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Educational Visit PolicyAIM

The school has a strong commitment to the added value of learning beyond the classroom by the use of carefully planned educational visits. This is part of the school’s role to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes social, spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development and prepares young people for the opportunities and experiences of adult like.

Each year the school will arrange a number of activities that take place off the school site and out of school hours, which support the aims of the school. The range of activities which the Governing Body has given its approval includes:

Out of hours Clubs (music, drama, art, science, sport, homework etc) School sports teams Regular local visits (visits to cluster schools, Nexus) Day visits for particular groups Residential visits Overseas visits Adventurous Activities.

ELIGIBILITY

All Staff and students

SCOPE OF THE SCHEME

The school will achieve this by:

Following the best practice guidance from the OEAP Having clear roles and responsibilities Having clear procedural requirements

RESPONSIBILITIES

GovernorsIt is the responsibility of the Governors to ensure that:

There is an Establishment Visit Policy, or wider policies in place that cover all aspects of VisitsThere are training regimes in place to appropriately support the planning and delivery of visits and off-site learning.There is a trained EVC in place who meets Employer requirements.There are approval procedures in place at Establishment level and notification procedures in place between the Establishment and the Employer as required by the Employer’s guidance. The Establishment Visit Policy supports the principles of inclusion.There are monitoring procedures in place.To approve any overseas or adventurous activities.

The Governing Body has delegated the consideration and approval of offsite visits and activities to the Principal. The Principal has nominated Ruth Bullard as the Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) and the Governing Body has approved this appointment and the EVC has received training by the LA.

of 10 Flegg High School: Educational Visits Policy

Flegg High School A Business and Enterprise Academy

Somerton Road Martham Norfolk NR29 4QD

PrincipalThe Principal will oversee the work of the EVC. The Principal will keep the Governing Body aware of its Educational Visits events and programme via the normal Principal to Governors reporting process.

Role of the Educational Visit Co-ordinator (EVC)In order to carry out the full range of functions expected of an EVC (which includes taking a lead on assessing Visit/Activity Leader competence), the EVC have:

attended an Employer-led EVC Training Course and have revalidated this accreditation if that is required. significant experience of practical off-site activity and visit leadership. status within the Establishment that enables them to guide the working practices of their colleagues.

The EVC should ensure that all off-site visits organised by their Establishment meet the requirements of their Employer’s guidance, as well as the requirements of Establishment policy and procedures. EVCs should therefore be a focal point of off-site visit planning within their establishment. They should keep appropriate records of all visits and ensure that there is sample monitoring of provision. The EVC will also

Ensure that there are establishment procedures for visits. Lead on assessing competence of appointed leaders. Organise training and induction of Visit/Activity Leaders and Assistant Leaders. Ensure that there are administrative audit trails. Sample monitor activities to ensure that there is a match between policy/guidance and field operations (see

“Monitoring” below). Ensure that systems and procedures are reviewed.

Staffing

The school recognises the key role of accompanying staff in ensuring the highest standards of learning, challenge and safety on a school visit.

Staff are encouraged and supported to develop their abilities in organising and managing visits. There will be a system within the school to allow less experienced members of staff to work alongside more experienced colleagues on visits. The selection of staff for offsite visits will be a key priority in the initial approval of any proposed visit. Staff will be suitably qualified and experienced for proposed activities. Visit leaders will need to follow the OEAP guidance set out in the “Visit Leaders” document.

The school values and recognises the contribution of volunteer adults and parent helpers assisting with offsite activities and visits. Any volunteer will be approved by both the Principal and Visit Leader and is entered on the voluntary helpers list kept by the School. They will be carefully briefed on the scope of their responsibility. Where it is appropriate the school will ensure that DBS screening is available for volunteers.

The appointed Visit Leader will be fully supported in the tasks required to arrange the visit. This will include, as necessary, making time or finances available to conduct an exploratory visit, briefing teachers and/or other staff, accessing training courses, reviewing and evaluating the visit or identifying time when the leader and EVC might work in partnership to undertake planning and risk assessments.

Visit staff must not be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, (including prescribed and over the counter drugs) such that their ability to recognise hazards or respond to emergencies is in any way restricted.

The school does not normally support additional people accompanying educational visits that are not students at the school or part of the agreed staff complement. This may include family members accompanying visits if the Principal is not satisfied that there is an educational benefit for the students.


It is the school’s Policy that for all visits including those in the local environment there should normally be one adult member of each gender if a mixed gender group is being taken. There may be occasions due to staffing issues where this is not possible.

