POLICY AND GUIDANCE DOCUMENT H005/02 SAFETY IN OUTDOOR EDUCATION This document supercedes the following Policy and Guidance documents: “Safety in Outdoor Education” (H002/98) “The Wirral Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education” (H004/94) This document includes reference to the following Policy and Guidance documents: “Educational Visits, Overnight Stays and Hazardous Activities” (H004/92) “A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences” (H003/96) “Wirral Emergency Response Procedure” (H004/98) “Risk Assessment” (H008/98) CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. General considerations for leaders 3. Core skills for Leaders for both land and water activities 4. Land based activities 5. Rambling 6. Summer High Level Walking 7. Winter Hill Walking 8. Ghyll Scrambling/Gorge Walking 9. Expedition Work 10. Rock Climbing 11. Snow & Ice Climbing 12. Skiing 13. Caving/Mining Exploration 14. Orienteering 15. All Terrain Biking 16. Water Based Activities 17. Sailing (General) 18. Dinghy Sailing - inland 19. Dinghy Sailing - sea/offshore 20. Windsurfing (Board Sailing) 21. Canoeing (General) 22. Canoeing - Very Sheltered Water 23. Canoeing - Sheltered Water 24. Canoeing - White Water and Surfing 25. Canoeing - Open Water 26. Adventure Activities Appendices INTRODUCTION 1.1 Outdoor Education is a process of learning by experiencing the relationships between people and the outdoors and involves the leader taking an active role in the safety of the group. 1.1:1 Outdoor and Adventurous Activities is included as an optional section of the National Curriculum for physical education. The majority of schools arrange at least one residential trip a year for some of their pupils to have an outdoor challenging experience. 1.1:2 Due to the various safety documentation and regulations that have been introduced in recent years, most visits now take place to centres which hold licences under the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 1996. Licensing follows inspection from the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority’s (AALA’s) inspectors. 1.1:3 The purpose of this document is to set out the qualifications and standards required for those teachers who wish to teach the stated activities instead of using a licensed centre. 1.1:4 A licence means that the Licensing Authority has inspected the provider, and is satisfied with their management of safety of adventure activities, as defined on the face of the licence. 1.1:5 Nevertheless, a significant number of schools continue to organise and lead their own core adventure activities. Under current legislation these are not subject to national inspection and licensing. This is because schools are not required to hold a licence when making provision to their own pupils. 1.1:6 For some activities, teachers may need to hold a national governing body leader or instructor qualification. But paper qualifications will need to be supplemented by the verification of other qualities (such as maturity, general supervision skills, ability to supervise different types of group, relevant experience). 1.2 Adventure and Adventurous Activities Categories The latest documentation from the DfES (2002) suggests that the majority of activities fall into one of three categories. 1.2:1 Category A These comprise activities that present no significant risks. They should be supervised by a teacher who has been assessed as competent by the LEA or EVC, as appropriate, to lead this category of educational visit. There is no need for National Governing Body (NGB) awards or any other accreditation, but the activities should be conducted following the LEA’s or school’s standard visits procedures. Some LEA’s classify these as activities needing level 1 supervisory skills. Examples might include: · Walking in parks or on non-remote country paths; · Field studies in environments presenting no technical hazards. 1.2:2 Category B These comprise some higher-risk or higher profile activities. Safe supervision requires that the leader should, as a minimum, have undergone an additional familiarisation process or induction specific to the avidity and/or location. He or she will be approved as appropriately competent by the LEA. An NGB award such as the Basic Expedition Leadership Award (BELA) or the Activity Leadership NVQ may be relevant as a measure of competence for teachers leading certain activities in category B. Examples of activities might include: · Walking in non-remote country; · Camping at Thurstaston campsite. · Cycling on roads or non-remote off-road terrain; · Low level initiative challenges. Guidance on which activities are included in Category B can be found in the LEA’s “Educational Visits, Overnight Stays and Hazardous Activities” Document. 