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St Catherine's School
TRIPS AND VISITS
(Prep and Senior)

Reviewed by: Deputy Head Pastoral
Last Reviewed: November 2024
Next Review: November 2025

SCHOOL MISSION

We are inspired by St Catherine of Siena, who said ‘Be who God wants you to be, and you will set the world on fire’, to form young women of confidence and compassion, ready for service and leadership in the world. We fulfil our mission through these values:

 

Community: a place of cheerfulness, dignity and tolerance, where all are welcome
Faith: a Christ-centred school with time for reflection; a culture of gratitude and friendship
Courage: with self-knowledge, resilience and integrity, and a readiness for challenge
Scholarship: where gifts are developed through curiosity, imagination and ambition
Service: commitment to others, to stewardship, and to justice and hope for all

 

1 Introduction

St Catherine's considers educational visits to be of great value for supporting and extending the education we provide to our pupils, both in terms of their academic progress and the development of their characters.  Our programme is diverse, and is regularly updated so that we can provide pupils with opportunities that satisfy a range of learning objectives, including:

The school seeks to maintain a portfolio of trips that is relevant and purposeful, whilst also allowing room for innovation and creativity, particularly in terms of responding to the changing needs and wishes of young people today.

All visits off school premises must be planned carefully, with reference to this policy and the procedures laid out.  The purposes of this document are to ensure all trips are:

All trips are overseen by the Educational Visits Coordinators (EVCs); these are the Head of Prep for the Prep School, and the Deputy Head Pastoral for the Senior School.  These staff are responsible for:

In certain cases, further authorisation will be required from the Headmistress and/or the Governing Body (further details below).

All staff involved in leading and/or accompanying school trips must be conversant with this policy and all other relevant procedures.

Sports fixtures, off-site co-curricular activities and PE lessons will follow a separate process and this can be found in Appendix 3 of this policy.

Sixth Form pupils will be permitted to attend lecture days and other educational activities unattended. These days will be authorised absences but for the purposes of paperwork and responsibility of pupils will not be classified as a trip or visit. Staff should speak to the Head of Sixth Form and Deputy Head Academic before adding to the calendar and purchasing any tickets. Parents retain responsibility for their daughter during this time.

2 Pre-planning

All proposals for trips are taken to the relevant EVC for authorisation, using the Trip proposal form.  For significant trips (overseas, residential, those involving risky activities), it is recommended that the proposing member of staff also meets with their EVC to discuss their plans.  So as to protect the school from financial and reputational damage, no trip should be announced to pupils or parents, or any bookings made, until the Trip proposal form has been signed off.

Prior to presenting a Trip proposal form for authorisation, the proposing member of staff should consider the following aspects.

2.1 Educational objectives

Can the trip be justified in terms of its educational value to pupils?
Is the trip in line with the mission and ethos of the school?

2.2 Pupils

What are the ages of the pupils to be taken on the trip?
Are the activities and objectives appropriate to their age group?
Has the proposed staffing taken into account the needs of the pupils, both in terms of their age and how well the planned staff know that cohort?

All trips should be as inclusive as possible, and special consideration should be given to those who have particular SEND or other requirements.  In these cases, staff should assess carefully what adjustments may be possible to facilitate that pupil's participation within the trip, including meeting with parents as needed.  

2.3 Destination and venue

What is the destination of the trip, including any particular issues in relation to the political situation, climate, cultural sensitivity, proficiency in the local language?
Has either the proposer of the trip, or one of the planned staff to accompany the trip, visited the destination before?
If overseas, do any of the staff who are proposed to accompany the trip speak the local language?
If the destination is remote, what access to emergency services will there be, and is there sufficient mobile phone reception?
Are there any specific geographic features to be considered: for example, rivers, lakes, forests, caves?
If residential, what is the nature of the accommodation?  What size rooms will the girls be in, what will be the proximity of staff rooms, are there aspects that might require precautions (such as balconies, tall windows)?

2.4 Dates

What are the proposed dates for the trip, with particular attention to term dates, impact on curriculum time, other school events/trips, staff commitments, likely seasonal weather conditions, proximity to public examinations?

