HEALTH
AND SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT
Our policy is to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work, and to provide such information, training and supervision as is needed. We accept responsibility for the health and safety of people affected by our activities.
The policy will be kept up to date, a review being carried out annually. Also, please refer to the Emergency and Critical Incident Policy.
A full health and safety inspection is carried out annually by a sub‑committee of the governing body and a written report submitted. The sub‑committee reports each term.
HEADTEACHER ……………..………………………..…………… DATE: ………………………
(Ms K Barham)
CHAIR OF GOVERNORS ……….…….……………………..…… DATE: ………………………
(Dr Zahida Parveen)
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Overall and final responsibility for health and safety and its application in the school is that of the headteacher, who has designated her deputy to assume responsibility when she is off site.
2. The following are responsible for particular aspects of safety.
THE HEADTEACHER Health & Safety education including road safety
AND THE OFFICE Fire and fire practices
Buildings and grounds including services
Furniture and equipment
Investigating accidents
General housekeeping
Advice and consultancy
Visitors on site (delegated to the Secretary each day).
Training, including information on courses.
AEN MANAGER, PA AND THE OFFICE
First aid and medicines/ safe keeping of medicines.
3. All employees have a shared responsibility to cooperate to achieve and maintain a safe and healthy workplace and to take care of themselves and others. They are encouraged to keep up to date with regard to awareness of first aid procedures, etc.
4. When an employee is aware of a health and safety problem which they are not able to put right, they must as soon as possible tell the appropriate person responsible. Consultation between employees is provided by the normal, frequent meetings of staff but urgent or formal information may be channelled through the school office and/or Site Manager.
PARTICULAR ARRANGEMENTS
The first aid resourcets are kept in the first aid area by the office with other minor resources (wipes,plasters etc.) in bum bags. All accidents requiring specific trained first aid, however apparently minor, and incidents like a bumped head, must be reported on the accident form in the school office and entered in the school accident book. For head injuries and any other injury where it is necessary, a letter must go home. If an injury is serious the school secretary will notify the parents/carers so the child can be collected from school.
If you are in any doubt about the seriousness of an accident you must seek the advice of a qualified first aider,senior manager, and the school office may need to be informed by the SMT. There are special procedures for certain types of incident which the responsible person will know. The school has a "better safe than sorry" policy which errs on the side of caution when there are injuries to eyes, limbs, etc.
FIRE SAFETY
Annually the Fire Brigade checks extinguishers, alarms and escape routes. These are more regularly monitored by the Headteacher and designated governors.
FIRE DRILLS: Fire drills take place at least termly. On hearing the fire bell children:
line up quietly at the door labelled "Fire Exit", leaving all bags, etc. in the room.
when told, move in single file without noise or running to their muster point
stand quietly in line until checked and later dismissed.
Each class teacher is responsible for controlling the children as above, closing all windows and doors in their area and registering their children once assembled. The senior managers will check areas designated to them.
The school secretary is responsible for taking the registers to the muster point, including lists of non teaching staff on site ‑ all are involved in the drill.
OTHER DRILLS: See the Emergency and Critical Incident Policy – Bomb Drill - directed response, room clear, secured room, directed evacuation, suspicious/dangerous person, suicide threat, hazardous spillage, suspicious device and structural damage sections.
CHILDREN WHO ARE ILL
Details of children with ongoing medical problems such as asthma or epilepsy, indeed all medical records of children, are kept in the school office. Staff should make themselves aware of the problems of children in their care via the medical information leaflet kept in each register and the school office.
All medicines are deposited with the school secretary and administered from her office.
The headteacher must be informed if a child is to go to hospital to ensure that appropriate people can be informed, using emergency contact numbers kept in the office.
Special care is taken on school trips so that adults in charge are aware of and have the necessary medication for any potential medical problems, have lists of emergency contacts, carry first aid kits and have the usual forms giving parental consent as necessary. A qualified first aider should accompany all the pupils trips.
