school trip ratios for eyfs

Blog Ofsted: early years

https://earlyyears.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/20/how-staff-to-child-ratios-work/

How staff-to-child ratios work

The Chancellor recently announced an optional change to childcare ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-old children. This change will apply from September 2023.

All other staff-to-child ratios remain the same.

While the Department for Education sets the ratios, we want to make sure that the way that they work is well understood.

We know that many providers find ratios complicated. The questions we get asked most frequently on our Childcare Registration Facebook page are about ratios.

We want to help by setting out the answers to a few frequently asked questions:

• Staff-to-child ratios apply to the whole provision, not each room. It is up to you how you deploy your staff. For example, you may need fewer members of staff in the baby room when they are sleeping than when they are awake. Or you may want more staff observing children during mealtimes. The decision is yours, but we may ask you to explain your rationale.
• We are sensitive to the pressures with recruitment and retention. We may only focus on ratio requirements if there are concerns for the children in your care. We will not be constantly carrying out headcounts when we’re inspecting. Our focus is on what it is like to be a child in your care.
• To be counted in the ratios, staff must be at least 17 years old (with some exceptions for apprentices). They must also be suitable. This means that each childminder should have an Ofsted suitability decision letter. Nurseries must carry out their own recruitment checks and determine suitability.
• For group providers, the ratio requirements are only for children, up until 1st September following their fifth birthday. However, you should consider whether the care of any older children has an impact on the early years children. You must be able to demonstrate that you can meet the needs of all children. For childminders, the maximum is always 6 children under the age of 8.
• There are some exceptions where you can exceed the ratios. However, you must maintain the quality of care and the safety and security of the children. We may ask you to demonstrate that you can do this. You should inform parents and carers about staff deployment and involve them in these decisions if possible.

Examples of when childminders can make exceptions are set out in the framework for the EYFS in paragraph 3.43. They include caring for siblings and caring for your own children. Even when exceptions are permitted, for childminders and assistants, the maximum is always 6 children per adult. Group providers can also make exceptions and this is set out in paragraph 3.31.

While we hope these pointers are useful, it is your responsibility to read, understand and demonstrate your ability to meet the ongoing requirements for registration. Ratio requirements are flexible, but you should be able to explain your rationale for how you deploy staff or assistants.

Our inspectors are not trying to catch you out. We just want to know that you are keeping children safe and providing high-quality early education and care. That is our priority.

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Adult to child ratios for working with children

Guidance on supervision levels for safeguarding children and young people.

When working with children and young people, you must make sure you have enough staff and volunteers to keep children safe. 

Adult to child ratios are different depending on the children and young people in your group, your setting and the activities you're carrying out. You must also ensure adults are suitable to undertake the tasks you need.

Supervision levels will vary depending on the children's age, gender, behaviour and the abilities in your group.

How many adults you need also depends on:

• the nature and duration of activities
• the competence and experience of staff involved
• location, accommodation or organisational requirements
• any special medical needs
• any specialist equipment needed.

Deciding appropriate levels of supervision

Carry out a risk assessment of the activities you are planning, taking the issues above into consideration. This will help you decide how many adults you need and what skills and experience they should have.

> Find out more about running safer activities and events

Who is suitable to supervise children?

You should carry out a range of safer recruitment processes and checks to ensure you employ the right people to work or volunteer in roles that have contact with children.

The types of checks needed will depend on the nature of the work being carried out, and whether or not the work will be supervised by other staff members.

It's important to make sure:

• all adults who have contact with children understand and agree to follow your safeguarding policy and procedures
• any staff or volunteers who have only had the checks required to work with children while supervised aren't left alone with a child.

If you work in performing arts you should make sure chaperones have the relevant licences.

> Find out more about safer recruitment including vetting and barring checks

> Find out more about safeguarding in the performing arts

What adults supervising children need to know

Staff and volunteers need to have:

• an understanding of their responsibility to keep children and young people safe
• clear procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child's wellbeing
• insurance for certain activities
• codes of practice which they understand and agree to follow.

Parents who attend activities with their children should not be used to supervise other children unless they have been recruited into the role, undergone the necessary checks and had the relevant child protection training.