Do the proposed dates allow sufficient timescale for appropriate levels of planning and preparation, and for parents to raise the required funds?  An approximate guide for the timescales for notifying parents of trips is as follows, though flexibility is available if an opportunity unexpectedly becomes available:

2.5 Travel/transport

What are the intended travel arrangements, and are these all through reputable providers?

Staff cars may be used if:

The Bursar ensures that the School’s general insurance policy covers staff driving on School business.

Pupils in Year 11 and above may be permitted to make their way to or from a trip independently, so long as the party leader gains written parental consent. On occasion, this permission may also be given to pupils in younger age groups if appropriate. 

2.6 Cost and payment arrangements

What is the maximum cost per pupil?

All trips should be self-financing, therefore the figure quoted to parents should take into account all possible costs and allow an additional amount for contingency, which will be roughly 5-10% depending on the nature of the trip.  These additional funds should be available in case of unexpected costs, such as the need to purchase an extra meal in the case of a travel delay, or to pay for a taxi if a pupil needs to be taken to hospital.  

Budgeting should also take into account any and all staff refreshments for the duration of the trip, based on a rough figure per meal/day dependent on local prices. 

A sample spreadsheet for budgeting is stored on the shared drive, and the EVCs are available to advise if needed.  Staff should be mindful that spare funds can be reimbursed to parents at the conclusion of the trip. However, no parents can ever be asked to pay an amount higher than the quote given when they originally gave consent for their daughter to join the trip.

Once the cost is confirmed, consideration should also be given to the payment arrangements.  For trips costing over £300, it is likely that an instalment plan should be put in place, so that parents can spread their payments and thus the trip will be accessible to as many girls as possible.  When planning payment arrangements, staff should be mindful that invoices cannot usually be paid out before payments have been received from parents.  If staff require guidance on these arrangements, they should consult the Bursar or Assistant Bursar, along with the EVC.

2.7 Safety

Are there any aspects of the trip that involve higher risk, for example, water-based activities, or travel to remote areas of the world?  If so, what control factors can be put in place to mitigate risk, in relation to the likelihood and/or severity of harm?

Where an external company has been engaged, the proposing member of staff should check they hold the appropriate licences, e.g. ALAA accreditation and enquire as to whether all their instructors have undergone appropriate safer recruitment checks and safeguarding training.

Where the plans do involve higher levels of risk, particular attention will be paid to the experience of the proposed staff to lead and accompany the trip.

2.8 Staffing

For trips within the UK, the following table may be used as a guide:

Pupil age

Staff: pupil ratio

6-8

1:8

9-11

1:10-15

11-18

1:15-20

For overseas trips, which are offered to pupils from the age of 9 upwards, the recommended ratio is 1:10.

Where a trip is residential, there should be at least one female member of staff among the party.

Where the party includes pupils with special educational needs, it may be that an additional staff member is required.  

Where a less experienced member of staff wishes to lead a trip, it is expected that more experienced colleagues will join the party to support and guide them.  For all trips, the EVC is available to provide guidance on appropriate staffing, and will intervene if she/he feels necessary to ensure the right balance is met in terms of offering staff the opportunity to develop their experience, whilst also ensuring there is sufficient expertise in the group as a whole.  At all times, the safety of those taking part remains the priority.

Parents and other adult helpers may play a useful role in accompanying a school trip, and may be invited to do so if the EVC has given permission.  However, these volunteers cannot be included as part of the overall staff ratio, and they should not be allowed unsupervised access to the pupils unless they have undergone appropriate safer recruitment checks, confirmed by the HR Manager.  

No adult, staff or parent, can be left supervising a group which includes their own child.  Similarly, no member of staff should anticipate taking their partner or other members of their own family on a trip they are leading/accompanying unless there are exceptional circumstances, in which case permission from the Headmistress must be obtained.

All staff should be consulted for their availability and willingness to join a trip before being listed on the Trip proposal form.  

2.9 Insurance

The following guidance is in place:

3 Planning and preparation

Once the Trip proposal form has been authorised by the EVC, the party leader may commence the detailed planning and preparation of the trip.