Parents Responsibilities

Parents should be aware of the following:

Their right to full information. Their need to provide full information about their child. The requirements for parental consent (where applicable). The need for Parents and young people to have a proper understanding of behavioural expectations and

sanctions which may be set out in a Code of Conduct. The need to provide a 24/7 home emergency contact number.

External Activity Providers

Where external contractors are involved in organising all or part of the visit, the contract will be made with the school on behalf of the pupils. All payments for the visit will be made through the school accounts.

The Visit Leader will make appropriate checks before committing the school to the contract. This will include seeking assurances about health and safety, and any accreditation and licensing. Wherever possible the school will seek to use holders of the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge for which no Providers Contracts or other assurance checks are required.

Protocols and ProceduresLevel 1 visit Protocols and procedures are set out in the Standard Operating Procedures (Appendix 1)Level 2 and Level 3 visits should follow the procedures as laid out in Appendix 2. All the relevant information and guidance, including all forms, are available to staff via the staff resources area, Educational Visits Folder.All visits except for those covered by the Standard Operating Procedures will use the EVOLVE system to record all the visit information. Approvals will be given through the EVOLVE system.The school will use the SAGED approach for assessing requirements for ratios and effective supervision• Staffing requirements – trained? experienced? competent? ratios?• Activity characteristics – specialist? insurance issues? licensable?• Group characteristics – prior experience? ability? behaviour? special and medical needs?• Environmental conditions – like last time? impact of weather? water levels?• Distance from support mechanisms in place at the home base – transport? residential?

Risk Assessment

The Visit Leader will seek to identify any significant risks from any activity that is under their control and take appropriate steps to ensure all participants are safe. Good practice precautions and safety measures will be taken and this will be recorded in a risk assessment.

Parental Consents


Written consent will be requested for activities that need a higher level of risk management or those that take place outside school hours. The school has a standard form, which will be used for this purpose.

As part of the parent consent they will be fully informed of the activities and arrangements for the visit. For all residential visits parents will be invited to a briefing meeting where they can ask for clarification of any aspect of the itinerary and organisation of the visit.The school has policies for Charging and Remissions use of Pupil Premium, Behaviour and Inclusion, which applies to all visits.

The expectations of Pupils and Parents

The school has a clear code of conduct for school visits based on the school ‘Behaviour Policy’. This code of conduct will be part of the condition of booking by the parents. Pupils, whose behaviour is such that the Visit Leader is concerned for their safety, or for that of others, can be withdrawn from the activity. The Visit Leader will consider whether such pupils should be sent home early and parents will be expected to cover any costs of the journey home early.

Emergency Procedures ( for further details see Appendix 2 : Procedures.)The school will appoint a member of the Senior Management Team as the emergency contact for each visit. All major incidents should immediately be relayed to this person, especially those involving injury or that might attract media attention.

The Visit Leader will leave full details of all pupils and accompanying adults on the visit with the emergency contact, including the home contact details of parents and next-of-kin, as appropriate.

All incidents and accidents occurring on a visit will be reported back and recorded following normal school procedures for reporting and investigating accidents.

Charging Policy for Activities and Visits (for further detail see Appendix 2: Procedures and the Academy Charging Policy.)

The school may invite, but not require, parents to make voluntary contributions for school activities in order to enhance what is otherwise provided. There is no obligation to contribute and pupils will not be treated any differently according to whether or not their parents have made a contribution.

The level of contribution will be calculated for each activity and may include, for example, an element to cover the participation by young people from low-income families or the cost of travel for accompanying teachers. Some activities may not take place if parents are reluctant to support it

The school will comply with the law in relation to charges that may be made for the cost of activities provided outside school hours, within school hours and for board and lodging on residential courses.

Other school policies that this Educational Visit policy relates to are:

School Charging Policy Remission of Charges Policy (Maybe part of above policy). Pupil Premium Policy (Which has to be outlined on school website) Guidance re use of Pupil Premium to

support visits is in Evolve resources. Inclusion Policy Behavior Policy


Breaches of the policy Breaches of this policy will be dealt with in the same ways that breaches of other school Policies are dealt with, as determined by the Principal and Governing body.

MONITORING

The Visit Leader will evaluate all visits and produce a short report which will be given to the EVC.

The school is supported in its arrangements for offsite visits by the County Council. Where necessary the school will seek advice from the Adviser for Outdoor Learning. All visits that involve an overnight stay, going abroad and any that involve adventurous activities will be notified to the LA prior to departure. The LA will provide an independent reassurance check of the plan and the precautions and safety measures that will be taken. Any advice provided will be fully considered prior to the trip taking place.

