School Trips Overview For Parents

Going on school trips is an important part of the enhanced extra curricular timetable we are able to provide for the pupils at our school. The children are able to enjoy the wealth of museums, historical places of interest and art galleries that London has to offer. In addition we also have educational workshops who come in to lead special sessions for the children.

Each class / year group has the opportunity to go on a trip several times a year. We will upload a list for the proposed trips for the forthcoming academic year on the school calendar.

Risk Assessments

At St. Michael’s we have robust procedures in place that further supports our commitment to safeguarding of our pupils and staff and adhere to the recommendations as outlined in the Department of Education document: "Keeping Children Safe in Education". Whenever there is an educational visit (day trip or residential school journey) the lead teacher(s) always complete the schools Educational Visits Risk Assessment form and where applicable gains the both the Board of Governors and the Local Authority approval for residential visits. The risk assessment includes information ensuring:

• A first aider is always on a trip;

• Emergency exits and planning for unexpected events are always accounted for;

• Our ratio for trips (apart from residential trips where helpers are there too) is 1:7 when  on a local visit  / travelling by public transport to a venue and when travelling by coach to a venue and 1:6 for the younger children when travelling into London / trip further afield;

• Risk assessments are read and signed by the Headteacher three weeks before a trip and these are countersigned by the Chair of the Board of Governors;

• Any risk that is medium or high is assessed and provision is given to lower the risk;

• The needs of children with special education needs or medical provision / disability is accounted for and recorded in the risk assessment;

• Appropriate arrangements with regard to security are planned for.

• The residential school journey trips are externally validated by the Local Authority and they do not go ahead until approval has been gained.

• Please click on the following link to access the School Visits and Residential Policy 

Education Visits Safeguarding Reviews

Each individual school trip is reviewed and assessed by both the Headteacher and Chair of Governors.  The residential school journeys are also reviewed in depth and the Local Authority risk assessment is completed and formally presented to the Board of Governors for approval. At each review we are mindful of the current level of safety and security in London.