Staying safe

Secondary Assembly: Slow Down London

scameron — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:59:51 +0100

Engagement

Leader: Fast food, fast-track, fast lane, speed-dialling, speed-reading, speed-dating, drive-through food outlets, same-day delivery, instant access – we live in a society where doing things quickly is an essential element of living; we’re not prepared to wait. We want it, we want it now and we’re quite prepared to hurry to get it.

Transport for pupils with SEN

scameron — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:55:13 +0000

QUESTION: What steps should a local authority take in arranging transport for pupils with SEN?

Supporting pupils with asthma and other medical conditions

scameron — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:04:02 +0000

We shall soon be into the hayfever season, when many children suffer from respiratory problems, and those with asthma can find their discomfort increased. Many of us can sympathise with children and young people who suffer with a range of debilitating physical conditions, not only during the spring and summer months but all year round. This e-bulletin we consider how you as a SENCo can implement good policy and practice in school which supports these pupils and minimises the negative effects on their learning and achievement.

Support for SENCos

Safety in sport: goalposts

scameron — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:32:47 +0000

We often don’t fully appreciate the need for safety measures until something goes tragically wrong.
In 1991 Brenda Smith’s 11-year-old son, Jonathan, was killed when a 200lb goalpost fell on top of him, rupturing his heart. Brenda, from Essex, was shocked to discover that a boy in the Isle of Wight had died and that a seven-year-old boy in Morecambe had died four years previously in 1986, both in goalpost-related incidents. Meanwhile a girl in Scotland had sustained a broken pelvis and suffered lifelong injuries when a goal fell on her.

School trips and risk assessment

scameron — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:42:48 +0000

The new school year has brought with it a flurry of press reports about the benefits to children of play time and adventure. We are told that children benefit from outside play, and that wrapping them in cotton wool is creating a risk-averse generation that struggles to deal with challenges.

Nowhere is this more relevant for education professionals than in school trips, where outings are dropping because of overly bureaucratic health and safety rules, and a fear of prosecution if something goes wrong.

Does health and safety ruin primary school "play"?

scameron — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:12:07 +0000

Health and safety has a lot to answer for. Some might say that it has seriously curtailed the experiences of children in relation to school trips and after-school clubs and activities. It has made many teachers think twice about a whole range of visits and opportunities that children would love and benefit from. However, it has also saved lives and prevented injuries. Yet, how many more accidents might have been avoided if children had been exposed to calculated risk at an earlier stage in their school life?

Arson in school: what you need to know

scameron — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:18:26 +0000

With the summer holidays looming – and hopefully, for some of you, a well-deserved break – the one job you probably don’t want to be reminded about is checking your Fire Risk Assessments. However, it really is an appropriate time to do so, as the risk of arson is ever present and the disruption that can be caused by a summer holiday fire should not be underestimated.

Self-harm at primary schools: what you can do

scameron — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:21:36 +0000

Depending on the size and demographics of your school, you may encounter very few or several pupils who engage in deliberate self-harm (DSH) as a coping strategy and, less frequently, children who become so desperate that they consider or even attempt to take their own lives when life appears intolerable to them. Generally the role of schools needs to be considered within the comprehensive child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

Legal case notes: LA negligence in child protection cases

scameron — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:14:41 +0000

The facts
The claimant, 31 years old, was described as ‘a very disturbed man who has had serious mental health problems throughout his life’. He suffered from a borderline personality disorder with particular problems of anxiety and agoraphobia. He had had severe psychological problems in childhood, and required special schooling because of severe behavioural problems. In 1976, at the age of four months, he had been taken into care by the local authority because of significant loss of body weight and other symptoms of neglect.

Remembering child protection with older young people

scameron — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:30:59 +0000

Newcastle’s Safeguarding Children Board has recently published a serious case review in respect of a 16-year-old girl. To review the death of a young person of this age is an unusual step and this particular review highlights some of the dilemmas faced by professionals in respect of teenagers who are not quite old enough to be of concern to adult services. Child protection law defines a child as a person up to the age of 18 but there seems to be increasing difficulty in recognising the teenager as in need of child protection.

