Educational visit Policy

Policy details

• Date created -      12/11/2024
• Date reviewed -    12/11/2024
• Date approved -   12/11/2024
• Next review date -12/11/2025
• Policy owner - Charlotte Millea

Statement of Intent

Co-op Academy Delius recognises that well planned opportunities for outdoor learning make a valuable contribution to the experience and achievement of all of our students. We actively promote a variety of residential/outdoor activities and educational visits for each student. Delius takes the health and wellbeing of our staff and students very seriously. We take reasonable steps as stated in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

This policy has been designed in line with the Department for Education (DfE) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s guidance and Co-op Academies Trust ‘Educational visits statement, and details our responsibilities for students whilst out on educational visits.

Please refer to the Co-op Academies Trsut EducationalVisitsStatement 2024

which provides guidelines which are followed by the academy, alongside this policy.

Rationale for Education visits

We believe educational visits play an invaluable role in a child’s education. Visits enrich and reinforce learning and first-hand experiences are particularly rewarding and important for our children. They help to develop a pupil’s investigative skills and longer visits in particular, encourage greater independence. We ensure visits are planned carefully to support learning across the curriculum.

At Delius the development of social and life skills are fundamental in preparing our pupils for life long education and personal development.

The aims of our education visits are:

• To provide motivating opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in a real life situation.
• To reinforce and revisit  classroom-based learning.
• To develop social and interpersonal skills
• To develop an awareness and appreciation of the outside environment.
• To promote cultural capital opportunities.

At Co-op Academy Delius Equal Opportunities plays an integral part in all aspects of teaching and learning. The school acknowledges the great value of Educational Visits in broadening and enhancing both the learning and social experience of young people. Children should go on a variety of school visits whilst they are pupils at Delius. To ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to access a wide range of enrichment opportunities, during their time at Delius, the curriculum team has mapped out an experience plan.

Ideally visits will support the work in the classroom. Each year the school will arrange a number of activities that take place off the school site and out of school hours, which support the aims of the school.

The range of activities which the Governing Body has given its approval includes:

• Out of hours clubs (music, drama, art, science, sport, homework etc)
• School sports teams
• Regular local visits (places of worship, swimming, other local amenities)
• Day visits for particular groups
• Residential visits
• Adventurous Activities.

Clarification of Roles

In line with the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP) National Guidance, Co-op Academy Delius has assigned staff to particular roles with regards to educational visits.

Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) - Charlotte Millea and Aimee Helie, who are responsible, on behalf of the Headteacher for:

• The day-to-day implementation and management of the Educational Visits Policy and related procedures
• Making staff aware of this policy
• Ensuring adequate insurances are in place to secure the health, safety and welfare of students and staff
• Authorising training for relevant staff with regard to the policy
• Ensuring that staff are competent to lead the visit
• To ensure that staff who attend trips are appropriately skilled and experienced to support the pupils complex needs. For example, to consider the role of supply staff and volunteers/students
• Visit or Activity Leader, this would be a leader of learning who has a suitable level of experience and skill set to lead the particular trip
• Ensuring that all pupils have access to a wide range of visits and experiences
• The academy ensures that both EVCs have attended relevant training. The academy has two EVCs to support succession and sustainability of visits

Group leaders, staff and accompanying adults attending educational visits are responsible for:

• Seeking approval in a timely manner
• Following the Educational Visits Policy including the implementation if the ‘Co-op Academy Delius Educational Visit Procedure Form’
• The group leader will conduct a preliminary visit
• The designated group leader of any educational visit has a duty of care over the students in place of a parent/carer for the health, safety and welfare of the group
• They will be aware of the specific needs of their pupils to ensure that all of their medical needs have been met, e.g. medication, care plans, equipment used etc
• They will be aware of the specific needs of their pupils to ensure that all of their behavioural needs have been met, e.g. behaviour support strategies and plans are in place
• The group leader must also liaise with the cover and care teams to ensure that the staffing in attendance are skills matched to the pupils. If any concerns or issues arise, the EVC should be informed, in order to provide support.
• The designated group leader will be responsible for using their discretion to deal with emergency situations, but will be in constant contact with school leaders and contactable at any time during the visit
• The group leader is responsible for coordinating any safeguarding issues and following Delius procedures on safeguarding whilst on the visit. If any serious issues arise, the group leader must contact the DSL and the Headteacher immediately

Education Visits Procedural Requirements

At Co-op Academy Delius an ‘Co-op Academy Delius Educational Visit Procedure Form’  has been developed in order to ensure that required processes are followed.