The Trip Proposal Form is used to complete the arrangements. 

3.1 Bookings

Once the Trip proposal form has been signed off, staff may start to make relevant bookings with venues, accommodation and/or travel companies.

Coaches can be booked on behalf of party leaders by Admin staff.  Minibus bookings can be made by completing a maintenance request form.  For train or air tickets, the party leader should liaise with the relevant company, unless this task has been delegated to a tour operator.

Where a trip is higher than £40 per pupil, it is advisable that staff confirm pupil uptake (see 3.2) before finalising any bookings, so as to minimise financial risk to the school.  Staff are also advised at this stage to check carefully the refund allowances should a pupil withdraw from the trip.

The timing of invoices in relation to parent payments needs consideration, and it is to be expected that payments will be received before any are made out.

3.2 Communication with parents

Parents should be notified of their daughter being invited to join a trip in writing, using the pro forma letters available on the shared drive.  The only exceptions of this are for short visits in the immediate local area, such as to St James's Church and Radnor Gardens. The General Consent form provides permission for pupils to participate in trips with no cost that are during school hours. Parents should still be informed that their daughter is participating and that consent has been obtained via the General Consent form.

These letters should cover:

The letter should include a method to reply (usually through My School Portal), stating the overall cost of the trip and showing clearly that the parent has given permission for their daughter to take part. The consent for cost may be required by the school auditors. If it is overseas, this must also be clearly stated, as border officials may ask for evidence that the school has permission to take the children out of the country.  If parents choose to reply via email or other electronic format, the above clauses should still be included.

For all trips, there should be a note included within the written communication to indicate that once a pupil's place has been confirmed, parents may be liable for some/all payments.

For overseas trips, the letter should include details regarding visa arrangements, and when passport details may be required, so that parents can plan in advance.

It is advisable to arrange for a My School Portal group to be set up for easy communications with the parents of the girls going on the trip.

Further communications should be sent closer to the date of departure in order to confirm details including:

For overseas/residential trips, it is likely that a parent information meeting should be held, around three weeks before departure.

For overseas/residential trips, an additional Trips Medical Consent form will be required, to ensure any changes to medical details are captured and to obtain precise contact details for the dates of the trip. This should be sent out to parents around 3-4 weeks prior to the trip's departure.  Parents should also be made aware that they must declare any medication their daughter intends to carry on the trip, and it may be the case that a discussion needs to take place as to whether this medication should be held by staff (see 3.9 below).  Where trips involve swimming, a Swimming Consent Form should also be completed.

3.3. Communication within the school

So as to ensure smooth operations within school, as soon as the Trip proposal form is signed off, the party leader should ensure the date is confirmed in the calendar so that staff do not make other bookings for the same date.

In addition, the party leader should ensure the staff due to participate in the trip know that it has been confirmed so that they too can keep the relevant dates free.

Staff are required to complete a number of sections on the Trips proposal form as part of the planning process:

The EVC will email to confirm the trip has been approved to run. On the day of the trip a Trip Final Details form is completed as close to departure as possible, so as to show any late changes (such as absent pupils, alterations to travel arrangements).

Where all or part of a trip is being delegated to an external company, copies of their risk assessments should be obtained and included within the trip paperwork pack.

It is the party leader's responsibility to ensure all required paperwork is signed off by the EVC before a trip departs.  All paperwork should be stored until after the trip, and then retained electronically for storage.

3.4 Planning for communication during the trip

All trips should carry a school mobile phone, which can be booked out from Reception. The number of this will need to be recorded on the forms.  

Except for trips with very small numbers of girls, emergency contact cards should also be ordered from Reception and given to the girls to carry about their person.

For trips taking place outside of Reception’s open hours (8am-5pm), an SMT emergency contact should be listed. For longer trips, this responsibility may be shared. The SMT emergency contact cannot be accompanying the trip themselves. The role of this contact will be to provide guidance and support should an emergency occur, including liaising with any relevant external agencies and/or parents, so that the staff on the trip can focus solely on the pupils in their care. It may also be appropriate to brief parents beforehand that these will be the arrangements, so they do not have unrealistic expectations of communication levels with the staff accompanying the trip.

