Common questions that are asked by External Visit Co-ordinators (EVC’s):

Q: Do I need risk assessments from a provider?
A: Providers from an Outdoor Education perspective are businesses that provide adventurous activities. Some of the common providers you will be familiar with include Kilve Court, Mill on the Brue, Charterhouse, PGL etc that have been accredited by a National Award such as AALA or Learning Outside the Classroom and their accreditation is confirmed to the Local Authority by way of an annual provider check we make with each provider. In many cases, providers may automatically send you their risk assessments, but you do not have to obtain provider risk assessments before your visit or residential commences. Your school/academy must focus on stages of the trip that you are responsible for – periods such as ‘downtime’ (between activities led by the provider, overnight periods, and travel to and from the venue). Risk assessments schools should complete will include your travel-based assessment e.g. coach travel or minibus travel (found in the transport section on EEC), along with a risk assessment based on the venue (found in the National Visits sections on EEC). These templates help the school/academy to identify its responsibilities before and during the trip. Alternatively, schools may look to complete generic risk assessments such as Supervision or General Excursions which are both located in the educational visits and activities section on EEC. These templates focus on the general duties that the school will be responsible for such as the pre-planning and time when you are at the venue to monitor the activity or periods between activities where you regain supervision of the group.  Further guidance on obtaining risk assessments from providers can be found here: https://oeapng.info/download/2736/

Q: I can’t find a specific risk assessment relating to the venue or provider on EEC.
A: You can go to risk management > list risk areas and their associated question sets, and on that page, you’ll see a green ‘request a RA Framework’ button. You can click visit and input details of the planned trip allowing a risk assessment template to be created for this provider.

Q: The provider is delivering and leading on an adventurous activity e.g., climbing/caving/water sports, do I need to complete a risk assessment specific to that activity for the trip?
A: You won’t need to complete an adventurous activities-based risk assessment because the activity will be led by the provider who will have its own risk assessments in place for the delivery of the activity. If you have a member of staff within your school or academy that holds a national governing body qualification such as sailing/climbing or caving etc and they are taking a group out then you will need to complete a risk assessment specific to that activity to reflect how they will manage the activity, young people, equipment etc.

Q: Do I need to have an EV6 consent form completed by every pupil for every trip?
A: It’s not necessary for schools to undertake a consent process for every trip. Many off-site visits (Category A) that take place during school hours and is integral to the school’s programme of activities or curriculum won’t need consent because it’s seen as a classroom outdoors. However, where schools identify what trips they have planned during the year e.g. swimming lessons, sports fixtures, visits to venues and local amenities (e.g. library, nearby fields/allotment, shops, museum, church etc.) the school may send a consent form (EV6) to the parents informing them of this programme and the type of trips that the school runs through the year. They may respond with views on certain trips such as those with a religious theme. There may be an instance where some trips arrive beyond the normal school closure time, in which case, informing parents of an expected arrival time will be sufficient.

Adventurous activities require a single consent form (EV5) because of the added risk and normally a request for payment from parents to subsidise the trip. Occasionally, a school may receive a surprise or opportunity to attend a venue or location which provides valuable developmental and learning opportunities for the school and its pupils, so a one-off consent would be recommended in that instance. See this guidance on consent: https://oeapng.info/download/1264/

Q: I want to take some pupils to a trampoline park, but my application has been refused.
A: Trampoline Parks are a Category-B trip and Somerset Council doesn’t endorse applications to Trampoline parks because they are not nationally accredited in terms of safety and supervision and the disclaimer they ask groups and schools to sign does not hold the legal weight it intends to set (Trampoline parks could equally be found liable following an accident or serious injury if the investigation finds issues such as poor or faulty equipment, ineffective supervision, guidance or information). The extent and nature of injuries at trampoline parks poses an increased the risk, leading to a wider agreement among all Outdoor Education Advisors in the Southwest to refuse trampoline park visits until a formal, national accreditation scheme recognises trampoline parks and there are clear educational objectives for schools to visit them (end of term celebration is not an acceptable aim or objective).

Q: I am signing off Category B trips as our EVC is off sick, what do I need to look for?
A: You will need to look through the application to assure yourself that the key details are in place. This would include:

• Looking at the main details screen where you can identify the correct pupil numbers are ratios have been accounted for. If pupil numbers drop out, that’s fine, because there are commonly late withdrawals, and you won’t need to change the detail at this late stage. It’s recognising how many are going (maximum) and adequate supervision in line with the actual register.
• The correct travel operator has been selected.
• Dates and times are correct.
• The purpose/educational objectives of the trip are described. E.g., reasons for going such as curriculum or developmental themes, study related etc.
• Check the ‘please note box’ on the application for any additional information.
• Check the itinerary with the Visit Leader to confirm details such as travel timings and operators, places where the group will be staying and activity locations.
• Check that any relevant risk assessments for which the school will be responsible have been uploaded such as coach travel. You can comment on the quality or any queries you may have from these assessments if you spot something that hasn’t been considered or have concerns about certain aspects of the trip.

If you are happy with these key elements, then you can click on the grant/deny button on the main details screen and confirm approval (including the Head teacher and Governors). Somerset Council receive the application and provide the OEA endorsement.

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