The following information is a brief introduction to managing health and safety in school and centre grounds. View the health and safety section and read our concise guides for further advice on the outdoor learning issues explored below.
The great outdoors starts as soon as you cross your doorstep. Some schools have a few square metres of ground but others may have extensive grassland or woodland.The immediate local environment is manageable and familiar so doesn't require specialist safety management skills. However, general supervisory skills are still of importance.
Risk/benefit balance
Those responsible should not think that because they can see the classroom they are in a risk-free environment. Equally, when considering risks it is important not to be too overprotective by trying to eliminate every hazard.
An approach to consider is to look at both risks and benefits. Learning about managing risk only happens if there are risks to manage. Where realistic, learners should be given responsibility in managing some aspects of risk.
Risk management
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Most children, especially younger ones, enjoy campfires. It is easy for teachers and staff to avoid lighting a fire at all, but it's better to manage the risk positively.
No child should ever be exposed to an unreasonable risk of harm but if there is no opportunity to make mistakes then it is possible that those responsible are being be too risk averse. Getting this balance right is a key skill for teachers engaged in outdoor learning.
Identifying risks
Some of the safety issues to remember when teaching in school or centre grounds include:
- allergies
- falls onto hard surfaces
- the need for supervision matched to maturity
- bullying and horseplay
- broken glass and bare feet
- traffic
- fences and barbed wire
- entrapment in railings
- sunburn.
A risk assessment can identify these and other hazards. If the school is fortunate enough to have unusual features in grounds such as a ropes course, these should be used with activity-specific guidance and appropriately skilled supervision.
Supervision for different ages
Different issues will be prominent for different levels of learners. For early years high levels of support and sympathetic supervision are needed. Older pupils will want to explore their own independence and may well need a different kind of supervision to prevent this turning into horseplay.
Before you go outdoors
When embarking on outdoor learning within school or centre grounds:
- approval must be given by the head of establishment
- teachers and other staff should always consider the guidance available from their local authority.
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