School prosecuted after mountain rescue team called to evacuate children
17th February 2022
“This incident was entirely avoidable. HSE recognises the benefits of outdoor learning...schools need to take sensible and proportionate measures to control the risks involved.”
For many school staff, planning and running school visits is simply ‘part of the job’, with experienced teachers likely to have led/accompanied tens or hundreds of visits during their career. Unfortunately, this can on occasion create complacency or over confidence.
The benefits of running schools visits are significant, and this article looks at what we can learn and implement, such as; What is competence? How can I check we have the right visit leadership team? Where can I get further advice?
Background
On the 17th Feb 2022 the Health and Safety Executive released their prosecution outcome against a school who had to be rescued by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) from Helvellyn after becoming stranded in winter conditions.
Thankfully incidents are rare on school visits, due to the skill, competence, training, and professional judgment of visit leaders, together with the support that most schools have access to during the planning phase of visits. However, without careful planning incidents can happen. In this article I am focusing on self-led adventurous activities in general, and not on this incident alone.
Schools typically have safeguards in place by way of an approval process, and many use an online system such as EVOLVE to aid in the process of checking and signing-off elements of the visit. For self-led adventurous visits this adds an additional layer of complexity and the ‘approver/s’ need to have the necessary technical competence to check all aspects of the visit and in particular the adventurous activity elements and the environment they are operating in.
What Do We Look For When Leading School Visits?
To lead any educational visit you need to be competent. In other words, suitably qualified (training and where relevent assessment), up-to-date, and sufficiently experienced in delivering that activity to be able to make sound professional judgments.
EVCs must check the competence of the visit/activity leader.
Heads need to be satisfied that the visit leadership team as a whole are competent, and able to comply with your policies and procedures.
For most schools the ability to determine competence around self-led adventure is not available ‘in-house’, and schools often seek external advice from a suitably competent technical expert.
What Do You Need To Look For When It Comes To Self-Led Adventure?
First and foremost are your staff suitably qualified? Some places to check are the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) such as Mountain Training, British Canoeing, Royal Yachting Association etc. They will provide the ‘scope’ of qualifications. Ask to see original certificates.
Next, is the leader’s CPD up to date? Again, many NGBs provide guidance on this, and many require leaders to log their ongoing CPD in order that their qualifications remain valid.
Then look for their experience, and in particular their recent experience. This includes experience of the activity, experience of the same or similar participants (young people, children, adults, needs, etc.), and experience in similar terrain or environments.
Finally, You Need To Consider Their Professional Judgement.
This is harder, but could be witnessed in their lessons, behaviour management, dealing with challenging situations, or their reactions when policies or procedures change.
Some staff may have their competence ‘signed off’ by a Technical Expert. Where this is the case, you must ensure their Statement of Competence matches the above in terms of experience, terrain, group, etc. and you should check the competence of the Technical Expert..
The OEAP National Guidance contains useful guidance on Activity Leaders and Visits Leaders, see www.oeapng.info
In this particular case, the HSE stated that the school had not taken advice from a suitably competent person to plan or organise of the excursion.
Key Take Aways
Check your staff are competent and provide suitable training;
Ensure a through risk management process is in place and this is backed up by a robust approval process;
If running self-led adventurous activities ensure your staff have the appropriate qualifications/experience and their CPD is up to date;
Seek advice from a competent technical expert (if necessary).
How Can We Help?
EVOLVE Advice supports schools, trusts and local authorities in planning and managing safe and enjoyable educational visits.
If the above seems overwhelming and you are looking for some support, please get it touch and we can point you in the right direction.
We believe all children and young people should be involved in educational visits regardless of age, stage or demographic, and we help schools navigate the humps along the way.