> Find out more about safeguarding procedures

> Look at our example behaviour code

> Learn more about child protection training requirements for education and early years sectors

> Find out more about our introductory child protection training

Schools are expected to carry out their own risk assessment at the beginning of each academic year to determine appropriate levels of supervision for each class except the Early years and foundation stage.

The National Education Union (NEU) provides guidance on class sizes and advises schools to consider children’s emotional, behavioural and special needs when determining staff to child ratios (NEU, 2019).

Schools also need to carry out a risk assessment to determine appropriate adult to child ratios at breaks and lunchtimes. Things to consider include:

• the layout of the playground
• the number of children on the playground
• the ages of the children on the playground.

For children in the Early years and foundation stage there is specific guidance about supervision ratios - find out more in the section below.

In England , the Department for Education (DfE) publishes  guidance for early years providers which sets out statutory requirements about adult to child ratios (DfE, 2023). The required adult to child ratios vary depending on the setting and the age of children.

Key points for all early years settings include:

• staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety
• children must usually be within both sight and hearing of staff and always within at least either sight or hearing
• only those aged 17 or over may be included in ratios (and staff under 17 should be supervised at all times)
• students on long term placements, volunteers and staff working as apprentices may be included in the ratios if they are old enough and the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.

Pages 28-32 of the guidance set out the statutory staff to child ratios for all providers and then specific guidance for:

• early years providers other than childminders
• those providing before and after school care
• those providing holiday care
• childminders.

In Northern Ireland , the Department of Health, (DoH) has published minimum standards for childminding and daycare for children under 12 (PDF) (DoH, 2018). Standard 11 sets out the minimum staff to child ratios for children of different ages in different settings. 

In Scotland , there is guidance from the Care Inspectorate for early learning and childcare settings (Care Inspectorate, 2018). It sets out adult to child ratios and the rationale behind them.

In Wales , the Welsh Government has published National minimum standards for regulated childcare (PDF). Standard 15 sets out staffing ratios including for childminders and day care.

There is no specific guidance about supervision ratios for organisations that are not in the education or early years sectors. We’ve put together some best practice guidance to help other organisations work out how many adults are needed to supervise children safely.

We recommend having at least two adults present when working with or supervising children and young people. We recommend the following adult to child ratios as the minimum numbers to help keep children safe:

• under 2 years - one adult to three children
• 2 - 3 years - one adult to four children
• 4 - 8 years - one adult to six children
• 9 - 12 years - one adult to eight children
• 13 - 18 years - one adult to ten children

Depending on the needs and abilities of the children, and the nature of the activity, you may need to have more adults than the minimum.

We recommend having at least two adults present, even with smaller groups.

If young people are helping to supervise younger children only people aged 18 or over should be included as adults when calculating adult to child ratios.

Children who have special educational needs, additional needs and disabilities

If you are working with children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or additional needs you may need more supervision than the minimum ratios above.

You should carry out a risk assessment for each activity to help you decide on supervision ratios. This should take account of children and young people’s behaviour, ability and mobility. As far as possible, include input from children and young people and their parents and carers in risk assessments to ensure children’s needs are met.

> Learn more about protecting d/Deaf and disabled young people

Toilet ratios

If the group has both boys and girls there should be at least one male and one female responsible adult supervising visits to the toilet.

Adults who haven't previously volunteered and haven't had the necessary vetting checks shouldn't be left alone with children or take them to the toilet unaccompanied.

In larger groups of children, encourage groups to take a comfort break together with one responsible adult while the other adult(s) supervises the remaining children and keep a head count.

First aid ratios

We recommend that at least one adult is trained in first aid.

If you're running one-off events you will need to carry out a first-aid and medical risk assessment. Many organisations provide medical services but ensure the organisation you select is competent, trained in first aid and able to cope with the demands of your event.

Travelling ratios

When travelling with children and young people the recommended adult to child ratio can vary depending on:

• size of the group
• age of the children, their behaviours and needs
• size of the vehicle that you are travelling in.

If you are travelling in a vehicle it is recommended that there is one adult driving and one adult supervising the children. Larger groups and vehicles will require more adults to ensure adequate supervision. 

Care Inspectorate (2018) Guidance on adult to child ratios in early learning and childcare settings (PDF). Dundee: Care Inspectorate.

Department for Education (DfE) (2023)   Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework . [Accessed 17/08/2023].

