Getting Started - Field Work: Advice & Guidance for Teachers

There are many rewards of running an out-of-school visit – especially where it is part of an ongoing programme through which pupils progressively develop their knowledge, skills and confidence.

1. First steps
 From the start, set clearly defined objectives for the visit – this will mean that everyone
gets the most out of it. The key to a safe and successful visit is good, early planning, with clear educational outcomes. It will help identify what it is that you are expecting your pupils to gain
from the experience and evaluate the success of the outing once it is all over.

 Prioritise your objectives so you design a visit that closely mirrors your aspirations, and is appropriate to the needs and competence of your group.

 Remember to make the amount of planning and preparation proportional to the duration and type of the planned activity. Planning a visit does not have to be time consuming, even if you are trying something new. Fortunately, you do not have to, and indeed should not, do this on your own – there is lots of help available from within your school, providers of out-of-classroom opportunities, and your Local Education Authority (LEA).

2. Getting help from the start

 Check out your school’s policy early on, as you need to stick to this – and it will help you make the most of your efforts. These policies will give you guidance on, among other things: supervision ratios and any qualifications required of the staff team; risk assessment and safety management; and procedures for gaining approval for the visit.

 Talk to your school’s Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) about your proposal. For a start,
they will be able to tell you who else on the staff has organised similar activities.
Your EVC will also be able to make you aware of both the school’s policies on school visits, those of your LEA, and any national guidance. If a school does not have an EVC, then by default this
responsibility lies with the head teacher.

 LEAs also have an Education Visits or Outdoor Education Adviser. As well as training and supporting EVCs, they can also advise on the LEA’s own policies and give specific guidance.

 Most LEA visits policies are based on the DfES good practice guide: Health and Safety of Pupils on School Visits (HASPEV) and its supplements . Your EVC will have a copy, but you can also download here.

3. Support with finding a site

 Next, begin detailed planning into the location, duration, costs, and staffing for the visit – HASPEV has some useful checklists to help you do this. At this point, it will soon become apparent whether you have the resources to organise the visit with the help of your colleagues, parents, and pupils within the school, or want to look elsewhere for additional support

 There are now a significant number of organisations – commercial, charitable and voluntary – who specialise in school visits. These vary from one-day outings to week-long residentials and
more ambitious overseas expeditions. Make a formal agreement with them to ensure that everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities for the visit

 Many local authorities have their own outdoor centres – your EVC or LEA Outdoor Education Adviser will be able to give you some useful contacts
Before you leave
 Once you have decided on a likely venue, do a planning pre-visit, preferably with your colleagues, to find out more about the site and its facilities.
Have a clear idea of the size of group you are going to need to manage, their age and abilities and therefore the number of staff and helpers you are going to need to supervise the visit and support any member of the group with special needs.

 Confirm that the site is appropriate to the needs of the group both in terms of safety and your teaching and learning objectives.

 Prepare a written risk assessment and safety management plan. This is an integral part of all schools visits. The pre-visit is the ideal time to check that the paper document covers the key points. Make it simple and proportional enough to be understood and implemented by everyone involved in the visit

 Look at the provider’s (or your school’s own) Generic Risk Assessments. Consider how they inform your plans and relate to the needs of your group

 During the pre-visit you will also be able to start developing a simple Event Specific Risk Assessment. This covers the particular issues of your group and takes into consideration the age, behaviour, medical and special needs of your pupils and also other staff and helpers.

 As the date of the trip nears, this Event Specific Risk Assessment can be updated to encompass any changes and to take into account the weather forecast. The risk assessment can also form the basis of your briefings to other staff and helpers, and to pupils

 The pre-visit is also time to think about contingency planning – your Plan B – and check out emergency procedures. Occasionally during a visit situations change; for instance due to the weather being too bad to carry out your original plan, a medical condition, or the group becoming tired

 It is important staff feel able to revert to Plan B, and to be confident to continually assess the situation on the day – known as Ongoing/Dynamic Risk Assessment.

4. Staff support on the day

 The competence of the staff involved is important in ensuring the visit is a success. Your head
teacher, through the EVC, has the responsibility to ensure that staff are competent to run the trip. This is a professional judgement based on their qualifications, experience, personal qualities and training

 Staff should have the opportunity to assist on visits and have access to training. All staff involved with the visit need to be fully briefed and clear about their roles and responsibilities.
In this way, everyone knows what they are trying to achieve and can get on with trying to get the maximum benefit and enjoyment from the visit

 Ensure that stitable staff back at school know contact details and procedures just in case a problem arises. They need to have all the relevant details of the group, leaders and emergency contact numbers – as well as a copy of the itinerary and details about where you are. If
necessary, they can then co-ordinate contact with parents, arrange replacement transport, and deal with any other enquiries. Often their key role is just as a reassuring sounding board that the group leader has done what is needed.

5. Tips for a successful visit

 Involve pupils in planning – this has huge advantages for everyone involved. By helping plan the visit, you create emotional ownership. The visit becomes ‘ours’ and the pupils will not only
be clear about what is expected of them, but also show greater commitment and motivation.
Involving pupils in producing the risk assessments and a Code of Conduct not only teaches them life skills, but also encourages them to engage with the visit and behave well on it.

 Take advantage of the wide range of training opportunities for staff involved in visits. The
Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel offers EVC training and update sessions, as well as the new Group Leader Training sessions for those going out on visits with pupils. The OCR’s Off-Site Safety Management course, offered by the Royal Geographical Society with IBG and a number of other centres around the UK, enables staff to gain a formal qualification in the process of running visits be they local, residential or international.

 Find time to reflect on the experience – both for your pupils and yourself. Evaluation is not
only a key part of risk assessment but also vital to ensure that visits are quality learning experiences. Share what you have learned with colleagues and in particular the school’s EVC so that they can benefit from your experience. The quality and safety of any visit is dependent on careful preparation and planning. For those teachers willing to take up the challenges of taking education outside the classroom the rewards are many, and there is a huge support network
of people and organisations to help you do this, from short visits exploring your local community, to more ambitious overseas ventures.

Good luck!

(Taken from the OoCL, 2006)