Visit leaders are required to complete the following steps in order to meet the academy’s requirements:

• A Trip Request Form should be completed to seek SLT approval
• An preliminary visit should be undertaken
• A register should be sent to the care team, to ascertain any medical needs which require consideration
• The pupil administrator will be informed of the trip and will support with transport needs
• The cover team will be aware of the trip and will support with any additional staff
• Parental consent will be sought
• Itineraries will be created
• A risk assessment will be agreed by SLT

Group leaders will upload all of the information to EVOLVE to be reviewed by the EVC.

On the day of the trip any amendments will be made to EVOLVE.

In line with the OEAP national guidance, visit leaders will adhere to the process of ‘checking out’ and ‘checking in’ before, during and after a visit.

Preliminary Visits

According to the (OEAP) National Guidance ‘’wherever reasonably practicable, it is
good practice to carry out a preliminary visit to unfamiliar facilities and providers’’.

Preliminary visits enable the Visit Leader to address questions such as:

• Will the provider and/or facilities be suitable to meet your requirements for the visit?
• Are there any particular hazards which need to be considered in visit planning and preparation?
• What will be the options if conditions of daylight, water level, temperature and weather, or under-foot conditions, differ significantly from the pre-visit?
• Do you have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the provider, facilities and activities to feel confident when planning the visit?
• Will the provider and/or facilities be able to cater for the full range of group
• needs, including any special needs?
• Will the group need any specialist equipment?
• Are there any additional staff training needs?

The preliminary visit can also inform the risk assessment.

When a preliminary visit is not possible. The group leader should speak to the EVC to determine the next steps.

Medication Requirements for trips

As part of the  ‘Co-op Academy Delius Educational Visit Procedure Form’ . The register of children and staff will be sent to the care team. This will enable the care team to ensure that all daily medication needs are accounted for. Further to this, where rescue medication is required (for example, Buccolam) a key first aider will be allocated to the trip.

Emergency medication will be kept with the named person during the day. During the visit, the medications should only be accessed in the event of an emergency or when required. All other staff and children to be positioned separately. A clear plan for the administration of daily medication will be implemented. Group leaders and staff who are trained in the administration of medicines will  be clear about who is responsible for particular duties that day.

Emergency Procedures During the Visit

The following should be in place and carried by the Group Leader and a copy will also be kept with the pupil administration team:

• The ‘Co-op Academy Delius Educational Visit Procedure Form’ which includes:
• Group list
• All contact details (these may be held in school for local visits during school hours)
• Mobile phone

If an emergency occurs on a school visit the group leader should maintain or resume control of the group overall. Contact should be made immediately with the Headteacher or other member of senior staff in their absence.

See section 5 of theCo-op Academy Trust Educational visits statement Revised August 2023.docx (see appendix 1) for additional information pertaining to emergency procedures during trips.

GDPR 

In line with school procedures, care plans will be carried with the children. Staff will sign them ‘back in’ at the end of the school day. Paper copies of trip forms can be shredded and online copies will be kept in the Educational Visit Information folder on the academy google drive,

The following has been removed/adapted from the previous policy:

All educational visits must be approved by the Head Teacher or designated EVC lead (Deputy Head Teacher) in advance.

The group leader should be fully conversant with the Educational Visits Policy and related procedures.

Any queries regarding the educational visits procedures should be made to the Head Teacher or designated EVC lead (Deputy Head Teacher).

A full risk assessment must be carried out by the group leader considering travel to/from the venue, activities undertaken and the students attending, and submitted for scrutiny on Evolve online system (Co-op Ed Procedures Appendix 5 – Evolve procedure)

Any student who has additional needs must be considered in the risk assessment. It will be necessary for the group leader to obtain risk assessments from the venue, e.g., in the event of high-risk activities.

No student should be prevented from attending a visit, unless in negotiations with the Head Teacher or designated EVC lead (Deputy Head Teacher) and other relevant parties, it is deemed to be in the best interests of the students’ education not to go or they present an unacceptable risk to themselves or others.

The group leader should ensure that parents/carers are given sufficient information in writing, for residential visits/trips or activities deemed dangerous and are invited to any briefing sessions.

The parental consent form should be completed in advance and returned to school for each student participating in a visit. The exception to the latter is in the case of frequently occurring, low risk activities within the school day, for which an annual consent form is sufficient.

