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How to complete a risk assessment for a school trip to London
You must complete a risk assessment for a school trip before you embark on your learning adventure. School trips are exciting and educational but also come with an increased level of risk, which everyone involved must be made aware of. Risk assessments are used to identify potential risks and protect you and your students from any harm.
A school trip to London comes with its own set of risks and it’s important that you take all necessary precautions to protect the safety of your students. This will also increase parents’ confidence in your supervision and help them to feel reassured when sending their children on the trip.
To help, this blog will cover how to put together an effective risk assessment form for your London school trip.
Identify any potential hazards and risks
The first step in a risk assessment is identifying all potential risks that may occur during the trip. You won’t be able to remove all risks, but it’s important to spend time identifying all potential hazards so that students are not exposed to any unnecessary danger. You should also be adequately prepared to effectively manage any incidents if and when they occur.
When completing a risk assessment for a school trip to London, it can be useful to refer to the travel itinerary. Walk through the days and consider any hazards that you or your students may encounter throughout the trip. Risks and hazards will vary depending on the school trip, but there are standard risks that you should take into account…
The number of supervisors needed to look after all the students on the trip.
Travel arrangements (make sure that any travel partner complies with the necessary safety regulations).
Identify vulnerable students (students with disabilities or allergens may be more at risk than others).
Ensure food hygiene standards are met when providing students with food or when dining out.
Fire hazards.
Students getting separated or lost. London is a particularly busy city, increasing the chance of students getting lost.
Weather hazards. What is the weather going to be like during the trip and will this increase any risks?
Teachers should also be aware of all the activities planned on the school trip and the travel routes between destinations, as this information will help them to determine how to minimise risk and plan emergency measures. For example, if you’re touring the Tower of London, ensure that all staff have a map outlining where the emergency exits are.
When identifying risks, it’s also helpful to determine who it will affect and rank how dangerous each risk is. This will help when deciding how to manage risks.
Managing the risks during a school trip to London
It is vital to establish how to manage the risks that you’ve identified. In London, this could include travelling on the tube or buses, as well as touring busy attractions like Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. For each hazard identified, you need to create a list of measures that will be put into place should any incident occur.
These measures should be clearly outlined and have a designated teacher or supervisor to carry them out. Ensure that every teacher and supervisor on the trip has a copy of the risk assessment and is aware of any measures that they may have to perform.
Evaluate the risk assessment
After the trip, it’s important to review the risk assessment so it can be improved in the future if needs be. Any incidents that occurred, the measures carried out and how effective these measures were, all need to be recorded and will help in your evaluation of the risk assessment.
Indeed, the previous risk assessment can form a template for your future trips to that location, but any potential hazards should be reviewed and updated if anything changes. This could include planned activities, travel routes, accommodation or travelling students.
