| A Headteacher's Safety Management Toolkit Article - | | | | It is the Emergency Services who deal with Risk, |
| Health and Safety and KS1 & KS2 Curriculum. | | | | Risk Assessment, Risk Control and Risk Management |
| Government Action | | | | locally and day to day and hour by hour. |
| The Government determined that Health and Safety | | | | They are also more available to a school to a school |
| become part of the curriculum in 2002 and defined | | | | as a local resource. |
| that all pupils of should receive some 40 hours of | | | | The Police have long visited schools delivering talks |
| H&S teaching before the end of their schooling. | | | | and demonstrations for Drugs, Personal Safety and |
| HSE has already produced materials which are being | | | | Road Safety for pupils of Primary age.as have the |
| used to give a Basic Safety Induction to work for | | | | Fire Service who are always willing to co-operate |
| pupils going out on Work Experience from schools | | | | with visits and Fire Safety presentations. |
| and colleges. | | | | Ambulance NHS Trusts, Red Cross and St.John's are |
| Safety has actually already entered the syllabus in a | | | | also resources along with private Emergency |
| fairly defined way and the QCA have already | | | | Ambulance firms who are often under used by |
| produced a statutory statement and defined NVQ | | | | schools. |
| standards at the higher levels, which are already used | | | | If the Emergency Service presenters are sufficiently |
| for qualifying members of the HSE Inspectorate. | | | | well briefed and the pupils are appropriately prepared |
| DfES have also played their part through their own | | | | a community approach can be taken to risk by using |
| expert tem and the information delivered through | | | | such resources. |
| Teachernet. | | | | An excellent example of this has just been released. |
| National Curriculum for Health and Safety | | | | The RNLI have a Youth Section at which gives |
| The QCA statutory statement with regards to | | | | access to a wide range of resources including |
| safety in the curriculum states that it : | | | | All Aboard - KS 2 Resource with poster and teacher's |
| "applies to science, design and technology, | | | | notes plus activities and a KS£ resource which |
| information and communication technology, art and | | | | may be of use since it covers beach visits etc called |
| design, and physical education." | | | | Get on Board. |
| In brief the QCA has indicated that pupils must be | | | | The Coastguard (Maritime Coastguard Agency -MCA) |
| taught the whole range of concepts surrounding risk | | | | and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) |
| assessment and control including: | | | | have teamed up to make young people aware of |
| -Identifying Hazards and Risks. | | | | the dangers near water. |
| -Controlling and reducing hazards and risks. | | | | They have produced an interactive CDROM entitled |
| -Risk Assessment techniques . | | | | MAYDAY for KS2 pupils. This is an extensive |
| -To take care for their own and other's Health and | | | | resource with the CDROM as well as information, |
| Safety. | | | | activity cards and teacher's notes with ideas for |
| The QCA have also issued guidance which was | | | | follow up projects. MAYDAY is structured so that it |
| drawn up after consultation with HSE and this | | | | can either be used with groups or by individuals and |
| indicates that they have a view that RISK should be | | | | has a wide range of activities which ends in a "Round |
| the core of the approach and they feel that teachers | | | | Britain Yacht Race." |
| will have already introduced their pupils to the | | | | As well as helping in selling the "risk" message and |
| concept of risk. | | | | thus linking directly to the Health and Safety |
| The whole thrust of QCA guidance tells the teacher | | | | Curriculum the pack is linked to KS2 in Humanities, |
| to ensure that pupils are taught about risk at an | | | | Environmental Studies, Literacy and Numeracy, ICT, |
| appropriate level throughout their time in school. | | | | Citizenship and PHSE. |
| They see this as helping to ensure that pupils are | | | | This is a FREE resource and is divided into five |
| better equipped to deal with risks with situations of | | | | sections: |
| uncertainty and change both in and out of school. | | | | 1.Staying Safe - an ideal piece of pre visit instruction |
| QCA see the main objectives of the delivery of a | | | | which helps the children to recognise risks when they |
| Health and Safety curriculum as being a tool to | | | | are near the sea. This part of the resource also |
| ensure that the pupils are able to: | | | | introduces the Beaufort Scale, Shipping Weather |
| -recognise the existence of hazards, risks and | | | | Forecasts and the idea of maritime charts and maps. |
| uncertainty in a range of contexts; | | | | 2.Rescue! Uses Scenarios to encourage children to |
| -assess their own ability, and the ability of others, to | | | | use their judgement to make risk based decisions to |
| deal with different situations; | | | | help other people. |
| -assess the consequences when dealing with hazards | | | | 3.Crew - This introduces the children to the people |
| presented to themselves and to others (for example, | | | | who risk their lives to help others on the sea and |
| within school, the environment, the home); | | | | looks at how they are trained and what motivates |
| -seek advice from appropriate sources to minimise | | | | them. |
| and manage risk; | | | | 4.Safer by Design - Children find out about PPE and |
| -understand that rules and regulations follow from risk | | | | the wider range of safety equipment used as control |
| assessment and help define individual and collective | | | | measures when a calculated risk is taken by those |
| responsibility. | | | | who face the "angry sea" to help save lives. This |
| In addition already part of H&S is part of the National | | | | section also has some interesting Numeracy work |
| Healthy Schools initiative for Primary Schools. | | | | based on speeds of helicopters and boats in rescue |
| HSE and the Curriculum | | | | situations. |
| HSE has set up a small Risk Education Team based in | | | | 5.Round Britain Race - In this section children plan and |
| the Central Expertise Policy and Support Division of | | | | take part in a race, choosing equipment, planning |
| the Policy Group Directorate in London . | | | | routes as well as choosing their team. This section |
| Their stated intention is to: | | | | supports KS2 Humanities and PHSE as well as H&S. |