Department of Health (DoH) (2018)   Minimum standards for childminding and day care for children under age 12 (PDF)   Belfast: Department of Health (DoH).

National Education Union (NEU) (2019)   Class sizes . [Accessed 17/08/2023].

Welsh Government (2023) National minimum standards for regulated childcare for children up to the age of 12 years (PDF). Cardiff: Welsh Government.

Safeguarding and child protection in schools  

Safer activities and events

Supervising children and young people's sport and activities

Related resources

Follow our steps to ensure the people who work or volunteer with your group or organisation are safe to work with children.

Provides advice on keeping groups of children and young people safe during activities, events, visits, outings and overnight stays whether they’re regular or one-off.

Guidance about taking, sharing, using and storing images of children. Includes information about CCTV and livestreaming online events and activities.

Safeguarding child protection

Training to help you keep children safe

Our cost-effective, CPD-certified elearning courses will give you the skills and confidence you need to safeguard children.

Increase your confidence in identifying and responding to possible signs of child abuse and neglect with our introductory online, live virtual and face-to-face training courses.

Training to safely recruit the right staff and volunteers to ensure they are safe to work with children and young people. Available as virtual training.

Get more training for less with our elearning packages for primary and secondary schools. Contains 12 hours of CPD-certified training to cover the child protection knowledge you need. 

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Understanding EYFS Ratios

A comprehensive guide to staffing and space requirements in early years settings.

In this comprehensive guide, we shall delve into the significance of upholding proper EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) ratios in childcare establishments, a crucial aspect of providing optimal learning experiences for young children. 

We shall explain guidelines regarding space allocation for each child, staff-to-child ratios, and the implementation of best practices to cultivate a nurturing, secure environment that fosters the well-being and development of children under our care. 

This means that for every three children within this age group, there should be at least one responsible adult present. Maintaining this staffing ratio ensures that each child receives appropriate supervision, care, and support tailored to their specific needs.

Two-Year-Olds: 1 Adult to 4 Children

Every group of four two-year-old children, there should be one supervising adult. This arrangement makes certain that each child gets the necessary attention and support, which contributes significantly to their growth and development.

Three to Five Years: 1 Adult to 8 Children

It’s generally advised that for children aged three to five years, the suitable staffing ratio is one adult to every eight children. This recommended ratio guarantees that each child is adequately supervised while simultaneously encouraging their social interactions with peers and promoting a healthy sense of independence.

Though, the early years teachers qualification and others similar allow a higher ratio of 1:13.

Nursery Ratios Calculator

Use this calculator to instantly calculate how many staff you need based on the number of children you have.

Space Requirements for EYFS Childcare Settings

Children Aged zero to two require the most space, due to their greater needs.

This designated area as with all the age ranges must be solely devoted to the children’s activities, enabling them to engage in play, exploration, and learning experiences without hindrance, thus promoting their entire development in a safe and nurturing environment.

Two-Year-Olds: 2.5m² per Child

Catering to the needs of two-year-olds requires the provision of sufficient space, ensuring their well-being, comfort, and encouraging their growth and development. In accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, as set by the government of England, a minimum of 2.5 square meters of unobstructed, functional space per child is mandated for this specific age group. 

Children Aged Three to Five Years: 2.3m² per Child

For children aged three to five years, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines stipulate a marginally reduced space requirement of 2.3 square meters per child. As with the provisions for two-year-olds, it is essential that this area be lacking of obstructions and specifically allocated for the exclusive use of the children. 

By adhering to these guidelines, childcare providers can create an environment that facilitates the children’s engagement in various activities, promoting their overall well-being, learning, and development in a secure and nurturing setting.

Excluded Areas

It’s important to note that the space calculations should be based on the net or usable areas of the rooms. The following areas should be excluded from the calculations:

• Storage areas
• Thoroughfares
• Dedicated staff areas
• Utility rooms

Best Practices for Implementing EYFS Ratios

Regular assessments.

It’s critical to carry out regular assessments within your childcare environment. These assessments should focus on observing, documenting, and evaluating each child’s development and learning. They are essential processes that enable educators and programs to plan, implement, and assess the benefit of the experiences provided to the children. 

By doing so, we ensure that the setting meets space and staffing requirements, maintains a high-quality environment, and identifies potential areas for improvement.