3.5 Supervision of the pupils during the trip

Careful consideration should be given to how pupils will be supervised at all stages of the trip, including journeys. For most trips it will be necessary to break the girls down into smaller groups, of no more than 10-12, each assigned to one member of staff.

As the girls become older, it may well be that they have some opportunities during trips to move around a venue or activity independently, in which case the arrangements for remote supervision should be planned carefully, i.e. where will staff be based and how can they be contacted, what size groups should the girls be in, what are the boundaries of the area in which they can move around, how regularly will girls be required to check in. At all times, pupils should be in groups of no fewer than four, and they should not be allowed to go for more than two hours without a rendezvous.

On residential trips, staff rooms should always be positioned near to those of pupils.  

Where the trip is being run in conjunction with an external agency or another school, a clear understanding should be established prior to departure as to how supervisory responsibility is shared.  

3.6 Meals and refreshments

For all trips which take the girls out of school at a time when they would have had a school meal, all girls should be offered a packed lunch.  

Staff should check carefully what venues will be available for the consumption of meals, including packed lunches, especially at times of the year when the weather is likely to be a barrier to eating outdoors.

Where other meals/refreshments may be required, staff should pay close attention to both logistics and budget, which should have been set out during pre-planning (Section 2, above).  

The school remains nut-free, even when off-site, so girls should be reminded not to bring nuts as a snack or as part of a packed lunch, nor purchase them during the trip.  Where a pupil is known to have a specific allergy, staff are advised to check the contents of any packed lunch or other meal provided by an external company.

If the party includes pupils over the age of 18, and it is within the laws of the destination country, staff may, in consultation with the EVC, choose to plan to allow them to consume an alcoholic drink with their evening meal. If staff wish to do this, they should ensure they have received written consent from parents.

3.7 Residential accommodation

Pupils will have strong feelings about with whom they wish to share a room during residential trips and, similarly, staff will know well that certain combinations of pupils can be disruptive.

Staff are advised to consider carefully how to plan overnight accommodation, consulting the relevant Pastoral Heads, Form Tutors and the girls themselves.

3.8 Information to be carried on the trip

The party leader should ensure that they have prepared the following information to carry on the trip:

This information should also be left available to school staff, including the SMT emergency contact if applicable. Electronic copies on the shared drive will suffice for this purpose.

3.9 Medical and health arrangements

The party leader should brief the accompanying staff on any specific medical conditions relating to the pupils.

In addition to ensuring they have obtained the medical details of all pupils, party leaders should carry a First Aid kit (available at Reception) and check that pupils are carrying any required inhalers/epipens.  Depending on the age/nature of the trip, it may be the case that staff should carry spare inhalers for any relevant pupils, and staff should always carry a spare epipen if required. For residential trips a small supply of paracetamol, ibuprofen and antihistamine should be taken.

For residential trips, pupils may be carrying supplementary medication; depending the age and nature of the medication, it may be appropriate for staff to hold this during the trip for the safety of all pupils.  

For overseas trips, the party leader should ensure that all pupils and staff have received any required vaccinations in the appropriate timescale prior to departure.  The party leader should also take appropriate guidance on the safety of tap water and any other relevant food hygiene issues, and brief staff, pupils and parents accordingly.

For trips taking place on hot/sunny days, pupils should be encouraged to carry sunscreen and wear a hat.

3.10 Behaviour expectations

Pupils, staff and (for overseas/residential trips) parents should be briefed on expected standards of behaviour.  These will include, but are not limited to:

A member of SMT will support the briefing of pupils on behaviour expectations for all residential trips before departure.

3.11 Ordering cash

If cash is to be carried on the trip, the party leader should order this from the Bursary well in advance, giving clear instructions as to the currency and denominations required.

3.12 Visas

For overseas trips, the party leaders should ensure confirmation that all staff and pupils hold any required visas to enter the country being visited. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure their daughter has the correct visas and/or documentation to enter the country being visited.

For pupils/staff who do not hold a UK passport, a check should be undertaken to ensure they have the relevant visa (or other document) to return to the UK at the end of the trip.

