Who is responsible for classroom safety in the UK?

28 Aug Who is responsible for classroom safety in the UK?

Whether at school or experiencing life outside of the classroom with an excursion, the health and safety of our school children matters.

Providing safe learning spaces that are compliant with the latest health and safety rules and regulations is a requirement in the UK as well as a concern for parents and guardians up and down the country. But, who is responsible for classroom safety?

What does UK law say about health and safety in schools?

The UK government is very clear about the rules and regulations regarding the responsibilities and duties of the nation’s schools. Here the Department for Education (DfE) shares its guidance:

“The employer or, in the case of independent schools, the proprietor, is accountable for the health and safety of school staff and pupils. The day-to-day running of the school is usually delegated to the headteacher and the school management team. In most cases, they are responsible for ensuring that risks are managed effectively. This includes health and safety matters.”

Under UK legislation, all schools must appoint a ‘competent person’, who will be charged with ensuring all staff fulfil the relevant safety duties and support a setting where students can thrive.

Are some educational settings more vulnerable to risk than others?

There are several risks that are present throughout a child or young adult’s educational journey. Contrary to popular belief, it is secondary schools and colleges, not nursery and primary school settings, that are most vulnerable to risk.

This is partly down to the sheer amount of activities that are undertaken as part of their extended and more advanced curriculum. Each offers its own unique list of activity hazards, which have to be recognised, managed and mitigated to ensure the welfare of participating students.

Which duties have to be fulfilled by responsible parties?

The health and safety policy should be the backbone of any educational setting. It should contain the ‘plan’, ‘do’, ‘check’ and ‘act’ elements to support sensible and consistent health and safety management within the school environment.

As part of your health and safety policy, you should take appropriate measures for the control of health infections, make arrangements for site inspections and safety management, conduct regular training to give staff the skills to manage and assess risk at work, and record and report any accidents involving staff, pupils or visitors.

Provisions should also be made for the management of health and safety when travelling off-site as well as emergency procedures, first aid and occupational health.

How can I boost classroom safety right now?

As part of your health and safety policy, taking steps to prevent injury before it happens is an important duty. At Fingersafe, we help you do just that, preventing one of the most prevalent injuries to affect students of all ages around the world.

Finger trapping incidents are common at school and at home. But, with our pinch protection guards, you can minimise door related finger accidents, and prevent the terrible scars they leave both physically and mentally. As the original finger hinge protector, we offer a range of solutions for several door designs, including those used throughout nurseries, schools and other educational settings.

You can find out more about our Fingersafe door guards and wider brand by browsing our brochure or contacting our team today.