Field monitoring will be carried out by the EVC and / or other Senior members of staff from time to time. The following will be monitored; environmental conditions, staff and leader competence, group ability, behaviour and needs, the activity and the achievement of the stated outcomes.

REVIEW

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years by the SLT MEMBER and the appropriate Committee.

Confirmed by: The APPROPRIATE COMMITTEE of Flegg High Academy Trust

Signature of Chair: Bev Bucklee Committee: Standards Dated: 2.3.15


Appendix 1: Local Visits – Standard Operating Procedures

For low risk local visits, it is not necessary to put the visit on EVOLVE as long as these Procedures are followed.

Local visits means:

Visits to any of our cluster Primary schools Visits to the following High Schools: Venture Academy, Caister High, Great Yarmouth High, Lynn Grove, Cliff

Park, Acle Academy, Stalham High School, Broadland High Visits to East Norfolk Sixth Form, Paston College, Great Yarmouth College, Nexus Any visit within Martham (for example to the Church, Library) Visits to community venues in Great Yarmouth such as the Marina, Hippodrome, Town Hall, radio station.) Visits to Norwich which are free to the students; take place during the school day and involve less than 5

students.

Low risk means

Taking part in or delivering an organised event or activity that doesn’t involve anything adventurous (if in doubt, please check with Ruth Bullard)

Pre-planning

You will need to put together the following details:

*There are now no fixed ratios for staffing levels on visits. It depends on the nature of the activity, the group of students (eg any additional needs and / or behavioural difficulties) the location and the activity. Ruth Bullard will give you some guidance on this.

Once you have all this information, please see Ruth Bullard to have the trip confirmed.


Things to find out and do tickFinancial Costs-including travel, cover. Emma Pettit in Finance will help you with this.Please do NOT assume that the school can cover any or all of the costs of the proposed visit.Educational objectives – keep these fairly simple as then it is easier to evaluate the outcomesStudents: Year group(s) / numbersStaffing * There must be sufficient staffing to ensure the safety of the students at all timesIt is the school’s Policy that for all visits including those in the local environment there should normally be one adult member of each gender if a mixed gender group is being taken. There may be occasions due to staffing issues where this is not possible.

Date(s) - Check the school Calendar- Check for any exams- Check with Mary Arnold on cover. Please note: If there are already lots of Staff out

of school on your proposed date, the Visit might not be able to go ahead.

Planning

Payment

See Finance for the arrangements to collect any money.

All visit money MUST be handed into Reception by students who will then be given a printed receipt. Staff must never collect in money from students-this is to protect you.

Letter to Parents / Carers- include all the details – Please use the parent letter template

times /date /place of visit nature of activities and educational outcomes method of transport what the students should wear and bring (uniform? Lunch? Drinks? Footware?) where the students should meet and at what time contact name for any queries Whether there is a charge for the visit and if so, how much and where it should be paid.


Things to find out and do tickParent Letter - see below. If a small number of students are going, it is acceptable to phone or email (please ask parents to reply to an email once they have read it.)

List of participants and contact details

Transport – minibuses are booked using the form in the Finance office. Coaches need to be booked well in advance – please see Finance.Student / Staff with medical issues / special needs - Check to see if any of the students you are planning to take have any medical issues / special needs / behaviour issues. SENCO / SENCO PA and School Nurse can help to give you this information. Also check that any Staff / volunteers going with you don’t have any medical issues / special needs (access requirements/ hearing loops etc.)

First Aid – if there are reciprocal first aid arrangements (venue has their own first aid arrangements) you do not need to take a first aid kit or have a first aider with you. if there are no reciprocal arrangements with the establishment / venue, then a first aid kit must be taken and you should have a qualified First Aider member of staff with you.Communication – you must take either a school mobile phone with you OR leave your personal mobile number with the front office and EVA. The venue / establishment number must also be left with the front office / EVAActivity – what activity / activities will the students be doing? Do they need any training / instruction before the event? Is it a simple / complex task? Do you need to take any additional equipment? Who will be responsible for this? How will it be transported / stored? Will staff be familiar with this equipment? Are there any potential hazards connected with this activity? Environment – what environment is the activity taking place in? Busy? Near water? Unfamiliar to staff (ask for plans /maps in advance) Set clear boundaries for students / remind of expectations.

Paren’ts letter continued:

Your letter to parents MUST include the following wording:

You MUST include the following wording in your letter if all other students are asked to bring a packed lunch:

“If your child currently receives free school meals, they will be provided with a packed lunch which can be collected on the day from OT’s.”

COST- Whether there is a charge for the visit and if so, how much and when it needs to be paid by.

