work, as well as having links with PSHE, Science and Geography. We undertake this visit only with the written agreement of the Trust. We provide qualified instructors for all specialist activities that we undertake.

Planning and Preparation for a trip

The Educational Visits Coordinator

The school has appointed an Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) whose role is to coordinate the planning and management of these activities. All off-site activities must be approved by the EVC at least three weeks prior to the proposed date of the trip, unless the trip has been planned in response to an educational opportunity that has arisen, for example a last-minute invitation to a significant event or rearranged sporting fixture. Where possible, dates for educational visits will be set at the beginning of the calendar year to enable office staff to book tickets and transport as applicable. The school has 2 members of staff trained as EVCs they are Helen Spafford and Michelle Khambhaita. As Headteacher Michelle will approve the majority of trips however in her absence Helen is authorised to approve trips via Evolve.

Procedure

The best practice to be adhered to in the arranging of school trips is as follows:

• Trip leaders/class teachers research and plan the trip linked to the curriculum
• At least 3 weeks prior to the trip, class teachers/trip leaders complete the trip form on Evolve detailing the planned arrangements for the trip and the risk assessment – depending on the nature of the trip headteacher or Trust approval will be needed
• Trip leaders/class teachers need to complete the “additional information” form at attach this to their planning on Evolve (this document contains additional information needed for the letter to parents)
• Once approved the trip can be booked with the venue and transport providers, the dates for the trip must be entered onto the school electronic diary
• Helen (EVC) will receive a notification from Evolve that the trip has been approved she will then generate a letter for parents and attach to the trip form on Evolve. Helen will also set up Parent Pay for trip payment if necessary
• Trip leaders/class teachers need to complete the “Provider Statement” and attach with the other the planning documents in Evolve when completed by the provider.
• In cases where school lunches are affected or required, kitchen staff must be informed by the class teacher using the booking form, making sure they pay particular attention to any allergens in the class, at least 2 weeks prior to the trip.
• Class teacher/Trip leader should complete the Trips Checklist to ensure that they have covered all aspects of the planning – this should be saved on Evolve with the other planning documents.

Risk assessments

A full risk assessment must be completed prior to a trip, which must be approved by the Headteacher or the school’s EVC. Risk assessments are completed and attached to the trip request in Evolve, existing risk assessments on Evolve can be used, evaluated and updated as necessary. A comprehensive risk assessment is carried out by the group leader before the proposed visit. It will assess the risks which might be encountered on the visit, and will indicate measures to prevent or reduce them. The risk assessment should be based on the following considerations:

• What are the hazards?
• Who might be affected by them?
• What safety measures are needed to reduce risks to an acceptable level?
• Can the group leader put the safety measures in place?
• What steps will be taken in an emergency?

A copy of the risk assessment should be taken on the trip, and all adults taking part in the trip should be given a copy by the class teacher/trip leader. The class teacher/trip leader should ensure that the risk assessment is up-to-date on the day of the trip ensuring that any new risk has been accounted for.

Staff planning an off-site activity should make a preliminary visit to the venue, in order to carry out an on-site risk assessment. It is important to consider the probable weather conditions at the time of year proposed for the trip, and the party leader should take careful account of the facilities available, with due regard to the proposed size of the group. They should also assess the site’s suitability with regard to the age and any particular needs of the children. They will also consider the venue’s own approach to security and to health and safety. Venues providing instructor-led activities will have their own risk assessments for particular sessions, and these assessments may be adopted if it is impractical for the group Leader to experience the activity beforehand, or if s/he lacks the skills required to make informed judgements about the risks it may involve. The Trust will not give its approval for the visit unless it is satisfied with the venue, its instructors and their risk assessment procedures.

It is important to assess and record any health, safety or security issues that are identified during the preliminary visit. Any such issues will be considered when the final decision is taken on whether the visit should proceed, and the Visit Plan must state both the extent of any risks involved, and the measures that will be taken to reduce or eliminate them. The cost of these preliminary visits will be borne by the school, and should be built into the overall financial arrangements for the visit itself.

