Managing safety on day trips

The following information is a brief introduction to managing health and safety on day trips. View the health and safety section and read our concise guides for further advice on the outdoor learning issues explored below.

Day trips take the group and staff further still from their home base. This has clear learning benefits but also increases the need for proper levels of support and planning. The processes of risk assessment and the selection of suitably competent leaders should recognise this.

A wide variety of experiences can be accessed within a day from most establishments and these might include:

• a visit to a museum in the capital city
• adventure activities such as hillwalking, kayaking, sailing or skiing
• a botanical field trip to a wetland area
• a coastal walk
• a visit to a dairy farm.

Such visits will often involve the use of transport and this needs careful attention from the leader.

Safety precautions

General safety management priorities for leaders might include:

• assembling a suitably skilled and experienced staff team
• completing an excursion risk assessment that takes into account weather or water conditions on the day and the make-up of the group
• obtaining informed parental consent
• briefing the participants
• making appropriate emergency plans
• arranging and operating minibus transport
• making arrangements to deal with the specific medical needs of participants, such as administering medication.

When an external provider is being used it is essential to confirm that it meets relevant criteria of quality and safety. The Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge, National Governing Body approval or Adventure Activity Licensing are relevant.

If potentially higher-risk activities such as adventure activities or farm visits are taking place it is important that leaders have access to the necessary technical knowledge and expertise. This will often be accomplished by using a specialist provider but if the experience is to be establishment-led then the competence of leaders must be assessed in a recognised manner. Seek advice from a technical specialist as necessary.

Also see the Scottish Government’s E. coli 0157 Schools Information pack.

Getting approval

Depending on the activity undertaken and on the proximity to the school, some day visits can be approved by the head of establishment alone but it may be necessary to notify, or get approval from, your local authority. This is usually the case for adventure activities. Seek advice locally.