1.2:3 Category C This is the most demanding category. It includes all those activities that, if not school-led, would be in the scope of the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 1996. Category C also includes activities not currently licensable such as high ropes courses, sub-aqua activities or canoeing in placid waters. In these cases a leader’s competence should normally be demonstrated by the possession of the relevant NGB Award or an in-house assessment conducted by an NGB qualified technical adviser. The purpose of this document is to state the qualifications required in order to instruct activities in Category C. 1.3 Competence 1.3:1 Competence in adventure activities derives from a balance of personal experience (trial and error and learning from errors) and related training. Technical competence can be attained through formal training. But safety judgements are most soundly based on enlightened experience, which takes time to accumulate. Proof must therefore exist of suitable and sufficient experience in the activity. Qualifications will be verified by the LEA. 1.3:2 It is good practice for each school to have an educational visits co- ordinator (EVC). This does not mean that the school should create and fund a new post. Rather, the formal recognition of the EVC function will help the school fulfil its health and safety obligations for visits. It also helps the head teacher to delegate the tasks involved in overseeing the school’s educational visits. 1.3:3 A key role of the EVC is to ensure that activities are supervised by people of suitable competence. This document prescribes the levels of competence required. In leading adventure activities, teachers or other school staff will have the great advantage of knowing their pupils well. But, unlike centre instructors, they may not regularly instruct an activity nor be as familiar with the activity site. This could affect their awareness of specific risks. 1.4 Responsibility of Wirral Borough Council 1.4:1 The LEA recognises its role as a facilitator and an enabler by organising and implementing a programme of courses for teachers and youth workers seeking either to improve their own personal skills or indeed to qualify for one of the many awards made by the various National bodies governing the respective activities in Outdoor Education. The LEA will maintain a current register of validated and appropriately certificated persons. 1.4:2 The British Canoe Union, the Royal Yachting Association, the British Mountaineering Council etc., all have schemes offering qualifications within their particular discipline and the LEA accepts its responsibilities, within its budget limits, to provide opportunities for those who teach or coach particular aspects of Outdoor Education to gain the appropriate qualifications. 1.5 Wirral LEA Validation 1.5:1 In many instances, teachers and youth workers can demonstrate both personal and teaching skills up to and beyond the recommended levels of expertise required to use authority equipment and facilities. If staff do not possess formal National Qualifications, it is the responsibility of headteachers, Governing bodies and Youth Officers to ensure that those in charge of groups have been approved by the Local Education Authority and are validated to teach a specific activity. 1.5:2 The LEA has appointed a number of Technical Advisers. Technical advisers have a high level of competence in a particular activity. They will be able to make judgements about the technical and supervisory competence of others within their area of expertise in relation to a particular pupil group. Typically they will have a record as a trainer and assessor of the activity. 1.5:3 The technical adviser will hold the relevant NGB Award where it exists. But it might also be possible to become a technical adviser on the basis of experience alone. The technical advisers will only give advice on activities within their own level of competence. 1.5:4 Technical Advisers will therefore be used to provide local validation to teachers in order that they instruct in a particular activity in the stated area e.g. use of the Thurstaston Camp Site. 1.5:5 For further advice on Technical Advisers and LEA Validation contact should be made with the GI (PE/oEd). Validation courses will also be published in the LEA’s Inset Directory. 1.5:6 Wirral validation should be re-assessed every two years. Such re- validation is likely to be a briefer process than the initial assessment. Leaders should be encouraged to progress to the relevant national award. 1.6 Working Ratios 1.6:1 The working ratios in this document have been based upon each group being led by one qualified leader. The qualification for that activity will be clearly indicated. 1.6:2 It is important to note that the figures indicated are maximum group sizes. The leader must be prepared to reduce the group size after considering: i) The location; ii) Competence, experience and qualifications of supervisory staff; ill) Group member age, competence, fitness and temperament; iv) The quality and suitability of the available equipment; v) Seasonal conditions, weather, timing and available daylight. Most accidents result from a combination of these factors having been inadequately assessed, or overlooked altogether. 1.6:3 For some activities a second person will be asked to accompany the group.