the-BA : Risk assessments and Child Protection

Image of audience with hazard tape barrier.

If you teach a practical subject, then you will be familiar with the need for risk assessments. Every club session that you run will need to be risk-assessed. You should always check your school and local authority's policies to make sure that you are complying fully with their requirements.

Ask your school or local authority for the exact forms you need if you are conducting an off-site visit.

In general, risk assessments should be easy to fill in and not time consuming.
It's always a good idea to keep your risk assessments on file so that they can be reviewed and updated at a later date if you decide to repeat an activity or session.

Every adult helper in your session will need to read your risk assessment and take note of any hazards.

If you have external speakers coming in to run a session you will need to ask them to complete and send you a risk assessment well in advance so that you can assess any risks.

When you buy chemical supplies specifically for use during your science and engineering club, you will need to add the provided data sheets to your risk assessment.

For more advice on risk assessments see the Health and Safety Executive website and, in particular, their publication Five Steps to Risk Assessment (PDF 72KB).

If you are a teacher, then information on risk assessments for off-site visits can be found on TeacherNet.

Child Protection
Your school and local authority will have a child protection policy in place, which includes carrying out a criminal records bureau check on all members of staff in contact with children.

If your club is recruiting helpers/leaders from outside of school you will need them to complete a CRB check before they start helping.

Child protection issues may also arise if you invite a visiting speaker to your club. Check what your school recommends.

Some organisations such as the BA ask one-off visitors to sign a voluntary ‘Code of Conduct’ form to ensure that visitors understand their expectations.

	Home

	Clubs, CREST Awards and Fairs (5-19 yrs)

	Clubs

	Guide

	Running

	Visiting speakers

	Celebrations

	Linking up

	Monitoring and Evaluating

	Risk assessments and Child Protection