Understanding and preventing suicide in young people

scameron — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:54:40 +0000

In the aftermath of the suicides of young people in Bridgend, Wales, where 19 young people under the age of 27 have hanged themselves, a suicide prevention project is to be set up using nearly one million pounds of lottery funding. Quite separately, the Samaritans is in the early stages of developing a suicide and self-harm response kit for schools, and has opened a consultation process to which anyone with relevant experience can contribute.

Accidents at school: liability in terms of supervision

scameron — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:06:54 +0100

In the latter half of 2008, the courts dealt with a trilogy of cases on the liability of supervisors when a child in their care was injured. What is especially notable about these cases is that in each, a decision of the High Court was later overturned by the Court of the Appeal.

In this two-part feature, we will look at why these decisions were reversed and at their implications for teachers and school support staff.

In this article, we explore the facts of the three cases; the effect of the Compensation Act 2006; inherent risk; and the nature of supervision.

Helping pupils with asthma to exercise

scameron — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:35:00 +0100

Research suggests that up to one third of children with asthma may miss out on PE or other sport about once a week because of their condition, despite compelling evidence that exercise is good for them. There is no reason why an asthmatic child, given proper medication, support and appropriate adjustments to their activities, should not enjoy the full range of physical activities on offer at a school.

Promoting healthy eating in children

scameron — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:36:55 +0100

We don’t always have to agree with her, but the first sentences of Janet Street Porter’s column in the Independent on Sunday 24 February 2008 are useful starting points when looking at healthy eating in schools. She suggests that: ‘A whopping number of kids – around a quarter – are now officially overweight before they’ve even started primary school, according to new statistics released by the Department of Health.

Sport and child protection

scameron — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:55:02 +0100

The government wants to see every pupil doing at least five hours of physical activity by 2012; but will existing child protection policies and procedures permit the sort of mass delivery from outside organisations, necessary for schools to achieve this target without placing too great a burden on their own staff?

Internet safety for young people

scameron — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:14:43 +0100

A new report examines and challenges present concerns about children and young people’s use of the internet and the education programmes promoted by many organisations as part of prevention strategies.

Self-harm at primary schools: what you should know

scameron — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:16:33 +0100

In the past two to three decades there has been a disturbing increase in suicidal behaviour among children and adolescents. This type of behaviour includes non-fatal behaviours such as attempted suicide or deliberate self-harm (DSH) and completed suicide.

Such behaviours by children and young people may be frightening and even incomprehensible to their peers, and inevitably evoke powerful emotional responses in adults, who can find it disturbing that a young person finds their life so unbearable that they wish to end it or put it at risk.

Improving the safety of children and young people

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:42 +0100

What is 'Staying Safe'?

Staying Safe was launched for consultation in July 2007 by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), with the aim of promoting a widespread discussion on how best to keep children and young adults safe, and how to respond when they have been harmed. More than 1,000 people responded to the consultation − parents, practitioners, voluntary groups and, perhaps most importantly, children and young people themselves.

Primary Assembly: Eating insects

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:42 +0100

Resources
A lunchbox. If you can, have some model or joke insects in it.

Introduction
What have you got in your lunchbox today?

Me, I've got a couple of grasshoppers and a few worms.

Early Years PiP Cards: 1.4 Health and well-being

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:21:01 +0100

PiP Card Theme: A Unique Child
‘Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.’

Commitment 1.4 Health and Wellbeing
‘Children’s health is an integral part of their emotional, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing and is supported by attention to these aspects.’

Areas of knowledge covered:

"Fitness to teach": a guide to the law for education providers

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:21:01 +0100

Employers of existing and prospective teachers, lecturers and those entering initial teacher training have a responsibility to ensure that employees have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk.

Early Years PiP Cards: 1.3 Keeping safe

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:55 +0100

PiP Card Theme: A Unique Child
‘Every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.’

Commitment 1.3 Keeping Safe
‘Young children are vulnerable. They develop resilience when their physical and psychological well being is protected by adults.’

Areas of knowledge covered:

Health and safety at a school event

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:55 +0100

I frequently hear derogatory comments about ‘elf and safety’, and let’s face it the media is full of horror stories about schools who are not allowed to do what the press consider to be normal activities because of perceived ‘safety risks’. However, I also sometimes come across situations where I simply cannot believe how careless people can be with the welfare of their students.

The Children's Plan: key points for early years

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:52 +0100

The Children’s Plan sets out the government’s strategy for improving the wellbeing, health and opportunities available to children and young people in England.