An activity should normally have sufficient adults taking part to provide the correct ratios. Any trip will require a minimum of two adults. However, these are minimum requirements, and may not provide adequate supervision in all cases.

The risk assessment must also cover transport to and from the venue. The coach company we use on a regular basis has provided us with a letter detailing all the health and safety measures it routinely takes, including:

• The provision and required use of seat belts and booster seats (if required);
• Proper vetting of the driver by the police;
• Proper insurance for the driver;
• Details of first aid and emergency equipment;
• Breakdown procedures.

Parental consent

Parents are asked to give blanket permission for their child to attend school trips within the locality. As a result, permission is no longer requested from parents for individual school trips or sporting activities within a 3 mile radius of the school (see appendix 1). However, parents will always be informed about the trip or activity by email or letter. All other trips will need signed permission from a parent. All the necessary details will be included in the letter, as well as any payments required. Permission will be specifically requested from parents for:

• Residential trips
• Adventure trips (e.g. outward bound) or a long journey
• Nursery trips
• Trips that take place outside of school hours

Ratios

All trips should be individually risk assessed to ascertain the safe level of adult supervision required. Below are the minimum adult to pupil ratios that our school is committed to implement. These are to be adhered to unless there are exceptional circumstances and/or permission has been given by the Headteacher.

Reception classes - 1:5

Years 1 – 3 - 1:6

Years 4 – 6 - 1:10

Adventurous activities -1:10

Residential visits – 1:10

Visits abroad 1:10

For routine visits, there will be a trained first aider either from the academy or the host venue available. For non-routine type visits, at least one academy member of staff present is first aid trained, unless the visit is organised by a company that provides first aiders

For children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), there is a statutory requirement that at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate and sufficient understanding and use of English to summon help in an emergency must accompany children on outings

If a child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education Health Care Plan is participating in the trip, this pupil must have the same support that is ordinarily available to them during the school day.

Residential trips

In the case of residential trips, a parents’ meeting will be held well in advance of the trip. This will provide all the relevant information, including the details of payment plans. Special equipment/clothing will be listed as required; for example, for adventurous visits, additional or waterproof clothing may be necessary. Emergency telephone contacts must be obtained for all pupils participating in residential activities, along with relevant medical information, on the parental consent form. The school will ensure that adults of each gender accompany the children on residential visits.

Payments for trips

When planning educational visits, class teachers will always consider the cost implications for parents. Excessively expensive trips will be avoided wherever possible. All payment by parents for school trips is made in the form of a voluntary contribution. However, in the event that the school is unable to cover the costs of a planned visit, the trip might have to be cancelled. All payments are made via ParentPay. For residential off-site visits where the costs are likely to be higher, payment plans are available, to spread the cost. In certain cases, the school may be able to subsidise the cost of school trips, the decision to subsidise the cost of a school trip for specific pupils is made at the discretion of the headteacher.  

Children with SEN

It is our policy that all children should be able to participate in educational visits. Where a child with a disability is eligible for a trip, we will make every effort to ensure that s/he is included. We may seek guidance from parents to help us adapt our programme, and we will make any reasonable adjustments to our itinerary to include a child with disabilities. Any such adjustments will be included in the risk assessment.

Further health and safety considerations

All adults accompanying a party must be made aware, by the party leader, of the emergency procedures which will apply. Each adult should be provided with an emergency telephone number. This will normally be the school number, but where an activity extends beyond the normal school day the home telephone number of a designated emergency contact should be provided.

Before a party leaves school, the school office should be provided with a list of everyone, children and adults, travelling with the party, together with a programme and timetable for the activity.

The safety of the party, and especially the children, is of paramount importance. During the activity the party leader must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that safety. This involves taking note of any information provided by medical questionnaire returns, and ensuring that children are both safe and well looked after at all times.