3.13 Emergency procedures

The party leader should ensure they are carrying the contact details for the SMT emergency contact(s). The SMT contact(s) should have access to full trip details, including how to contact parents and how to access medical details of all pupils taking part. For this purpose, where a trip is residential, the emergency contact may hold personal details of this type in their private accommodation (under GDPR, access to this information can be considered in the pupil's 'vital interests', should it be required to provide immediate aid if they were to fall ill or endure an injury).

All planning of trips, including the risk assessments, should take heed of the terrorism protocols outlined in Appendix 1 of this policy.

Regardless of levels of planning and adherence to risk assessment control measures, unexpected incidents and emergencies can occur on any trip, and all staff should be familiar with the following protocol for response. This includes the trip leader carrying a copy of the school's guidelines 'In the event of a disaster on an excursion or trip'.

4 During the trip

Throughout the trip, the safety of the pupils and staff must be the highest priority.  At any time, the party leader must be prepared to alter or cancel plans if they feel there is unnecessary or excessive risk, even where responsibility has been delegated to an external company or instructor.  The party leader should ensure that all the staff accompanying the trip are aware of their responsibilities, with a written list of delegated duties if appropriate.

4.1 Pupil conduct

Party leaders should also be mindful that at all times the group is representing the school.  If any girl is failing to meet the behaviour expectations set out before the trip, or breaks any other school rule, normal behaviour management strategies should be used, including reference to the sanctions policy.

If at any point a pupil commits a significant discretion (e.g. illicit use of alcohol, absconding from the party), the SMT contact should be notified and the girl may be asked to leave the trip, at her parents' expense, and appropriate sanctions will apply.

If a pupil is found to be in a worrying state, she should be taken to appropriate medical facilities.  If it is found that her state was due to the use of alcohol or other illicit substances, she may be asked to leave the trip, as outlined above.

4.2 Carrying of paperwork

For all trips, staff should be carrying medical and contact details for all pupils, as outlined in 3.8.  

For overseas trips, there will be times when pupils should carry their passports themselves, such as when passing through border control. At all other times it is recommended that staff carry passports, split between them, and held in a zip-lock wallet. Whenever possible, these should be stored in a locked safe.

Staff should be mindful of the personal nature of the data they are carrying, and be appropriately vigilant about ensuring it is not mislaid or made available to members of the public.

4.3 Supervision of pupils

Staff should ensure appropriate supervision of pupils at all times, including remote, in line with the plans laid out prior to the trip and detailed in the risk assessment. In the case that a member of staff is unavailable (e.g. accompanying a pupil to hospital), the party leader should make careful decisions about how to revise the supervision arrangements, taking into account group sizes and staff experience.

When staying overnight in a hotel or hostel, all staff can be considered on duty. However, there should always be at least one member of staff actively patrolling the corridors and checking pupils are in bed and lights out. Pupils should know which staff they can contact overnight, and how to contact them.

All staff should be cautious about entering the pupils' sleeping areas.  It is recommended that staff visiting rooms ensure the girls know it is them before opening the door, and should then remain on the threshold, allowing the door to remain open. If a member of staff needs to go fully into a room, for example to look after an unwell pupil, they should have another member of staff present if possible. However, a flexible approach should be applied depending on the nature of the situation, and certainly staff should not delay to enter a room if there is an emergency.

If permission has been obtained for pupils to consume alcohol during the trip, this should be supervised carefully.

In residential accommodation shared with other schools or members of the public, it is understandable that our pupils may wish to interact socially with them. However, no one from outside the school party should be permitted to enter the bedrooms of pupils, and it is to be recommended that staff supervise any interaction discreetly but carefully.

Throughout a trip, regular headcounts should be taken.

4.4 Staff conduct

Staff should remain mindful throughout any trip that they are on duty as professionals, and that the staff code of conduct therefore applies.

On a residential trip, staff may consume one alcoholic drink in the evening, so long as one member of staff abstains.

4.4 Journeys

During all journeys pupils should be closely supervised to ensure their safety and appropriate behaviour.  

On public transport (trains, London Underground, buses) pupils should use seats wherever possible, or handrails where not. They should be reminded to be cautious when boarding and disembarking.