| "influence the degree to which risk management | | | | Further information from Liza Linscott (RNLI) |
| techniques are taught in schools and other | | | | 01202663217 or Julia Gosling (MCA) 020380329401 |
| educational establishments....." | | | | Other Resources |
| They are developing four projects of which two are | | | | The following organisations have produced |
| of interest insofar as the curriculum is concerned. | | | | information and which may be of interest and which |
| -They seek to raise the level f risk teaching in | | | | can also be mostly accessed form the HSE website. |
| schools. | | | | 1.HSE has produced resources which may be |
| -They seek to provide risk teaching materials for | | | | integrated directly within the curriculum e.g statistics |
| teachers and lecturers. | | | | and all of their resources for use in the classroom |
| We can see that HSE has had a part to play in all the | | | | may be found at their education site at: these include |
| initiatives regarding the curriculum and has also | | | | the HSE produced resources above and access to |
| addressed areas of concern, targeting primary school | | | | the following. |
| children in three sectors where deaths have occurred. | | | | 2.ROSPA have produced a FREE set of Information |
| Thus Farming, Railways and Construction Sites all | | | | sheets with notes and activities for Key Stages 1-4 |
| have had curriculum materials produced highlighting | | | | on "Dangerous Substances Everywhere" and a wide |
| risks and unsafe behaviour and aiming to educate and | | | | range of other resources at |
| modify behaviours. | | | | 3.A CDROM produced by HSE for Middle and |
| These are looked at later in this section. | | | | Secondary Schools identified as for use with 11 -14 |
| HSE Resources for the Primary School | | | | Year olds might be of interest for more able Year 6s |
| The resources provided for a Safety initiative within | | | | it is entitled "Human Torch" and is a "X Files" type |
| the curriculum by HSE are very well produced and | | | | investigation into factors surrounding a (hopefully) |
| should be easily integrated into any Primary School | | | | hypothetical case. More information may be found at |
| syllabus. | | | | Curriculum and Lesson Planning |
| Stay Safe On the Farm, Stay Safe Railway Safety, | | | | Other ways of involving children in the safety |
| and Stay Safe Building Site Safety all contain, games, | | | | process and them being involved revolve around the |
| cartoons and puzzles to encourage children to think | | | | actual process itself. |
| about the hazards which exist in all these industries, | | | | -Learning to identify Dangers(Hazards) and |
| and how to avoid them. | | | | Risks(Likelihood of the Danger leading an accident) |
| These industries often act as a magnet to children | | | | -Learning to do Risk Assessments. |
| who don't understand the dangers they present and | | | | -Reviewing existing Risk Assessments. |
| treat them like playgrounds. This is also why special | | | | -Writing Accident Reports. |
| consideration needs to be given to ongoing | | | | -First Aid |
| construction or maintenance works taking place on | | | | -Learning to reduce and control risks - e.g Swimming |
| school sites. | | | | -School Council Representation on the School Safety |
| Stay Safe booklets have been distributed at schools | | | | Committee. |
| across the country, and can be ordered free of | | | | -Inspections for monitoring and Audit |
| charge from HSE Books on but access to pdf | | | | -Setting School Safety Targets. |
| versions are given below. | | | | -How much does an accident really cost? Could be |
| -Stay Safe on the Farm - Leaflet with puzzles and | | | | adopted to form the basis of some numeracy |
| colouring exercise suitable for Years 4-6 | | | | see.HSE Booklet in Resource |
| -Stay Safe Railway Safety - Stay Safe Railways a | | | | The integrated approach suggested by the QCA in |
| website for Children to Learn about being safe and | | | | its Guidance may suggest ways in which some of the |
| keeping safe around Railways | | | | above topics be introduced via the lesson planning |
| This is a Multimedia Game/Scenario type program | | | | process. |
| with a safety theme suitable for Years 4-6 | | | | Pupils will need to learn the terms Risk, Hazard, |
| -Stay Safe Building Site Safety - This has a series of | | | | Control measure as soon as possible and have a |
| comic strips/Posters and colouring exercises with | | | | secure foundation as regards their definitions. |
| game type questions and completion exercises - | | | | This means that lesson plans need to reflect this and |
| suitable Years 4-6 | | | | integrate safety within planning other lessons, which |
| -You will find other items which may be integrated in | | | | should be seen as opportunities. |
| Resources in the Headteaher's Safety | | | | Almost any lesson or behaviour in class can be taken |
| In addition HSE has also produced videos aimed at | | | | for identifying and highlighting dangers or hazards |
| parents, teachers and older children to raise | | | | discussing what could happen in different |
| awareness. | | | | circumstances and how likely these risks are to lead |
| A four minute video Open Farms Healthy Children, is | | | | to an accident and what control measures need to |
| available on HSE's web FREE site which ensures | | | | be taken to reduce this risk. |
| parents, teachers and others are aware of the | | | | There is no doubt that integration of safety within |
| hidden risks of picking up E-coli from animals. | | | | the curriculum is a valid approach and such the view |
| The video Safe! - Helping children to stay safe on | | | | of the value such an approach shared by HSE, the |
| farms, which has been distributed to all Local | | | | Government and the "great and the good". |
| Authority education departments, also shows children | | | | DfES have produced a Safety Education guidance for |
| the hazards that exist on farms. | | | | teachers which outlines good practice, this may be |
| Copies of 'Safe! - Helping children to stay safe on | | | | found and downloaded from: |
| farms' price £20.00 + VAT, are also available for | | | | Best advice is that the school needs to adopt a |
| purchase from HSE Books, | | | | "whole school approach" to Health and Safety in the |
| Other Resources - Emergency Services. | | | | curriculum and it will be clearly seen that this approach |
| Whilst HSE and DfES and others all have a central | | | | is what the National CUrriculum already dictates. |
| part to play. | | | | |