Geography Teaching Today

Despite this, it is relatively simple to ensure that your trip is safe, and given the number of students who attend fieldtrips, accidents are rare.

These pages will give guidance on the procedures that you should follow before, during and after your trip. Staff at the Field Studies Council's Brockhole Centre in the Lake District National Park give the following advice to teachers planning fieldwork:

Health and safety on field trips
Needless to say, no field trip should be planned and undertaken without first ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all those involved. The DCSF good practice guide "Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits" (HASPEV) and supplements provide the main source of guidance for leaders and helpers in connection with adventure activities and for educational visits. Teachernet also offers good sound advice on its website. Great care is needed when planning fieldwork involving river studies as even the most ‘innocent' stream can turn into a raging torrent following a period of rain in the Lake District. Organisers and fieldwork managers need to be clear about the principles underpinning health and safety and to ensure they meet the criteria of their Local Authority, governing body and head teacher before delivering learning outside the classroom.

Remember:

• Plan methodically
• Keep ‘learning’ as the main focus
• Follow guidance and best practice
• Be clear about responsibilities
• Consider the ‘what if’ scenarios
• Incorporate appropriate training
• Stay safe and have fun!
• Put in place a viable ’Plan B’ for unforeseen circumstances

• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Avoid hazards if at all possible by removing them
• Evaluate the risk and decide on precautions
• Record findings and implement them
• Review and update assessments
  (A hazard is anything that could reasonably be expected to cause harm, and a risk is the chance, high or low, that someone may be harmed.)
  

A risk assessment proforma, Health & Safety 5 Steps to Risk Assessment and Glenridding Beck guidance notes can be downloaded from the Health and Safety Executive website.

10 Vital Questions

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have identified 10 vital questions that should be asked about the arrangements in place for a visit before it is undertaken. These questions are important for everyone involved in the trip: parents, children, helpers, teachers, leaders, head teachers and governors.

The 10 vital questions are:

1. What are the main objectives of the visit?
2. What is "Plan B" if the main objectives can't be achieved?
3. What could go wrong ? Does the risk assessment cover: The main activity , "Plan B", Travel arrangements, Emergency procedures, Staff numbers, gender and skill mixes, Generic and site-specific hazards and risks (including for Plan B), Variable hazards (including environmental and participants' personal abilities and the ‘cut off' points).
4. What information will be provided for parents?
5. What consents will be sought?
6. What opportunities will parents have to ask questions (including any arrangements for a parents' meeting)?
7. What assurances are there of the leader(s) competencies?
8. What are the communication arrangements?
9. What are the arrangements for supervision, both during activities and ‘free time' - is there a Code of Conduct?
10. What are the arrangements for monitoring and reviewing the visit?

The HSE website has more information about these questions and other aspects of planning a visit.