On minibuses and coaches, or in any car, pupils should be sat with seatbelts on at all times. It is likely that staff will need to monitor this closely. Pupils should not be allowed to distract the driver. There should be no eating unless permitted by the driver.

On planes, pupils should be sat with their seatbelts on as much as possible, and should avoid excessive movement around the cabin so as to protect them in case of turbulence, and to lessen the disruption to other passengers.

During pedestrian activity, the party leader and accompanying staff should ensure the use of pedestrian crossings wherever possible, and should be extremely vigilant about the pupils' movements. They should also seek to minimise any inconvenience to members of the public, for example, by asking the girls to walk in pairs/single file.

Further rules apply to the use of minibuses: see Appendix 2.

4.5 Responding to an emergency

In the event of an emergency, the party leader (or other member of staff if the party leader is unavailable/incapacitated) should:

As soon as possible the school emergency contact should be notified of the incident.

It is important that the Party Leader should ensure that no member of the Party comments to the media in the event of a serious incident unless explicitly authorised to do so by the Headmistress or, in her absence, the Senior Deputy Head.

In any shared responsibility situation, the procedures should be agreed in advance with the other parties involved.

Where a serious incident has occurred, it is advisable that the staff accompanying the trip conduct a review of events and actions as soon as possible, so as to capture any learning points that might be relevant for future trips.

4.6 Communications 

Parents will understandably want updates on their daughters during the trip, and regular social media updates are an effective way of doing this. Staff should be mindful of allowing too many direct phone calls home: for the girls this lessens the development of independence and resilience; for staff this can distract them from their primary responsibilities to the girls. In an emergency situation, staff should focus on the girls first and foremost, then on liaising with any security/emergency services, and then on communicating with the school.

Throughout the trip, staff are encouraged to use the school phones to take photos and forward them back to school to be published. It is recommended that, where possible, decent quality images are also obtained for use in future marketing material.

5 After the trip

Upon return, all electronic paperwork listed below should be retained in case it is required for inspection and/or auditing purposes:

Any unused currency should be returned to the Bursary.

The party leader should conduct a brief review of the trip, in consultation with the accompanying staff, and complete the Trip evaluation form. This will inform the EVC of any issues, learning points or recommendations for the future. 

Appendix 1 - Terrorism protocols

Paperwork:

It is vital that the required policy regarding sharing of paperwork is followed, as in the event of an incident, the trip paperwork allows the SMT to provide the correct assistance, e.g. providing police with information as to the party’s likely location/route, passing on medical information to hospitals.  

Where travel arrangements are varied within the group, such as some pupils making their own way home, there must be clear information provided as to who will be with the party and when.  

If there is an attack but the group is able to stay together:

Where a trip is to a higher-risk location, such as central London, it is advisable to identify beforehand a number of locations for where the group could move to in the case of a terrorist incident. The trip leader should be prepared to move the group to one of these, or another, unplanned location if safety dictates.  The trip leader should contact the school as soon as they are able to, but their priority is protecting the members of the party.  

If the group is in the immediate vicinity of the attack and is at risk:

The pupils should be briefed before the trip by the leader on the ‘run, hide, tell’ procedure, in a manner appropriate to their age. Staff should be ready to instruct pupils to run. Pupils should be told to drop possessions if necessary, and not worry about following friends/staff.  As soon as it is safe for them to do so, they should contact the school using the numbers on the contact card or approach a member of the emergency services.  

In all cases:

The party leader’s ultimate responsibility is to the members of their party, staff and pupils. Therefore, they should be mindful of engaging in any action that might put themselves at additional risk.

Staff should seek to communicate with the school as soon as possible so that the Headmistress can activate crisis management plans, including communicating with parents/governors and despatching staff to assist if required. SMT will advise the party leader/other accompanying staff, but the party leader should make the best decisions they can based on the information/situation in front of them. 

Appendix 2 - Minibus journeys

  1. Only those who have been authorised to do so may drive a minibus.

  2. Only drivers who have passed the MIDAS minibus test and possess a "clean" driving licence may drive a minibus. Drivers must be aged 23 years or over and must have held a licence for not less than 2 years. These must be produced for the Bursar who must also be informed of any changes in driver status (e.g. endorsements, newly diagnosed medical conditions, loss of licence, etc).