Staff Training

It’s essential to offer continuous training and support to your staff members. You will equip them with the necessary skills to cater to the specific requirements of each age group effectively. The training should focus on both technical abilities, such as understanding and implementing the latest Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guidelines and recommendations, and soft skills, such as communication and empathy. This balanced approach will help staff members to work well with the children and each other, enhancing the quality of care provided.

Flexibility in Space Allocation

In order to create a versatile childcare setting, it’s vital to preserve a degree of flexibility in the allocation of space to different age groups. This strategy allows the setting to readily adapt to the ups and downs of enrolment numbers. We can ensure that each child receives an appropriate amount of space, enhancing their comfort and facilitating their learning.

By adhering to the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) ratios for both space requirements and staffing in childcare settings, you can ensure a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment for children. 

This commitment to maintaining suitable space per child and proper adult supervision fosters a high-quality early years setting, ultimately contributing to the children’s well-being, growth, and learning experiences. Following the EYFS guidelines will help childcare providers maintain a standard of excellence and support positive outcomes for children during their critical early years.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What are nursery ratios?

A: Nursery ratios refer to the number of staff members required to look after a certain number of children in a nursery or early childhood education and care program.

Q: Why are nursery ratios important?

A: Nursery ratios are important because they determine the quality of care and learning experiences that young children receive. Maintaining appropriate ratios ensures that each child receives adequate attention, supervision, and care from staff members.

Q: What is the staff-to-child ratio for infants in a nursery?

A: For infants younger than 12 months old, the staff-to-child ratio is 1:3. This means that one adult should care for no more than three infants.

Q: What is the maximum group size for infants in a nursery?

A: For infants younger than 12 months old, the maximum group size is six.

Q: What is the staff-to-child ratio for toddlers in a nursery?

A: For toddlers aged 13-35 months old, the staff-to-child ratio is 1:4. This means that one adult should care for no more than four toddlers.

Q: What is the maximum group size for toddlers in a nursery?

A: For toddlers aged 13-35 months old, the maximum group size is eight.

Q: What is the staff-to-child ratio for preschoolers in a nursery?

A: For preschoolers aged 3 years old, the staff-to-child ratio varies depending on the country or region. In the UK, the staff-to-child ratio for preschoolers is 1:8.

Q: What are the benefits of maintaining good nursery ratios?

A: Maintaining good nursery ratios has several benefits, including better supervision and care for children, increased opportunities for learning and development, improved communication between staff and parents, and increased safety and security.

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School trips | Staff to pupil ratios explained

Written on 17 June 2022

There’s often confusion and conflicting information surrounding appropriate staff to pupil ratios for educational visits.

It’s important to remember that even though there are no requirements that are prescribed in law, conducting a detailed risk assessment should provide a clear indication of the appropriate ratios required.

According to guidance from the Education Authority , supervision ratios for school trips should relate to:

• The category of educational visit;
• The specific educational objective(s); and
• The outcome of a risk assessment.

The more time the better

Determining the appropriate level of supervision well in advance of the trip taking place will allow enough time for staff to volunteer to take part in the trip. 

It will also provide plenty of notice for you to involve volunteers, e.g. parents or governors. As part of this process, you should then assign each person clearly defined roles as identified by your risk assessment.

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Carrying out a risk assessment for a school trip

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when carrying out a risk assessment for a school trip. The safety of pupils, colleagues and volunteers should always be at the forefront of your mind throughout the process, but it is also vital to ensure your focus is on reducing real risks .

There’s often a tendency for schools to be too restrictive or simply not run a school trip due to fears of prosecution if the trip goes wrong, and the belief that a teacher will be sued if a child is injured.

Remember, you are not expected to completely eliminate all risks. A risk assessment is intended to ensure that children aren’t unnecessarily exposed to things that could cause them harm. It’s also a way of demonstrating that you have done all you can to keep them safe.

We have produced a short guide which breaks down the key information you need to know from a health and safety perspective when preparing for a school trip, which should give you some clear guidelines to work towards when completing a risk assessment.

Guide to Safe School Trips

Created by our Health & Safety specialists, this helpful guide explains how to plan and run safe and successful school trips, including getting the balance between safety and learning, low-risk vs high-risk trips, and steps to take before, during and after.

