Educational Visits Policy

Duck Street, Cerne Abbas, Dorset, DT2 7LA

‘The Small School with the Big Heart.’

Tel: 01300 341319         e-mail:office@cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk         Website: www.cerneabbas.dorset.sch.uk

Educational Visits Policy  

Our vision is to be the best we can be.

We are committed to nurturing every child to thrive in a safe and engaging environment based on our Christian values of Peace, Trust, Friendship, Joy, Courage and Forgiveness. We strive to develop happy and confident learners ready to face the challenges of their next steps.

Overview

Safely managed educational visits with a clear purpose are an indispensable part of a broad and balanced curriculum.  They are an opportunity to extend the learning of all pupils, including an enrichment of their understanding of themselves, others and the world around them.  They can be a catalyst for improved personal performance, promote a lifetime interest and in some cases lead to professional fulfilment.  Educational visits are to be encouraged.

This school recognises its duty of care and statutory responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare of pupils, staff, volunteers, providers and members of the public in connection with educational visits for which it is accountable.

The school has adopted OEAP National Guidance as part of its policy for offsite visits;

This policy applies to all educational visits in the local area (Cerne Abbas village and surrounding countryside) and all educational and sports visits outside this area

Aims

• To ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to benefit from educational visits
• To ensure that all visits are safe, purposeful and appropriate to meet the educational needs of pupils taking part
• To enable the school to identify appropriate functions, responsibilities, training, support and monitoring for governors, staff, volunteer assistants, pupils and providers involved in educational visits (see Appendix A)
• To ensure that whenever appropriate, further advice is sought from the LA and from other technically competent sources.

Key Principles

Staff

• All visits will have a clear, recorded educational purpose and will be planned sufficiently well in advance in accordance with good practice and effective planning procedures detailed in the DC Policy of Safety and Guidance – Offsite Events and Adventurous Activities. The governing body will include in its role the support of school policy and procedures for educational visits including the reporting of visits. 
• The FGB has a link Governor to monitor School visits
• All risk assessments will be recorded on Evolve 10 working days before a trip takes place
• Any trip that involves an adventurous activity or an overnight stay will be posted 28 days before the event takes place
• The Headteacher will be responsible for the approval of all visits, or may delegate  this function to the Educational Visits Co-ordinator. 
• A named and trained Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) will be appointed to support the governing body and Headteacher; In the absence of a suitably trained Educational Visits Co-ordinator the head teacher automatically assumes this role.
• The EVC for Cerne Abbas CE VC First School is Andrea Schafer
• There will be a named and approved Trip Leader (and where appropriate, deputy) on all educational visits. This Event leader will be specifically competent for the role as detailed in the DCC Policy of Safety and Guidance – Offsite Events and Adventurous Activities.  If in any doubt confirmation will be sought from the Outdoor Education Adviser.

• Working with the EVC as necessary, the Trip Leader will be responsible for all aspects of the planning, risk assessment and organisation of the visit.  The Trip Leader will assume full responsibility during the visit, including ongoing risk assessment

• The Trip Leader will ensure when purchasing goods and services that appropriate checks are made and that insurance and financial procedures have been followed

• Details of any residential visits at home or abroad or day visits involving activities of a hazardous nature will be submitted to the LA for assessment/monitoring through use of Evolve at least 1 month before the departure date.
• Trip leaders will provide feedback on each trip - including comments from pupils within a week of the visit

Emergency procedures

These procedures include copyright material from a model document published by OEAP National Guidance at oeapng.info

• In an emergency situation the first priority will be the safety of pupils, volunteers and staff on the trip.
• Trip leaders will follow these procedures - a laminated copy will be carried on each trip
• Emergency plan for site visits - establishment
• First contact sheet on receiving an emergency phone call

Parents and carers

• The school will provide parents and carers with information about policy and procedures relating to the safe management of educational visits
• Parents and carers will be given sufficient written and supplementary information about educational visits to enable them to make informed decisions and give written consent together with medical and emergency contact details

• Whenever appropriate for higher risk, residential and foreign visits a briefing meeting with parents/guardians will be arranged
• Expectations with regard to behaviour and codes of conduct will be explained to parents/guardians.  This information will include the necessity of meeting additional costs and making collection arrangements in certain circumstances.

Pupils

• Wherever possible, pupils should be involved with the planning of an educational visit, establishing codes of conduct, assessing and managing risk and evaluating their own learning, development, attitudes and behaviour
• Pupils should be adequately briefed about aims, expectations and codes of conduct for all educational visits.  Ongoing briefings are an important element of learning and safety.
• Pupils will be asked to assess each trip and make comments which will be recorded and uploaded to Evolve

Links

Although this policy focuses on the management of health, safety and welfare, educational visits are an integral part of the strategy for learning and the curriculum plan.   The policy should therefore be linked to complementary policies concerned with such issues as equality of opportunity, special educational needs, social inclusion and staff development. 

Appendix A

Off-Site Visits Volunteer Agreement

School trips are an integral part of learning at our school and afford many pupils opportunities which are outside their usual experiences. We are pleased that you have come forward as a volunteer helper; you will have an important role to play in the success and safety of this school trip.

This is part of our school’s risk assessment planning and safeguarding arrangements.

 Role of the Volunteer Helper

• To be responsible and look after, in equal measure, all of the pupils in your group under the instruction of the Leader of the school trip

• To stay with your allocated group of pupils, ensuring that their wellbeing and safety is maintained for the total duration of the school trip

• To promote polite, respectful and courteous behaviour towards each other and members of the general public. We all go as ambassadors of our school.

• To ensure that your group keep up with the body of the school visit party, be it walking, entering or exiting from transportation or following speakers for the trip To contact your child’s class teacher/member of staff if there are issues with first aid, safety and/or behaviour

Working alongside school staff

School staff expect volunteer helpers to:

• Comply with all of the above whilst being under the direct supervision of school staff

• Show a commitment to their group, an interest in the focus of the visit and assist pupils in their learning by helping them to read signs/labels/information, asking questions that encourage pupils to think about the task and help to explain the areas of interest

• Follow guidance from the school staff

 What is not permitted

• Volunteer helpers are not allowed to bring additional children e.g. siblings or children in the care of the volunteer on the school trip

• Volunteer helpers are not allowed to smoke, drink alcohol or engage in any illegal practices whilst undertaking their volunteer duties

• Volunteer helpers are not permitted to take photographs of pupils unless using a school camera

• Volunteer helpers are not allowed to give/buy their group treats e.g. ice creams, biscuits, sweets – before, during or after the school trip

In order to maintain effective supervision parent volunteers should not expect to always be able to operate within a group containing their own child

 First Aid

You will be informed if any child in your group has medication/needs. If medicine needs to be administered, this will be done by a member of staff unless you are the Parent/ Carer of the child who requires medicine, in which case you will be asked to administer this and be responsible for carrying the medicine.

All other medicines and first aid box(es) will be carried by staff.

Emergencies

You are expected to inform a member of staff as soon as possible.

If you have become separated from the rest of the school party, please telephone one of the members of staff on your contact list or telephone the school.