Access Key	Description
1	Home Page

News and events

News release

26 October 2011 -NR 55/11

Safety experts encourage risk-education in schools

The essential role trips and out-of-school activities play in a child’s ability to cope with real-life risk has been explored at an event today (26 October).

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Education Group event, ‘Embracing risk in education’, chimed with the latest Government proposals to reduce the health and safety burden on schools, removing the fear of legal action that sometimes discourages teachers from holding extracurricular activities.

Held at Bolton School Arts and Conference Centre, today’s event has been designed to give practical ideas that promote sensible, proportionate and appropriate approaches to health and safety in schools, allowing children to get the best out of their time in education.

IOSH Education Group committee member Fiona Riley said: “Children need to be able to experience a range of activities during their time at school – activities that do naturally involve some degree of risk. Learning to deal with these is simply part of growing up.

“What we don’t want to see is teachers and schools cancelling trips and activities because they fear legal action. What we need are proportionate health and safety measures that help, not hinder our classrooms.

“The Government backs the view that our teachers should be confident that they know best how to look after their pupils, so this event is designed to give them reassurance and guidance in the work they do."

Over 40 safety representatives from local education authorities and schools attended the event to discuss hot health and safety topics within education including emergency life support skills for youngsters and current legal situation with trips and out-of-school activities.

- Ends -

Notes for editors:

IOSH is the Chartered body for health and safety professionals. With more than 40,000 members in 85 countries, we’re the world’s biggest professional health and safety organisation.

We set standards, and support, develop and connect our members with resources, guidance, events and training. We’re the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people.

IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.