Off Site Visits Policy
BARNARDISTON HALL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
OFF SITE VISITS POLICY
Off-site visits are activities arranged by or on behalf of the school, and which take
place outside the school grounds. The Headteacher 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.
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.
TheDfE publication Health and Safety of Children on Educational Visits advises staff: pupil ratios for organised trips away from the school site of one member of staff per 4 -children aged 2-4, one member of staff per 5-6 children aged 5 -8, one member of staff per 10-15 Children aged 8-10, one member of staff per 15-20 boarders aged 11 and over, increased to one per 10 boarders for trips abroad or overnight stays. The school would be expected to exceed these ratios if the safety and welfare of the pupils required it.
The staff has a duty of care to the students in their charge. The agencies view of a Duty Of Care is “loco parentis.”All students are to be encouraged to be involved in off site visits, unless their behaviour record is such that staff cannot assume reasonable co-operation or be confident about exercising appropriate control. Visits that are arranged by staff to take the students out of school must conform to the agreed protocols: All staff planning on an activity off the school premises are to inform the School Office detailing which students are to be off the premises, what the destination is, time of leaving, time of return and in which vehicle they are travelling in, A risk assessment is completed for each trip using the ‘5 steps to risk assessments’ method. (Refer to section 1 of H & S Policy)
Staff undertaking visits must carry with them any medication that the student may require and emergency contact numbers.
Occasionally parents will be invited to accompany their children on trips with overnight stays. In each case they will be required to complete a CRB police check.
Students involved in off site visits are to wear I.D Badges detailing the school telephone number. Students involved in the outing are listed in the School Office.
A count of the students is made at regular intervals.
If a student/s is/are discovered as missing then a search of the area is taken by the member of staff. If the missing student is not located then the staff member should:
$1· Notify the police and provide them as precise a description of the student/s as possible, the last known whereabouts of the student/s and supply the police with any other details they may require.
$1· Notify the Duty manager at the school and act on any instructions.
$1· The Duty manager will notify the student’s parents.
The Member of staff initiating the search should remain in situ. until the police or assistance from school arrives, in case the missing student/s should return.
Staff on visits should have access to a mobile phone. All visits off site will have a separate risk assessment these are held in the Bursar’s office. Parental permission is obtained from parents/guardians for any trips off site other than school matches, details of these are to found on specific notice boards.
In the boarding department specific parental permission is obtained for:
$1· Visits to countries abroad
$1· Visits to
$1· Visits involving a special risk (Although the school refrains from participated in any high risk activities).
Be aware of the standard of behaviour that is expected as a pupil of
Off site visit Procedure
At the beginning of each term staff should make the Bursar aware of all the proposed trips for the coming term.
It will then be checked that a vehicle and driver are available.
The cost of the off-site activities will be calculated by the Bursar’s office and will include any of the following that apply:
• transport;
• entrance fees;
• provision of any special resources or equipment;
• costs related to adult helpers;
• any refreshments the school has opted to pay for.
A letter will then be sent to the parents/guardians of children involved providing them with all appropriate information about the intended visit and asking for written permission for their child to take part.
If the trip is to include an overnight stay then medical forms will need to be completed for each person taking part
Once the trips have been agreed the member of staff or the Bursar will collate from the venue the appropriate Health and Safety Information.
The Health & Safety Information provided by the venue is to be kept in the Bursary and will be provided to the members of staff designated as responsible for a particular trip.
The responsible and accompanying members of staff must then compile the final risk assessment for the trip, using the information provided by the venue and their previous experience of the venue.
The risk assessment must then be submitted to the Bursar. A decision will be made as to the number of pupils and the number of responsible adults that will be appropriate for the venue/activity. This will be within the guidelines of the DfE. (see above)
All members of staff and accompanying adults, that attend a School trip, are required to read, understand and sign the relevant risk assessment, which will be held in the Bursary.
No children will be able to travel without the appropriate number of supervising adults or without the appropriate risk assessments having been read and fully understood, and permission obtained from each child’s parent/guardian.
Any money or packed lunches must be ordered through the bursary at least one week before the trip takes place.
On the day of the activity the lead teacher must inform the school office of all children and adults attending the trip giving timings of departure and return.
The member of staff will be issued with a school mobile phone with all emergency contact numbers. These numbers should also be given to all other members of staff accompanying.
A Gregory
August 2013