Identifying the level of supervision required

Guidance from the  Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel  (OEAP) says that “ratios are a risk management issue, and should be determined through the process of risk assessment”. The OEAP goes on to say that “it is not possible to set down definitive staff/student ratios for a particular age group or activity, although the law does specify minimum ratios for early years”.

However, b ased on the findings of your risk assessment, you should be able to establish the staff to pupil ratio required by taking into account the following factors:

• The nature and location of activities to be undertaken;
• The age and ability of the group;
• Pupils with special educational and/or medical needs;
• Whether it is a day visit or overnight stay;
• Whether it is a mixed or single-gender group;
• The experience of supervisory staff in providing off-site supervision;
• The duration and nature of the journey;
• The type of any accommodation;
• The competence of supervisory staff, both general and in relation to specific learning activities;
• The requirements of the organisation/ location to be visited;
• The competence and behaviour of the pupils;
• The likely weather conditions and time of year;
• The duration and location of planned activities; and
• First aid cover.

Further considerations also include whether the pupils require close (direct) supervision for the duration of the visit, in which case the staff to pupil ratio will be greater. 

Alternatively, if you don’t intend for pupils to be directly in your line of vision for the duration of the trip, then less supervision will be required. However, trip leaders will still need to remain in the area in which the activity is taking place at all times.

In the event of a pupil or trip leader needing to vacate the trip early, the appropriate ratios will still need to be maintained. For example, a trip leader may need to accompany a pupil to hospital or attend a personal emergency. This should be taken into consideration when planning your visit.

High-risk activities may require direct supervision at all times and therefore a higher staff to pupil ratio should be adhered to.

Additional requirements for residential trips

Vetting procedures for volunteers.

If you’re inviting volunteers such as parents or governors to assist with supervising pupils during a school trip, then you must adhere to the DE Circular 2012/19 with regards to vetting checks for volunteers working in schools. This must be followed when arranging trips for all groups of pupils under the age of 18.

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Trip Ratio Calculator

School and college trip ratios are a significant part of the risk management of the trip. The school trip ratio will be impacted by the nature of the visit, the location, the makeup of the group and the level of staff competencies. You also have to mitigate against the risk that a member of staff will be unable to perform their role due to illness, family, emergency and such like.

While you will likely have specific guidance for your school or college that is written into policy, we thought we would summarise information from national guidance, acting as a simple reference point to help you in your trip planning.

Try our trip ratio calculator to easily work out how many staff you need or students you are able to take.

The questions you should ask and answer

Decisions about the supervision required for a school or college trip should address the following key questions:

1. What is the nature and duration of the visit and the activities that are planned? You should be prepared to increase the ratio of staff if, for instance, there are outdoor activities such as canoeing or climbing.

2. What are the location and the environment in which the activity is to take place? You may need to guide students around a busy city. If this is the case, then you should consider increasing the number of staff.

3. What is the nature of the group, considering the age, level of development, gender, ability and needs? The gender profile of your team of staff will need to represent the gender mix of the student group, for instance. If there are students with behavioural or emotional needs, you may want to include someone with sole responsibility for that student.

4. What is the level of staff competence? It is common to boost staff to student ratio with student teachers due to practicalities such as cost. However, you need to consider whether these adults will have the necessary experience to deal with an emergency should it arise.

5. What is the consequence should a member of staff be indisposed, especially where there is a single leader for a group of students for a significant time? People become ill, and people have a family crisis. Consequently, over-staffing trips, especially if the trip is residential, is a good idea. It gives you room for staff to need to leave to take care of this personal issue.

Sometimes trips are run every year. However, it is important to revisit these questions each time. It is easy to forget that the profile of the student group will change and the level of expertise in the staff. It is always best to avoid any assumptions.

General Guidance

There are defined numbers laid out in the national guidance. However, the documentation is clear that these are starting points, the minimum required. You may need to include more teachers and other staff to account for the particular risk profile of a group.

Here is what is laid out for school trip ratio:

- The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework does not set a different minimum requirement for out of school as that is required on-site. The framework requires that there is a risk assessment and that the ratio should reflect the considerations in this document. They advise that the appropriate proportion is likely higher than the legal minimum.

- For children aged three and over the ratio is 1:8 or 1:13. Beyond this, in reception class and above, a rate of 1:30 is the minimum.

