LAs/schools/colleges must set standards of competence for staff leading each type of visit. They must develop appropriate policies and provide clear guidance for staff, including guidance on supervision and ratios and advising how staff should be deployed. They should also ensure that staff are trained in their health and safety responsibilities and that they are competent to carry out their health and safety duties, especially risk assessment.

The DCSF guidance strongly recommends all schools/colleges appoint an Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC), and for each LA to have an Outdoor Education Adviser (OEA) to liaise with the school EVCs, help to train staff and to provide generic risk assessments to schools. EVCs and group leaders must take into account the DCSF guidance and LA policies. The EVC does not have to be one person. The duties could be shared

Published by the DCSF, they offer detailed advice on the practicalities of leading school groups, including supervision, on-going risk assessment, emergency procedures and specific activities.

Contact DCSF publications on Tel: 0845 6022260 or go to:

www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthandsafety/visits/

Guidance has also been issued by the DCSF on the role of support staff on educational visits: Guidance on roles of school support staff beyond the classroom. www.schoolcall.com is a site dedicated to helping parents find out about the visit their children are on.

The government has now published its Education outside the Classroom Manifesto, which among other things expresses the government's support for schools and LAs so that they can better manage safety on educational visits. See the full manifesto on www.teachernet.gov.uk

OCR offers a certificate in Off-Site Safety Management (OSM). Contact Information Bureau Tel: 024 7685 1509 or email: cib@ocr.org.uk

Quick Guides Educational Visits (EV) Section under Management of Health and Safety.