Communicating with parents

Information to parents

Parents should be informed in writing:

• of any off-site activity or experience (unless it is a regular part of the school curriculum about which parents have already been informed)
• before residential visits or those involving travel abroad
• before adventure activities.

For more ambitious and challenging experiences, parents should be encouraged to attend a briefing meeting where details of the proposed excursion should be provided.

Briefings should be sufficiently detailed to ensure that parents can make an informed choice about participation.

Leaders should be open and realistic about risks, yet also take care to communicate how these are balanced with the expected benefits to learners.

Parents must be made aware that the leaders and other adult supervisors on an experience will be exercising the same care that a prudent parent would.

Written details concerning safety should be matched to the nature of the planned outdoor learning. Leaders should consider including:

• dates and objectives
• times and places of departure and return - parents must have agreed to meet their child on return
• mode(s) and duration of travel including the name of any travel company
• the size of the group
• the level of supervision including any times when remote supervision may take place
• details of accommodation with security and supervisory arrangements on site
• details of provision for additional support or medical needs
• procedures for participants who become ill
• names of leader, of other staff and of other accompanying adults
• details of the activities planned and of how the assessed risks will be managed
• standards of behaviour expected concerning alcohol, sexual behaviour, smoking and general group discipline
• details of insurance taken out for the group and whether parents need to arrange additional cover
• clothing and equipment to be taken
• money to be taken and arrangements for safekeeping
• the policy on mobile phones.

Consent

Heads of establishments or group leaders should seek written consent from parents for:

• non-routine visits
• adventure activities
• hazardous environments
• excursions abroad
• other residential visits
• remote supervision.

If parents withhold consent absolutely the learner should not be taken on the excursion. Conditional consent should be discussed with the head of establishment to agree an appropriate response.

Parents should be asked to provide additional information that will help to enhance the safety of the participant. This might include:

• parent contact details
• an alternative contact
• any special medical or dietary requirements
• medication
• recent illnesses suffered by the participant
• name, address and phone number of the participant’s GP
• the participant’s swimming ability.

Medical consent

This should form part of the parental consent form and will cover emergency treatment, including anaesthetic or blood transfusion, as considered necessary by the medical authorities.

Use the standard form recommended by your local authority.

Other consent

Parental consent and approval from the head of establishment should be obtained specifically for the transporting of participants in private vehicles.

Contact from parents

Parents should be able to contact their child in the event of a home emergency.

Participants' contact with parents

For residential or extended experiences, parents should be told of the group's safe arrival.

The protocol of learners' contact with parents should be agreed in advance.

Further guidance

This guidance is aimed primarily at teachers and other leaders providing outdoor learning experiences to children and young people. The advice is not comprehensive but aims to cover 90% of the most common outdoor learning situations

More extensive guidance can be found:

• by utilising specialist advice from your local authority
• in 'Health and Safety on Educational Excursions'.

Further information

See chapter 5 - Communicating with parents

• Information to parents (para 105-107)
• Parental consent (108-111)
• Medical consent (112-113)
• Other consent (114)
• Early return (115)
• Contact with parents during the visit (116-117)
• Participants' contact with parents (118)