The EAC Education visits safety system comprises;

• COVID
• Moderation
• Procedures
• Planning, recording & monitoring tool
• Technical advice
• Risk assessment
• Incident Reporting
• Training

East Ayrshire Educational Establishments organise and run over 10,000 off site educational visits every year.

Between Sept 2017-19 EAC ran 24,232 visits amounting to 804,099 participant days. We recorded 19 injuries on these visits; the most serious being a broken arm. 7 were injuries to staff or adult volunteers and 12 to young people, 4 of which were playing competitive sports. In this period, the likely hood of having an injury on an educational visit is one per 1275 visits and one per 42,321 participant days.

“The Health & Safety Executive fully recognises that learning outside the classroom helps to bring the curriculum to life – it provides deeper subject learning and increases self-confidence. It also helps pupils develop their risk awareness and prepares them for their future working lives. Striking the right balance between protecting pupils from risk and allowing them to learn from school trips has been a challenge for many schools, but getting this balance right is essential for realising all these benefits in practice.

Striking the right balance means that:

• schools and staff focus on real risks when planning trips;
• those running trips understand their roles, are supported, and are competent to lead or take part in them;
• the real risks are managed during the trip; and
• learning opportunities are experienced to the full.

Striking the right balance does not mean that:

• every aspect is set out in copious paperwork that acts as a security blanket for those organising the trip;
• detailed risk assessment and recording procedures aimed at higher-risk adventure activities are used when planning lower-risk school trips;
• mistakes and accidents will not happen; and
• all risks must be eliminated.”