New Views

The London Challenge Residential Experience

This is an excerpt taken from the New Views Providers' Code of Practice - click to view the complete Code of Practice
Please note: to view the full Code of Practice, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.

Safety

Safety depends on all those who are involved acting responsibly, towards themselves and others, and recognising and complying with good practice. The requirements below will help to ensure that New Views courses provide a safe yet challenging residential experience.

Duty of care

Providers will fulfill all the obligations of their Duty of Care as defined by Health and Safety Legislation. The pastoral care of students and overall responsibility for their health, safety and well being will remain the responsibility of the school staff, with the support of the provider as set out in DFES guidance.

Personal responsibility

All participants will be briefed to recognise the impact of their actions not only on themselves but on the group as a whole.

Group responsibility

Pre-course briefings will ensure that members of the group recognise and carry out, according to their level of development, the duty of care to each other.

Hazard and risk

Providers will ensure thatall participants are made aware of major hazards, significant risks and control measures appropriate to the site or activity.

Activity/field sites will be formally reviewed at regular intervals, at least annually, and are risk assessed on an on-going basis by course leaders trained in risk assessment.

Checks/evaluation of the sites are comprehensive and include, for example, facilities, safety (including risk assessment) and sensitivity as well as educational value.

Risk assessments for sites will be openly available to schools and concerned parties such as parents/guardians.

Providers will have their clear codes of practice for dealing with accidents, emergencies and major incidents.

Practicalities

A full itinerary will be available to the school and parents/guardians before embarking on the course.

It will be clear that the itinerary may have to be modified due to unforeseen circumstances, e.g. exceptional weather.

All specialist equipment required for the course will be provided as an integral part of the course.

All adventurous activity providers should be assessed and certified by Adventure Activity Licensing Authority (AALA) or comply with National Governing Body (NGB) standards where they fall outside the scope of the act.

All non-adventurous activities should follow DfES guidelines on staff: pupil ratios as set in the most recent updates issued in the DfES guidance Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits: A Good Practice Guide (HASPEV). See also HASPEV; Health and Safety: Responsibilities and Powers; and the other parts of this supplement: Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits and Standards for Adventure.

Providers will ensure preparations are sufficient to ensure that:

• the centre/leader is sufficiently knowledgeable and prepared to support and care for the group;
• everyone is personally prepared and properly equipped;
• sleeping accommodation will be in rooms or areas which have controlled access, e.g. locks or keycode pads.

Providers will ensure that accommodation is risk assessed for fire and findings acted upon.

Providers will have availablea supply of waterproofs and outdoor footwear when required and whenever individuals are unable to supply their own.

Providers will ensure that drying facilities for outdoor clothing are available.

Providers will ensure that recreational space and tea/coffee making facilities are made available to the New Views groups.

Any Questions?
Please contact the London Challenge Administrator at newviews@field-studies-council.org or phone 01743 852104