Health and safety for work-related learning: What schools need to know

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:50 +0100

In recent years there have been substantial developments in the way that schools offer their students experience of the world of work. Since 2006 there has been a statutory requirement for Key Stage 4 students to undertake enterprise education and work-related learning. This, combined with the broadening of the 14-19 curriculum to incorporate applied and vocational learning, has led to an expansion of the workplace experiences available to young people during their school career.

How far must the school meet personal care needs?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:49 +0100

The Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the case of Ms K v The School and Special Educational Needs tribunal in March 2007. The case was about the obligations of a school to meet the needs of a child who required personal care during school hours.

The court's decision clarified some, but not all, of the issues that arise in this area. Here, we will analyse the decision and look at its implication for schools.

THE ISSUES

Do your pupils know their school nurse?

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:48 +0100

The role of the school nurse has changed significantly in recent years and schools recognise the valuable service that nurses provide to their pupils. However, the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) found in one of their surveys that many young people were not aware that their school had a school nurse or what the school nursing service can offer.

How safe are your pupils on the road?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:47 +0100

Local authorities have now set up local safeguarding children boards. The remit of these boards is wider than that of the child protection committees and it is recognised by most boards that children are over-represented in casualty figures for road accidents.

Some parents put their children at significant risk by not ensuring that seat belts are used by every passenger or by not having sufficient control of children when they are near the road. In 2006 around 11,500 children aged four to 11 years were killed or injured on Britain’s roads.

read more

Legal basics for teachers: Health and safety limits of liability

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:45 +0100

**This judgement has now been reversed by the Court of Appeal. Read an article published in October 2008 on the new legal implications of the case.**
read more

Understanding of epilepsy by children with and without the condition

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:44 +0100
In an average secondary school with 800 pupils on roll, there could be as many as 12 to 16 students with epilepsy (extrapolated from Baker et al, 2005). About one third of pupils with epilepsy (even if cognitive functions are not impaired) underachieve in school (Galletti et al, 2004) due to their epilepsy, medication for epilepsy (especially if prolonged), school factors and/or their own attitudes towards having epilepsy.
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The power to search: a gift to schools?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:44 +0100
The power to search by force for offensive weapons has been presented by much of the media as one more ‘get tough with school thugs!’ initiative. It was a gift to them that the power was granted, not in an Education Act, but in the Violent Crime Reduction Act. It came about in response to a series of stories relating to school pupils carrying knives, along with the report of a murder in a school using a knife.

read more

Reviewing health and safety

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:42 +0100

A new academic year inevitably brings changes and many of these will have implications for health and safety on your school site. Sometimes there are major changes, such as the appointment of new key personnel or the opening of a new teaching block, and the effects of these are easy to recognise. However, in health and safety terms it is the small changes which can sometimes grow into major issues, all too often because so much else remains familiar it is easy to overlook how some of the smaller changes can impact on the bigger picture.
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Legal basics: giving your pupils advice on sex and contraception

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:39 +0100

Government plans to bring sexual health services into schools have proved divisive, with ‘pro-life’ groups leading the charge: Rob McDonough, head of West Bridgford school, Nottingham, was accused by anti-abortion activists of conspiring to murder unborn babies — because his school gave the morning-after pill.
But what is all the fuss about? Here, we take a detailed look at new guidance on school sexual health services, placing it in the context of other pupil health initiatives.
read more

Making school a safer place

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:39 +0100
For some schools the struggle to raise standards is hampered by inadequate security. It could be that in a context of social deprivation and high levels of crime, the difficulties faced by headteachers are about which problem to fix first so that progress can be made.

read more

Wif-fi and ICT: benefits and risks

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:35 +0100
Wireless networks offer great benefits for schools — many schools have already installed a network. Wireless technology is part of many schools' plans under the Government's ‘building schools for the future’ initiative.

But ‘Wi-Fi’, as the technology is known, is a contentious and emotive subject, generating media interest and concern about its use. There is controversy over the health risks, and debate over whether there has been sufficient control over the use of Wi-Fi in the classroom.

read more

Creating a generation of lifesavers

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:33 +0100
The revised QCA guidelines for PHSEE KS3 outline knowledge of basic first aid as a core component of personal wellbeing. Educators with little or no experience of the topic need not fear: The British Red Cross has just what the doctor ordered.