  3. The maximum number of passengers (pupils, staff and any other children or adults) permitted is dependent on the number of seats available; every individual must have their own seat.  No additional passenger may be carried under any circumstances.

  4. The minibus may only be used for bona fide school activities, previously approved by the Headmistress.

  5. All drivers must ensure that a fully supplied First Aid Kit is in place before beginning a journey, no matter how short.

  6. Pupils must behave in a sensible and considerate manner at all times in the minibus. Drivers and/or staff passengers must ensure that:
    (i) no one takes off their seat belt while the minibus is moving 
    (ii) good disciplinary standards are maintained at all times and that (iii) the driver must not be distracted whilst      driving.  Safety is paramount.
     

  7. The driver must check that the minibus is fit to use before taking it out on the road.

  8. The Site Care Manager is responsible for ensuring that the minibus is maintained in good condition and serviced regularly.

  9. The Bursar/Facilities Manager is responsible for all vehicle legal and other documents (e.g. servicing, taxing, insuring, MOT, driver qualifications).

  10. The Bursar holds the relevant insurance documents.  If a driver is in any doubt about matters relating to insurance, he/she should consult the Bursar before the trip.

  11. The driver must ensure that safety belts are worn by all passengers on all journeys, no matter how short.

  12. The Bursar ensures that breakdown cover is always in place for school vehicles.

  13. Organisers of all journeys which involve use of the minibus should take the following into consideration when planning their itineraries:

    • the need to avoid excessive driving, e.g. minibus drivers should ensure that their total working day (i.e. teaching day and driving time) should not exceed 10 hours

    • the need to identify places and times for reasonable breaks e.g. drivers should take a 20 minute break every two hours

    • the effects of other duties and activities on their level of tiredness and fitness to drive

    • the possible desirability of the presence of an additional adult who has passed MIDAS testing, either to share the driving or to assist the driver to supervise pupils.

Appendix 3 - Sports Fixtures/Co-Curricular Clubs/Off-site PE lessons

The General Consent Form covers all local PE activities and fixtures that occur during the school day and have no cost to parents. PE staff will still inform parents of their daughter’s participation. Where school co-curricular activities regularly take pupils off-site, the PE Department should obtain permission from parents ] prior to the event if this is not covered by the general consent form.

PE fixtures are an important part of pupil experience at St Catherine’s. Where possible these will be planned outside of lesson times or during usual PE lessons. Fixtures do not require a Trip Proposal form but are instead entered in SOCS and approved in the termly calendar meeting. Fixtures that are added after the calendar meeting will require permission from the Senior Deputy Head to go ahead.

The PE department will use SOCS to inform and obtain permission to travel in a wide variety of methods [including use of hired coaches, public transport, walking and travel in staff or parents’ cars] The letter should clarify that return times are approximate and dependent on travel conditions. 

A sports team may be supervised by a single member of staff if other adults are present and the venue is within 45 minutes of the School. Where more than one sports team is taken to a fixture, supervision is limited to a maximum of 1:16 pupils. [Additional supervision may be provided by parents, though the first additional adult will always be a member of staff].

Each group leader should take a mobile phone and first aid kit; a member of staff should be the emergency contact at school and should be available to contact after school hours at all times.

A fixture and information sheet from SOCS with details of venue, time of arrival and departure, group leader, mode of transport, list of pupils’ names and medical considerations should be left at reception. A database of all pupil details, emergency numbers and medical conditions should be accessible to all PE staff and the emergency contact.

All pupils have the right to carry a mobile phone to fixtures and call home if transport is delayed. In all instances mobile phones have to be left on the coach or in a secure valuables bag, if walking to a fixture.

Pupils may be dismissed from a fixture if the fixture has ended after 3.45pm and written consent has been obtained from parents.

If an accident occurs, the Health and Safety accident book should be completed immediately on return to school.

The PE staff will adhere to the Health and Safety risk assessment for sport at all times.