As you can see, there is no set requirement for a higher teacher to student ratio than would typically be the case at school. However, if the trip is abroad or in a remote location, the possibility of the trip leader becoming indisposed must be accounted for in the risk assessment. Equally, there is no requirement for children to be accompanied by a member of staff of the same gender, even on residential trips. However, again, teachers are pointed to consider the potential risks and what could be done to mitigate these risks. Teachers of different genders would likely be required to account for all possible privacy, safeguarding, and pastoral support required.

SAGE Framework

The national guidelines suggest employing the SAGE framework when assessment requirements for school or college trip ratios: Staffing, Activities, Group Characteristics, Environment. If you have addressed these questions in your risk assessment, then you can apply the suitable proportions, which mean you are more than likely going to need more staff than in school. How many more team members you need, and their qualifications, is left to your professional judgement. It makes sense to leave it open, as the possible differences between contexts make a generalised and standardised ratio unhelpful.

The best advice, especially for residential trips is to over-ratio at the start of the journey. Also, teachers should be made aware of the school policy has specific information for minimum safety levels that should be applied no matter the trip.

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Eyfs staffing ratio and qualification requirements, get to grips with the staffing ratio and qualification requirements in early years settings, and download our summary of the rules., staffing requirements.

• Definitions
• Additional information
• Download our summary

For all Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) settings

• Appointed on or after 1 January 2024 : must hold a suitable level 2 qualification in maths, or must do so within 2 years of starting the position
• Must hold at least a full and relevant level 3 qualification
• Should have at least 2 years of experience of working in an early years setting, or have at least 2 years of other suitable experience
• At least half of all other staff must hold at least an approved level 2 qualification
• At least 1 person who has a current paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present, and must accompany children on outings

'Setting' here refers to the provision as a whole. This means, for example, that in an EYFS setting with

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Trinity School Sevenoaks

• EYFS: evaluating the learning environment
• Supervision meetings for EYFS staff

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• Education, training and skills
• Pupil wellbeing, behaviour and attendance
• Health, safety and wellbeing in schools

Health and safety on educational visits

• Department for Education

Published 26 November 2018

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2018

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits

Types of trip

The 2 main types of trip are:

• routine visits
• trips that need a risk assessment and extra planning

Routine visits

These involve no more than an everyday level of risk, such as for slips and trips, and are covered by a school’s current policies and procedures. They only need a little extra planning beyond the educational aspect of the trip and can be considered as a lesson in a different classroom.

Trips that need a risk assessment and extra planning

These are trips not covered by a school’s current policies. This could be due to considerations such as the:

• distance from the school
• type of activity
• need for staff with specialist skills

Sometimes a school may simply need to review its current plans or arrangements that were successful on previous trips. However, some trips will need a risk assessment, detailed planning and the informed approval of the headteacher or governing board. The person given the job of managing this should:

• have the skills, status and competence needed for the job
• understand the risks involved
• be familiar with the activity

Plans should be proportionate and sensible, focusing on how to manage genuine risks.

When to seek consent from parents or carers

A school must always get written consent for nursery-age children.

For children over nursery age, written consent is not needed for most trips, as they’re part of the curriculum. However, it’s good practice to tell parents or carers about them.

Written consent is usually only needed for trips that:

• need a higher level of risk assessment
• are outside normal school hours

The school can ask parents to sign a consent form when their child enrols. This will cover them for their whole time at the school. Advice on consent forms is available on the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel ( OEAP ) website.

A school should still tell parents or carers about such trips and give them the opportunity to withdraw their child.

Using outside organisations

Schools using an outside organisation to provide an activity must check the organisation has appropriate safety standards and public liability insurance.

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom ( LOtC ) awards the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge to organisations that meet nationally recognised standards.

Schools can check if an organisation holds the LOtC Quality Badge .

If an organisation does not hold the badge, the school must ensure that they’re an appropriate organisation to use. This could include checking:

• their insurance
• that they meet legal requirements
• their health and safety and emergency policies
• their risk assessments
• control measures
• their use of vehicles
• staff competence
• safeguarding
• accommodation
• any sub-contracting arrangements they have
• that they have a licence, where needed

The school should have an agreement with the organisation that makes it clear what everyone is responsible for. This is especially important if they will be taking over supervision of the children.

