Educational visits policy

This policy is written in reference to the following documents and guidance: Health and Safety: Responsibilities and Powers and Standards for LEAS in Overseeing Educational Visits.

At IBSB, educational visits are seen as an integral part of school life. As part of our aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, educational visits:

Have a stated educational purpose
Provide children with first hand experiences
Enhance learning opportunities
Develop personal and social skills
Provide a positive contribution to the development of cross-curricular dimensions
Enhance the delivery of the curriculum
Encourage Excellence and Enjoyment
Learning to make a Positive Contribution

Visits include:

Walks around the local area
Environmental Studies of the local area

Local visits
Sporting and other curriculum related events [e.g. Sports Events, CAS visits, Environmental Events etc]
Half or full day visits which need transport
Residential visits

Planning

If possible educational visits should be included in initial and long-term planning. In some cases it will be necessary to plan further in advance, for example at the beginning of the school year, as some visit locations are in heavy demand.

Information needs to be sent for in advance, and where possible, a pre-visit arranged. Information on possible places to visit is kept with staff resources. Curriculum Subject Leaders may have further information.

Teachers should endeavour to include at least one visit per term which is related to the curriculum.

It is recommended that prior to taking the children on an educational visit, the teacher will make a preliminary visit to assess potential risks and plan the use of the facilities, transport etc.

Preparation

Once a member of staff has decided on the visit location which needs a coach, then detailed preparation needs to start at least one monthin advance. Local visits need to have at least one week’s notice so that permission slips can be sent out and returned.

The school diary should be checked to make sure the date is free, as should the buses to ensure there are enough available. Give the School Office the dates, venue [including address and telephone number], time of departure and return and the number of children and adults going. A bus can then be booked.

If a physically disabled child is going on the visit then additional arrangements need to be made. Lack of facilities for physically disabled children need not prejudice the viability of a visit if no other venue is available.

Once the details of the visit have been confirmed then a letter to parents needs to be drafted. This should be checked by the Head teacher and Executive Director before it is translated into Romanian and reproduced. The letter should include details of:

Venue
Date
Departure and arrival times
What to wear
What to take
Packed lunches
Cost
A clear reply slip giving permission must be included for parents to return, signed and date
Pocket money amounts [at the discretion of the class teacher]

NBAdults do not need to be charged the cost of the visit. Their admission fee, if applicable, should be budgeted for in the cost of the children’s visit.

Staff should keep their own record of slips and monies returned to school. All slips and monies should then be sent to the school office. It is acceptable to leave children with severe behavioural problems at school. This is for safety reasons. Provision will be made for any child who does not take part in the educational visit due to the wishes of their parents or behavioural problems. Children who need special provision to attend the trip must be catered for and noted on the risk assessment form.

Itinerary

A detailed itinerary needs to be planned for the whole visit. This should include:

Times
Places, with phone number in case of emergency, details of disabled facilities and access if appropriate
Activities
Groups
Supervision
Risk Assessment

What to take:

First aid kit
Any medication specific children need, for example for asthma - all medication must be labelled and parental consent needs to be given for its administration
Emergency contact list
Sick bucket, paper towels, plastic gloves etc.
Any resources or equipment needed
Cheque[s] / monies to pay for costs

Costs

The amount the children pay needs to cover the whole cost of the visit including transport, admission fees, educational packs, adult helpers etc.

Child – Adult Ratio

Ratio of children to adults should be at least 1:7 in R, rising to a ratio of 1:8 in Key Stage 1, 1:10 in Key Stage 2 and 1:12 in the Senior School. The number of adults needed will depend on the nature of the visit and the amount of supervision needed. Guidance can be sought from the Headteacher and Executive Director.

Uniform

It is easier to identify children if they are wearing their school uniform. If the visit is likely to involve a lot of outdoor activities, for example, to a farm, then request that parents send their children in suitable clothing and footwear.

Safety

Risk Assessments must be completed for all visits. This must be completed by the class teacher at least 2 days before the visit and approved by the Headteacher / Executive Director. Copies must be kept in the office. The Risk Assessment form is Appendix 1. They involve the careful examination of what could cause harm during the visit and whether enough precautions have been taken or whether more should be done. The aim is to make sure no one gets hurt or becomes ill. The control measures should be understood by those involved. Risk assessments should explicitly cover how special educational needs and medical needs are to be addressed. The programme of a visit, as set out in the risk assessment and the consent form, should not be deviated from and should include details of contingency measures – plan B.
The group leader, or other adults with responsibility, should reassess risks while the visit is taking place. Ongoing risk assessments normally consist of judgements and decisions made as the need arises.
Children must be supervised by an adult at all times, including lunch times
A suitable place for lunch and toilet facilities needs to be considered when planning the trip
Staff must make an assessment of any potential hazardous situations before the visit takes place, for example children’s playgrounds, and all hazards should be identified in the Risk Assessment
All adults need to be comprehensively briefed so that they know the itinerary, which group of children are in their charge, the aims of the visit, and exactly what their duties are

Residential Visits

Residential visits are an integral part of a pupil’s school life and all children should be given the opportunity to experience a residential visit during their time at IBSB.

Due to the cost of residential visits the school will ask for a non refundable deposit and will give parents sufficient time to pay the full amount through a budgeting scheme.

The school will reserve the right to cancel a child’s place if their behaviour raises concerns for the safety of other children in the group, and will lose any monies already paid.

The teacher responsible for organising the residential visit must make a preliminary visit to the location before planning the visit, and particular attention needs to be given to safety and security provision at the site.

Parents will be kept informed through meetings prior to the visit.

A designated first aider will be present to administer medication during the visit, and attend to any medical problems as they occur.

Written consent must be sought before a child can be given any medication. All medicines must be labelled and kept securely by the first aider. Instructions for the administration of medication must be provided by the parent.

A parent’s up to date mobile phone numbers will need to be collected so that they can be contacted in case of emergencies.

The teacher will need to ensure that insurance for the visit is up to date and valid.

All residential visits need the approval of the Management team. The teacher must ask their approval at the meeting prior to the visit. It must be an item on the agenda.