You MUST include the following wording in your letter if you are charging for the visit:

“If your child is currently in receipt of free school meals or is a Child who is Looked After, they may be entitled to financial help towards the cost of this visit. If you would like to access this support, please contact the Finance office at the school as soon as you receive this letter.”

This is contained in the template- available in the Educational Visit section of Staff shared resources.

Travel Protocols:

Walking: before departure students must be reminded of behaviour expectations and told not to run. Appoint a front and back marker and tell students they must not go behind the back marker or ahead of the front marker.

Students must stop and look carefully before crossing any road.

Any major roads, staff must check it is safe to cross before the students start crossing.

Coach / Minibus:

Remind students of behaviour expectations before departure, including not to distract driver, to wear seat belts and to follow the instructions of the driver at all times. Remind students of what to do in the event of an accident.

Risk assessment – there is no need to fill in a risk assessment for this visit except for individual student risk assessments to cover any medical or behavioural issues.

The following information MUST be given to both the front office and EVA

List of participants Place of visit with contact number Departure and return times Emergency contact number

You MUST let the front office know when you have returned.

If this is after the front office is closed, please let the EVA / EVC know you have returned – leave a note on or under the door if necessary.


Appendix 2: Procedures

1. Approval Procedure and consent

The Principal has nominated the Director of Business and Enterprise as the Educational Visits Co-ordinator and the Governing Body has approved this appointment. This person has attended the LA EVC training course and an update and will be given sufficient time and resources to carry out the role. To assist with the administrative side of organising visits, an Educational Visits Administrator (EVA) has been appointed (Lorraine Malloupa) and she will also be attending EVC training.

Level 1 visits (local, low risk) are covered by the Standard Operating Procedures (as in appendix 1.)

The Visit Leader should work through the sheet and approval would be given by the EVC subject to all the required arrangements being in place.

Level 2 visits: all non- residential and non-adventurous activities

Before a visit is advertised to parents / carers, the EVC must approve the initial plan.

Once outline approval has been given, the visit leader should use the appropriate tick list and paperwork that can found on Staff shared under Educational Visits, including parental consent form and parent letter template.

For Level 3 visits: residential, overseas, adventurous activities

Before a visit is advertised to parents / carers, the Visit Leader must submit an outline plan of the proposed visit to the Senior Leadership Team for approval.

Only once SLT approval has been given, can the visit start to be organised and any bookings can be made. The Visit Leader must use all the templates and tick lists in the Educational Visits folder on staff shared, including parental consent form, parent letter template. For residential / overseas visits, parents / carers will be invited to a briefing meeting where they can ask for clarification of any aspect of the itinerary and organisation of the visit.

2. Remissions

The Academy will follow all DfE and statutory guidance relating to remissions for educational visits.

Full details of the nature and scope of any charges are set out in the Charging Policy.

Visit Leaders must see the Finance Manager at the start of the planning process to accurately determine costs and to set an appropriate level of charge.

Teachers must never collect in money for visits from students. All payments by students must be made through the main school office and students will be issued a receipt.

3. Emergency Procedures

The Visit Leader will take with them and leave with the school office, full details of all pupils and accompanying adults on the visit, including the home contact details of parents / carers / guardians. The Visit Leader will be issued with a school mobile unless they wish to use their own as an emergency contact number.

In the case of overseas/ residential visits, the Visit Leader will prepare an information pack containing all the details of the visit and copies of all contact numbers. The Visit Leader will have with them the school and home contact numbers for the emergency school contact. The Visit Leader will have emergency funding available.

All incidents and accidents occurring on a visit will be reported back through the usual school systems.


Visit Leaders will be given a copy of the OECP emergency check list and guidance.

If necessary, the school will seek the advice and support of the County Critical incident team.

4. Risk assessmentsFor Level 1 visits, a generic risk assessment can be used but this should be supplemented by any student specific risk assessments to cover any medical conditions or behavioural issues.For Level 2 and Level 3 visits – the standard risk assessment template should be completed by the visit leader and is evaluated by the EVC as part of the approval process on EVOLVE.Information on students with any behavioural issues can be obtained from the SENCO PA and is available in the SEN area of staff resources.Information on students with medical conditions should be obtained from returned parental consent forms and from the school nurse. For nay residential visits and / or adventurous activities, the Visit Leader should have a conversation with the parent / carer prior to the visit to gain an up to date understanding of the condition, how it is to be managed, triggers or areas of concern.

5. EvaluationThe Visit Leader (with administrative assistance) is responsible for presenting a financial account for the visit, which will be audited as part of the school’s procedures.To evaluate the learning outcomes, students should be required to complete an evaluation form.


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