How to create a school trip risk assessment
A school trip risk assessment is never easy to complete, no matter how experienced a teacher you are. Taking children on school trips is an amazing learning opportunity for both teachers and children. They are an invaluable tool in the educational armoury which provide incredible opportunities for children to make memories, boost their confidence and learn new skills. Children will be able to experience new sights and sounds in a new environment, and they can learn to investigate and make their own decisions, whilst also increasing their independence.
Unfortunately, on any school trip, there are many risks to consider. Although children love fun and adventure, safeguarding is crucial - which can be more difficult when outside of school. When planning and undertaking a school trip, teachers and leaders will be required to put together a risk assessment document, which will assist them when keeping pupils safe and sound.
Keep reading to discover a comprehensive guide to help teachers and school management teams understand what a school risk assessment form is, what it might look like, and how to do a risk assessment for a school trip themselves.
What is a school trip risk assessment?
The definition of a risk assessment is the process of identifying what hazards and risks currently exist or may occur in a school, workplace or any other environment. A risk assessment of a school trip involves a careful and thorough examination of any hazards or risks that can occur throughout the duration of a school trip - which can be very different to those found in the classroom, as it has to take into account of what may happen at the place being visited, as well as travel. This adds a whole new element to your school's health and safety management procedures. This includes the evaluation of aspects such as how many children will be present, the transport arrangements, the safety of the venue and the activities that the children will be doing.
During a school trip risk assessment, the trip leader will identify anything that has the potential to cause harm as well as what needs to be done to prevent it. It also helps to ensure that teachers comply with health and safety laws, so it is crucial to make sure your school trips and outings are carefully planned.
Not all the risks can be eliminated completely; a risk assessment helps you to ensure children aren’t unnecessarily exposed to things that could cause them harm and proves you’ve done all that you can that is reasonably practicable to keep them safe - in the same way as you consider health and safety within school.
Who will be responsible for doing the school trip risk assessment?
At the planning stage of a school trip, a lead teacher will be assigned by the head teacher. This is the person who will usually complete the risk assessment. They should be familiar with the trip and activities that it involves and understand the risks involved. This teacher will also be in charge throughout the duration of the trip, so it is important that they are aware of any risks involved.
How to do a risk assessment for a school trip
The best time to do a school trip risk assessment is in the initial planning stage of the trip. You need to consider any risks that occur at all different stages of the trip, from the bus ride to the main activity of the trip.
You need to record your findings about any hazards. These findings will include the hazards, who might be harmed, and what you are doing to control the risks. You will record who the trip leader is, as well as general information about the trip.
You should review the risk assessment just before the trip is due to take place. This will allow for any changes in the trip schedule or any newly emerged risks such as extreme weather.
What are the 5 things a risk assessment should include?
Identify the potential hazards
Determine a risk ranking system
Outline who may be affected
Outline control measures
Record your findings
Identify the possible hazards
To start with your school trip risk assessment, start by considering the possible hazards that could emerge at each stage of the trip. Use the trip plan to identify what hazards and risks could happen during different points of the trip. There will be more aspects to consider depending on how long and complex the trip is.
You should consider what hazards might arise during the travel portion of the trip such as on a private coach or public transport. For example, if using public transport, one risk would be children getting lost. You should then think about any risks that could take place during the activity of the trip. For example, there will be more potential hazards if children are going rock climbing versus exploring a museum. All school trips are different; some will have more potential risks than others. It is also worth considering any medical emergencies that could take place as well as any food allergies that could impact the trip.
Determine a ranking system
It’s a great idea to determine a school wide risk ranking system. This will make completing a school trip risk assessment easier for any future teachers. The number system can be used to describe the potential risk of each hazard, such as how likely it is to occur and the severity of the risk.
For example, the ranking system could work as follows:
1 - Low
2 - Moderate
3 - High
4 - Extremely high
Outline who may be affected
Next, you need to outline who will be affected by each hazard. This will be different for each hazard, some may affect the whole group of children or only specific children. When doing this, you should consider any children that have physical and/or learning difficulties. You should also consider those who have food allergies or medical conditions. These children will need extra care and attention as they might be more at risk of harm.
Outline control measures
Once the risk has been identified, you should consider any precautions you can take to reduce the risk. This can be banning any food that may trigger any food allergies or providing sun protection to prevent sunburn.
Record your findings
You can complete your school trip risk assessment in advance of the trip but make sure you review it just before you leave. Potential risks can change for many reasons such as a change in transport, additional children or a change in location.
Examples of possible risks
To help you complete your own risk assessment for a school trip, we have included an example of one possible hazard and how you can fill out your risk assessment accordingly.
Hazard: Exposure to weather
Risk: Cold injuries (Illness, frostbite) or heat injuries (sunburn, dehydration)
Rank: 1
People it may affect: Pupils and staff
Control measures: Ensure children are dressed appropriately (e.g. hats and gloves). Bring spare clothing and equipment for any children not provided for.
How can Crysp help with a school trip risk assessment?
Here at Crysp, we are all about helping schools digitise and manage their compliance and risks, and our expert health and safety advisers for schools are on hand to help you with your compliance journey.
We provide an online compliance platform to help schools keep up with regulations, monitor compliance, manage documents and create forms, so everything is there and easily accessible in one place. We also provide physical fire risk inspections for schools.
Contact Crysp today to chat about how we can help you manage compliance in your school or multi-academy trust.
For more information about health and safety in school and how digitising records can take the time and effort out of compliance management, read our Guide to Compliance for Schools here.