Prior to an activity, if it is felt that the behaviour of an individual child is likely to compromise the safety of others or the good name of the school, the party leader should discuss with the headteacher the possibility of making additional arrangements for that child.

Accidents and Emergency Procedures

The sequence of actions depends upon the nature of the emergency.

Immediate Action

1.    Ensure your own safety.

2.    REMAIN CALM - Assess the situation.

3.    If possible, delegate actions to other leaders and participants so you can keep an overview, and to allow concurrent activity.

4.    Ensure the safety of the group. Make sure everyone is accounted for and adequately supervised.

5.    Call relevant emergency services if necessary (see phone numbers below).

6.    Carry out first aid to the best of your abilities.

First Aid

The aims of first aid are to

1.    Preserve life:

a.    Casualties need to be able to breath – if they are unconscious put them into a safe airway position.

b.    Try to find and stop any serious external bleeding.

2.    Prevent the condition worsening:

a.    Protect the casualty from the environment - keep them warm and dry.

b.    Monitor their condition.

3.    Promote recovery:

a.    Talk to them, reassure them, hold their hand, provide emotional support.

Urgent Action

Take stock and plan, delegating where possible.

Call school and speak to the Headteacher or Deputy.

In the event of an emergency call the number on the yellow card and speak to the safety team– 01274 431007.

For incidents outside of office hours, b/hols, w/ends please contact: 01274 431000 (option 3 emergencies) with the following message:

“We have a Fatal/Serious Injury Incident and we need assistance support from……(indicate one or more services eg Occupational Safety Team, Emergency Planning, Children Services etc).” “Please phone …… (your name) on … (the telephone number you can be contacted on) for further details.”

The information you give will be passed on to the relevant service(s) who will make contact with you

An emergency is one which results in life threatening injuries, or one involving multiple casualties with major injuries.  Major injuries are defined as fractures, amputations, loss of consciousness, eye injuries or injuries requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours.

On the call explain:

• You need support;
•  The emergency services are involved;
• The incident is serious;
• The press/media are involved

They could need the following information:

• Who you are, which establishment you are from and what your role is within the group;
• The number you can be called back on;
• The nature of the emergency and details of the incident;
• What help you need;
• Whether the emergency services are involved;
• How many casualties there are and their status;
• The number of people in your party;
• Your location, and whether you plan to move.

Liaise with, and take advice from, the emergency services if they are involved.

Address the urgent needs of the group:

• Ensure adequate supervision;
• Ensure they understand what to do to remain safe;
• Physical needs, e.g. shelter, food and drink, transport;
• Emotional needs, e.g. remove them from the scene, provide reassurance and emotional support (they can often do this for each other), give them useful things to do, protect them from intrusion.

Control communications - prevent group members from using phones or social media unsupervised or until approval is given.

Start a written log of actions taken and conversations held, with times.

Further Actions and Follow-Up

• Take stock again and re-plan the next phase – what have you forgotten?
• Deal with any casualties who are in the care of the emergency services:
• Accompany them to hospital;
• Keep track of who is where.
• Consider the needs of yourself and fellow leaders – are you/they coping?
• Liaise with your school/safety team – hand over what you can to them, to reduce the stress on you.
• Continue the written log with all details of the incident of the actions taken, including names and contact details of any witnesses.

Address the further needs of the group, for example:

• Toilets, washing facilities, clean/dry clothes;
• Transport;
• Accommodation;
• Contact with home.

Refer all media, parental or other enquiries to your establishment or employer.

Monitoring and review

Visit leaders are encouraged to review visits, considering the successful and less successful parts of the visit, and considering ways in which the visit could have been improved. Informal conversations might take place between the visit leader(s) and the EVC or Headteacher regarding the outcome of the visit.

This policy is monitored by the governing body and will be reviewed every two years, or before if necessary.

Appendix 1:

Blanket parental consent for local trips is sought when a child joins the school. Thereafter a letter or email will be sent to notify parents of a local visit but consent will not be sought. Local visits are within 3 miles of school