Why first aid matters

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Your responsibilities for administering medicines (part two)

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:28 +0100

See also part one in this series
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Risk management: are you still doing it?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:27 +0100

Risk management is not new, although it might seem so given the number of reminders that LEAs send in to schools about checking step ladders, fitting slow closures to doors, locking the scissors away etc. Every headteacher wants to make their school as safe as possible but in any busy school hazards exist and accidents happen. What we need to do is minimise this possibility.
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Saving your voice

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:26 +0100

Working outside always puts greater stress on the voice. PE teachers are very susceptible to vocal problems, caused by using the voice in the open air. Primary school teachers are also vulnerable, particularly as they only work outdoors from time to time. It is important to remember that the voice loses strength the further it has to travel.

As Martin and Darnley(1) indicate:
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Fire safety for all: alarm systems

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:17 +0100

It's obvious isn't it – the fire alarm sounds and everyone evacuates the building. Or do they? What happens if you can’t actually hear the alarm? We all know that fire safety is essential in teaching areas, but current statistics show that one in seven people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing. That's 8.7 million people who can't hear your fire alarm.
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Preventing meningitis in young people

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:17 +0100

Meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning) can affect anyone at any time and can kill within hours. Survivors can be left with severe, disabling after-effects, including brain damage, deafness and, where septicaemia has occurred, loss of limbs. Young adults between 14-19 years of age are the group second most at risk from meningococcal disease and every year there are at least 1,500 reported cases among the under 16s, although experts estimate that there are actually twice as many cases in UK.
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It's harder to stop than to start!

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:13 +0100

During the summer, the Department of Health issued a consultation paper on raising the age for the legal purchase of tobacco from 16 to 18. The consultation went to local authorities, health bodies and voluntary organisations but not to schools, so you may not have heard about it.
read more

Combating risks to children on the internet

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:09 +0100

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) was created in April 2006 as a national centre dedicated to fighting child sex abuse. It combines law enforcement with industry, specialist children’s charities, the DfES and other interested bodies. Together we work in partnership to protect children, young people, families and society from paedophiles and sex offenders, in particular those who use the internet and other new technologies in the sexual exploitation of children.
read more

Fire safety in the early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:07 +0100

By taking some basic precautions in working practices, it is possible to minimise the risk of fire. In this issue we will be looking at the legal requirements, and next month we will look at precautions to take to reduce the risk of the largest cause of fire -arson – as well as some of the resources and services that are available from your local fire and rescue services for educating the children in your care.

Legal considerations

When setting up an early years facility
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School transport: basic law and best practice

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:05 +0100

The main school transport duties pertain to local authorities (LAs). But schools must be aware of the duties because they have to give LAs information, advise parents of their rights and responsibilities, and draw up a school transport policy and travel plan.

In this article, there is a summary of the law on school transport, with guidance on how to interpret it. Then we look at government initiatives for improving home-school travel arrangements.

THE LOCAL AUTHORITY DUTY
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Arson and fire prevention

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:04 +0100

There are typically two types of young firesetter: a ‘curiosity firesetter’ and a ‘problem firesetter’.

Curiosity Firesetter
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Fire safety concerns

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:01 +0100

Warren Ellison, a serving fire-fighter with the West Yorkshire fire service, started the petition in response to widespread concerns for pupil's safety.

To view or sign the petition, visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/sprinklers/

For information about fire safety education, visit the Government Fire Safety Education Programme.

Rewards for serving safer food

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:59 +0100

Norwich is at the forefront of a new publicity initiative designed to encourage all places which prepare food for consumption to be safe and hygienic. Nurseries and early years centres are regarded as a key target for the scheme.
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Keeping your staff safe

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:59 +0100

During a discussion about the retail business on Radio 4, one manager, when asked ‘Who are the most important people in your shop?’, answered ‘The staff’. His rationale was that if the staff weren’t happy, then they wouldn’t provide a good experience for the customers. This could equally well be applied to your setting. We know that the children are important, but if you don’t have the right staff with the right attitude, then the education and care those children receive will be less effective.
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Computers and early years

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:58 +0100

Enabling all children to become accustomed to using computers poses three main problems for the manager of many early years settings outside of mainstream education.

1 There are few appropriate training courses or practical help available.
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