Adventure activities: caving, climbing, trekking and watersports

These kinds of activities should be identified and risk assessed as part of the visit beforehand. Staff managing or leading visits must not decide to add such activities during the trip. They should always consider the abilities of the children when assessing risk.

Organisations need a licence to provide some adventure activities. Organisations that hold the LOtC Quality Badge should hold a licence for the activity they provide.

Information about licensing is available on the Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ) website.

Watersports

When planning watersports, schools should consider the need for:

• instructors

A school should take particular care when using hotel swimming pools and other water-based leisure facilities that may not have a trained lifeguard on duty. Although there are no swimming-pool-specific health and safety laws, the OEAP provides useful advice about undertaking adventure specialist activities, including swimming.

Trips abroad

Trips abroad can present extra risks and need a higher level of risk assessment.

Schools should make sure that any organisation providing activities holds the LOtC Quality Badge or similar local accreditation.

The HSE does not cover incidents overseas. However, it can investigate work carried out in Britain to support the trip, such as a risk assessment. School staff could be liable under civil law for any injuries to the children due to negligence.

If the trip includes significant risks, such as challenging terrain, a remote location or an extreme climate, a school should follow the guide to the British Standard for adventurous activities outside the United Kingdom as the basis for its planning and risk assessment. Organisations employed by the school should follow this, too. If they have a LOtC Quality Badge, they follow this standard.

Schools should consider the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s detailed guidance on safer adventure travel and volunteering overseas and foreign travel advice when organising a visit abroad.

Knowing what to do in an emergency

Schools should have an emergency response plan that covers what to do if there is an incident away from school. They should also have a communications plan that covers how routine communications should be handled, including regular check-ins and calls to reassure people. Trip leaders should be familiar with the plan.

Schools can get advice on creating a communications plan from their outdoor activity adviser or the OEAP website .

Evaluating trips

A school should set up a clear process for evaluating all visits once they have been concluded, from the planning through to the visit itself. It should keep a record of any incidents, accidents and near-misses.

This will help it:

• evaluate whether its planning has worked
• learn from any incidents which took place

Educational visits coordinators

Schools should appoint an educational visits coordinator and make sure they have the training they need. The headteacher assumes this duty if there is no coordinator. Local authorities or academy trust outdoor education advisers can advise on appointing and training coordinators.

The coordinator works with the outdoor education adviser to help their colleagues in school to assess and manage risks.

The coordinator should:

• be an experienced visits leader
• have the status to be able to guide the working practices of other staff
• be confident in assessing the ability of other staff to lead visits
• be confident in assessing outside activity providers
• be able to advise headteachers and governors when they’re approving trips
• have access to training, advice and guidance

Guidance is also available on the OEAP website .

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• Early Years Setting Management

Outings Ratio

By Guest, May 21, 2007 in Early Years Setting Management

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Could somebody just clarify what the ratios are for taking children out:-

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Guest Wolfie

As far as I'm aware there are no statutory ratios for outings? You are just expected to do a thorough risk assessment and use your professional judgment to come to a decision about the ratios needed to ensure the absolute safety of the children going on the trip? I know that various professional bodies, e.g. the PLA, have suggested ratios, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing actually set in stone?

Think there has been a recent discussion on this subject and also think Wolfie is right. We always have a ratio of at least 1 adult to 2 children. Our children are 2 years 9 months to school age.

The more helpers the better.

Don't forget you may need to have spare 'bodies' to stop traffic so that children can cross roads safely etc.

Thanks. We are going on a coach, which is picking us straight up from nursery and then going to a children's farm. The trouble is we are taking about 16 - 18 to 3 years and 20 Pre-Schoolers, so for a ratio of 1:2 is going to mean we are taking 36 children. I have 8 basic staff and 5 volunteers so far.

Parents keep moaning about us taking the children out, one even suggested I buy a mini bus!!! Yes, I thought, if I put your fees up by about £20 a month!!!

Has anybody had any good/bad experiences of taking children to a farm. Apart from the obvious hygiene one, what else should I be thinking of when doing my risk assessment.

Our risk assessment form includes everything we are going to need on the trip such as mobile phone, consent forms, first aid kit, sick bags, toilet rolls etc.

We risk assess the coach journey-children to be seated and wearing seat belts at all times, no eating or drinking on coach, counting them on and off.