Education visits procedures (located within our ‘Co-op Delius Education Procedures document’)

• Educational visits approval by Head Teacher or designated EVC lead (Deputy Head Teacher) – appendix 1

• Parental consent (residential visits) – appendix 2

• Governing body approval (where required)

• Planning and preparation checklist – appendix 3

• Risk assessment – appendix 4

• Evolve submission – appendix 5

• List of Adventurous activities – appendix 6

• Provider lead form (submitted for adventurous activity with outside provider, i.e. Horse Riding - appendix 7

Key roles and responsibilities:

Co-op Academy Delius Governing Body are responsible for:

The overall responsibility for the aim and objectives of the Educational Visits Policy and related procedures.

The overall responsibility for ensuring that the Educational Visits Policy, as written, does not discriminate on any grounds, including but not limited to: ethnicity/national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

Handling complaints regarding this policy as outlined in the Co-op Delius Complaints Policy.

The Head Teacher (designated EVC lead) is responsible for:

The authorisation of visits and notification, where appropriate to the stakeholders, e.g., Governing Body, Co-op Trust via Evolve.

• t.

Parents are responsible for:

• Ensuring that their child arrives promptly for the start of a visit, with appropriate clothing and kit

• Ensuring that Delius is aware of any medical or other needs/requirements in advance, which may need to considered

• Having completed all relevant forms of emergency contact and signed approval

Risk Assessment: (Co-op Ed Procedures appendix 4)

All educational visits must be risk assessed to ensure the safety and well-being of both pupils and staff.

The initial risk assessment is done through EVOLVE. The Group Leader will be responsible for logging the details of the visit on the EVOLVE system and attaching the relevant documents.

This will enable the EVC and the Head Teacher/designated EVC to view, query and authorise the visit.  

• Ensure all RA’s are dated and named with all relevant information including the lead name of assessor

• RA log number or name

• Place of visit, details of activity  

• Dates

• Manager responsible (signed on final page)  

• Risk rating

• Review dates (generally half termly, after which would consider your evaluation)

When considering individual risks on the risk assessment document:

1. Work through (left to right) the possible risks/hazards.
2. Identify risk
3. Identify who is at risk
4. Identify possible outcome if risk is not stopped
5. Rate the risk using the risk calculator (on front page)  
6. What controls will you put in place to alleviate/mitigate risk?  
7. Identify any further controls or RA’s (pupil, equipment etc)  
8. Re calculate risk

If the risk cannot be alleviated/mitigated, then the trip, visits or event should not take place. ∙ Management agreed page, Senior leaders (EVC and/or Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher) should have the final look at the RA to ensure it meets all safety requirements

Notice of educational visit (for office)

As well as the risk assessed activity each leader must provide a notice of the visit (appendix 1) which provides the school office and EVC with all relevant contact details of the visit.

∙ Class or group lead

∙ Purpose and place of visit

∙ List of all pupils and staff on the visit

∙ First aider and relevant medical details

∙ Telephone contact details (mobile or landline of visit venue)

In the case of accidents and injuries whilst on an educational visit, Delius’s accident reporting process will begin as detailed in the Health and Safety Policy.  

The main factors to consider include:

• establish the nature and extent of the emergency as quickly as possible.
• ensure that all the groups are safe and looked after.
• establish the names of any casualties and get immediate medical attention.
• ensure that a teacher accompanies casualties to hospital with any relevant medical information, and that the rest of the group are adequately supervised at all times and kept together.
• notify the police if necessary;
• ensure that all group members who need to know are aware of the incident;
• ensure that all group members are following the emergency procedures and the roles allocated to them – revise procedures and re-allocate roles as necessary;
• Inform the school/Trust contact and provider/tour operator (as appropriate). The school contact number should be accessible at all times during the visit;  details of the incident to pass on to the school should include: nature, date and time of incident; location of incident; names of casualties and details of their injuries; names of others involved so that parents can be reassured; action taken so far; action yet to be taken (and by whom);
• school contact should notify parents, providing as full a factual account of the incident as possible;
• notify insurers, especially if medical assistance is required (this may be done by the Trust or school contact);
• Ascertain phone numbers for future calls. Try not to rely solely on mobile phones;
• Write down accurately and as soon as possible all relevant facts and witness

details and preserve any vital evidence;

• Keep a written account of all events, times and contacts after the incident;
• Complete an accident report form as soon as possible. Contact HSE and Trust, if appropriate;
• No-one in the group should speak to the media. Names of those involved in the incident should not be given to the media as this could cause distress to their families. Refer media enquiries to a designated media contact within the Trust Policy ;
• No-one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties, nor sign anything relating to accident liability without clear advice from the Trust. Keep receipts for any expenses incurred – insurers will require these.

Appendix 1

Co-op Academy Delius Educational Visit Procedure Form