Planning outdoor learning

It is essential that formal planning takes place for any outdoor learning and begins sufficiently far in advance.

This health and safety guidance explains the importance of the following factors when planning outdoor learning:

General

Planning should include consideration of:

• the educational aims
• suitable venues for achieving those aims
• the dangers and difficulties which may arise and how to reduce them
• appropriate staffing
• sources of appropriate technical advice
• local authority guidance.

Risks and benefits

Much outdoor learning takes place with very low levels of risk but, on occasion, risk may be at a more significant level. It is desirable to balance risks and benefits in any experience to ensure that actions are proportionate and reasonable.

There is a legal requirement for a process of risk assessment to take place in many outdoor learning contexts. This is important, but do not lose sight of the benefits to be had from the experience and the need to balance these against the risks.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that every last risk must be eliminated.

Risk assessment

Risk assessment is a process that identifies and assesses the importance of risk in a situation and then assesses the measures that control it.

It is the process that is important. Any written risk assessment is simply evidence that an appropriate process has been gone through.

Risk assessment is a valuable process for identifying and controlling risks. The many myths surrounding it should be ignored to make use of the process relevant and effective. 

A risk assessment should be undertaken before a planned outdoor learning experience, and the main findings recorded.

It should be recognised that there are different kinds of risk assessment processes:

• Generic - considers the risks normally associated with a particular activity, such as the risk of drowning when risk-assessing swimming.
• Site specific - considers the risks normally associated with a particular location, such as a patch of poisonous plants growing near to an attractive picnic spot.
• Planning the excursion - combines generic and site-specific risk assessments with plans for a specific experience. It identifies and assesses the main risks that those taking part in the planned experience might encounter.
• Daily - the risk assessment for a particular outdoor learning experience that takes into account variables such as health and fitness of participants on that day, weather forecasts, state of tide etc.
• Dynamic - the leader continually identifies and manages risks during the experience.

Planning the risk assessment is of prime importance and its main findings are normally written down.

Avoid over-complication - the basic approach outlined by HSE in 5 Steps is entirely adequate. The requirements of local authorities should be checked.

HSE also lists 10 useful questions to be asked before any outdoor learning experience:

1. What are the main objectives of the visit?
2. What is 'Plan B' if the main objectives can't be achieved?
3. What could go wrong? Does the risk assessment cover:
   • the main activity
   • 'Plan B'
   • travel arrangements
   • emergency procedures
   • staff numbers, gender and skill mixes
   • generic and site-specific hazards and risks (including for Plan B)
   • variable hazards (including environmental and participants’ personal abilities and the ‘cut-off’ points)?
4. What information will be provided for parents?
5. What consents will be sought?
6. What opportunities will parents have to ask questions (including any arrangements for a parents’ meeting)?
7. What assurances are there of the leader or leaders' competencies?
8. What are the communication arrangements?
9. What are the arrangements for supervision, both during activities and ‘free time’ - is there a Code of Conduct?
10. What are the arrangements for monitoring and reviewing the visit?

Effective leaders are constantly aware of the emergence of risks in a situation and this is often called dynamic risk assessment. This is not a written process but it is one of great importance.

Much outdoor learning is of low risk. However, actual risks can help learners to develop their own life skills in dealing with potentially hazardous situations.

Sometimes, challenging experiences of great educational value may include significant risks that are judged to be tolerable. See the Risk Benefit Tool to examine this further.

Exploratory visit

A leader needs to be confident that the location and facilities for outdoor learning are suitable for their plans. In most cases this will have involved prior familiarity, possibly as a result of a reconnaissance visit.

However, an experienced leader with good reasons to be confident in their own judgement may decide to use a location that has not been previously visited. In such cases, leaders should seek specific approval from the head of establishment.

Other considerations

• Facilities/equipment the group will need to take on the visit
• Facilities/equipment to be provided at the venue
• Staff training needs
• Accident and other forms
• Transport arrangements
• Insurance arrangements
• Information to the provider
• Communication arrangements
• Supervision ratios
• Contingency measures for enforced change of plan or late return
• Information to parents
• Preparing participants
• Emergency arrangements
• Arrangements for sending participants home early.

First aid

Estimating what level of first aid might be needed should form part of the risk assessment.

For adventure activities, excursions abroad or residential visits it is sensible for at least one of the group’s leaders to hold a current first aid certificate.

All adults in the group should know how to contact the emergency services.

The minimum first aid provision for an excursion is:

• a suitably stocked first aid kit
• a person appointed to be in charge of first aid arrangements.

First aid should be available and accessible at all times.

HSE recommends minimum contents for a travelling first aid kit where no special risk has been identified.

All minibuses are required by law to carry a first aid kit.

There is a helpful flow chart for planning excursions in 'Health and Safety on Educational Excursions' (HSEE).

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 2 – Making a plan for outdoor learning:

• Planning (para 33-34)
• Risk assessment (35-44)
• Exploratory visit (45-48)
• Other considerations (49-50)
• Financial planning (51-53)
• First aid (54-58)
• Planning the excursion (flow chart)