Then at the farm we ensure children are kept a safe distance from the animals unless allowed by the farm staff, hand washing, parents/carers only taking their own child to the toilet and ensuring they find somebody else to look after the other child they are looking after and getting a member of staff to take that child to the toilet. Ensure that parents know exactly what is going to be happening and what the children are and are not allowed to do. The farm we visited had a bouncy castle but school parties were not allowed to use it. Is the farm safe in that no child can get out? What you need to do in case of an emergency, such as a lost child, illness or accident.

What happens before you set off and when you arrive back, ensuring the children go back into the building and are marked as leaving on the register-don't let parents just wander off with their child as they tend to want to do. You need to make sure all the children are properly accounted for. We have a separate register for the day, just a list of those children attending, and we mark them off as they arrive and leave.

I always try to have a ratio of 1:2 and, where possible, staff are supernumary.

Just a few ideas for you.

Here's a link to a farm park near us who have a risk assessment form on the web to show you what they do. They also have guidance from HSE I think.

http://www.farmerpalmers.co.uk/groups.html

Wow, thanks ladies, gread advice and links. Thanks.

Ofsted state that on outings staffing ratios must be maintianed. So you need to keep to your ratios of 1-4 for two year olds and 1-8 for three and four year olds. As these are the ages I work with I am only sure of these, need to check national standards for others. However for safety (and peace of mind!) we have a ratio of 1-2 on outings in our policys. However we are in the process of revising this as it restricts the amount of outings we can undertake as it`s difficult to get additional parent help to make outings viable.

Hope this helps.

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Frampton Cotterell Church of England Primary School "becoming the Best we can through Faith, Friendship and Participation"

School Trips

Every year, class teachers endeavour to arrange a variety of trips, and contact and invite visitors to come.  Both trips and visits are designed to match the children's topics, interests and areas of learning.  (Please see the curriculum page for more information about topics.)

Before each trip, the class teachers make a preliminary visit to the venue, and then prepare a risk assessment.

Children are supervised by their teachers, and the ratios set out by the Department for Education are always adhered to, or exceeded.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the ratio is xxxx; in Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Year 3 - 1 adult to 6 children and in Years 4, 5 and 6 - 1 adult to 15 children.  Parents often like to help on trips, and are very welcome.  At some venues, there are additional staff who may be teaching the children knowledge or skills, for instance workshops, or guided tours.  However, these staff are additional to the ratio numbers.

We have qualified first aiders, who also accompany the children on trips.  Many of the venues we visit also have their own first aiders and first aid facilities.

We often request a voluntary contribution towards the cost of the trip, and this can be paid by cheque or cash to the front office, or via our SIMS Agora facility.

If you would like any further information, please contact the school.

We also invite visitors to our school who bring opportunities for the children to explore different activities and experiences.  Our visitors are CRB checked.

Knowledge Bank - Leadership

Staff to pupil ratio laws for primary schools in the uk.

The DfE says that ratios of staff to pupils specified in the EYFS framework apply at all times, including breaks and lunchtimes.

See the report link opposite ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ (page 17 onwards).

For children aged three and over in maintained nurseries or nursery classes in maintained schools (except in reception classes), the requirement is that:

•  There must be at least one member of staff for every 13 children
• At least one member of staff must be a ‘school teacher’
• At least one member of staff must hold a relevant level-3 qualification

The required presence of a ‘school teacher’ is an addition to the 2012 statutory framework. However, the revised EYFS does not change the position on breaks, short-term absence and non-contact time.

The minimum ratio (one member of staff for every 13 children) must be maintained, but teachers are not necessarily required to be present during breaks and lunchtimes.

Headteachers should exercise their professional judgement in determining what cover is required.

Staff to pupil ratios at breaks for children outside the EYFS:

The DfE does not set a minimum supervision ratio for breaks and lunchtimes for pupils who are no longer in the EYFS. This includes reception classes in which the majority of children will reach the age of five, six, or seven during the course of the school year.

The number and type of staff (teachers, teaching assistants or midday supervisors) on duty at any one time should be determined after a risk assessment. There is no specific requirement for staff on duty to be qualified teachers or support staff with certain qualifications. However, this should be taken into account in the risk assessment.

For other Key Stages, and in most reception classes, the number of staff on duty should be determined by a risk assessment.

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