The school requests parents to keep infectious children at home until it is safe for them to mix with
other children without fear of spreading infection.
CONTRACTORS AND VISITORS
Visitors report first to the school office as directed by clear notices on site. Staff should carefully challenge strangers and escort them to the school office where there is a signing in/out book. A risk assessment form must be completed if applicable. The door to the school is locked and access can only be gained by pressing the buzzer at the front office. Blind CCTV is present in school. This will become live CCTV when budget allows in the near future. Occasional but regular visitors (such as parents who help with the curriculum) are made aware of proper procedures by having access to this policy statement.
OUT OF BOUNDS
Some areas are particularly hazardous to children and so are designated out of bounds. Children are made aware of them and the reasons why they are dangerous. As part of their normal school curriculum pupils are taught about dangers, sometimes from visiting specialists (eg. police on road safety).
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Mains equipment is inspected for faults annually by the Local Authority, and date tagged. This is
particularly important for portable equipment and extension leads which must be approved. Staff must
not bring to school (for use with pupils) their own mains equipment, unless it has been checked and tagged.
OUTSIDE PLAY EQUIPMENT
All wooden play equipment is checked annually and any faults must reported to the site manager.
WET PLAYTIMES
Before school – If wet in the morning before school begins, children are to hang up coats/bags and go directly to KS1/KS2 halls to wait with duty staff. When 8:55am bell rings, staff will dismiss children in an orderly fashion with their class Teacher / class TA. Yr 6 are to remain in the Yr 6 block with Yr 6 staff.
Morning playtime – Children remain in their own classroom with specific activities. Staff are expected to liaise with their TA to ensure they have a quick comfort break to get a drink etc. SMT will decide if children can stay in – every effort is made to allow them the opportunity of fresh air and exercise if conditions are reasonable, including being wet under foot.
Wet dinner routine – MDS will patrol classes as directed. Classes are expected to remain within their areas after eating and releasing at 12:20pm except 3MG who should go to the library to eat their lunch and remain there until dismissed. Library will be closed if this happens. 2PC/2C eat in 2C classroom. 1S/1PC eat in 1S. RW/RJ eat in RW.
PARENTS
Parents have clear rights of access, care and control of their children. Children should not be left at
school before 8.45am each morning and must be collected at 3.25pm, after which children are supervised in the building and parents contacted.
Staff supervise children in the normal school day (outside classrooms) as follows:-
At least one member of staff on duty before school from 8.45am to 8.55am in both KS1/KS2 playgrounds.
At least two members of staff on duty at playtimes from 10.40am to 11.00am during Infant break, 10.45am to 11.00am during Junior break.
KS1 children will be released from their classroom door.
KS2 children will be escorted to various meeting points allocated on site.
CHILD PROTECTION
All staff employed by the school and parent/ carer helpers/ volunteers who run after school clubs receive a full CRB. Staff, parents, carers and students are given guidelines when working with children and always sign a confidentiality policy. (Please refer to the Confidentiality Policy and Child Protection Policy for more details).
Adults should not be with children on a one to one basis.
DEALING WITH VIOLENCE
If staff feel threatened from whatever source they are advised to summon help by getting support of another adult and then sending a Messenger/Emergency Card to alert the Head, Deputy or SMT. Meanwhile the potential source of violence should be encouraged to move away from the children (eg. into a corridor).
HAZARDS IN THE CURRICULUM
Subjects such as science and PE carry special hazards and staff involved should be aware of safety procedures and booklets such as those produced by CLEAPSE. The use of equipment and its hazards is explained to children so they are aware of special danger.
Please refer also to the Emergency and Critical Incident Procedures Policy, Excursions and Risk Assessment Policy and Procedures, Child Protection Policy and policies that refer to Health and Safety for teaching and non-teaching staff on site.
Kath Barham (Headteacher), Dr Zahida Parveen( Chair of Govenors)
& Tony Carpenter (Vice -Chair of Governors) – October 2007
To be reviewed – October 2008
