Health and Safety

Service overview

The service provides a comprehensive range of health and safety support tailored for educational establishments.   Experienced, professional staff provide guidance and advice on a wide variety of areas including interpretation of and compliance with relevant legislation, school trips and outdoor education, risk assessments and planning, safety auditing, record keeping, support following major incidents and in addressing issues raised by enforcing bodies and regular updates on important health and safety issues.

Our team will work with Assure health and safety policies or withschools’ existing policies, procedures and frameworks, unless we find them to be non-compliant with current legislation or best practice, in which case we will offer advice on how to update them.

The service seeks to ensure that information is available to allow schools to understand and operate within all legislative and government requirements in relation to a healthy and safe environment.

Service delivery

Schools are able to purchase the service at one of three levels to suit their circumstances:

• Access – portal and telephone helpdesk

• Bespoke – top up consultant days or half days that can be purchased by any school at any time in multiples of one day or half days

• Combined – the Access package plus five half-days of consultant time, offered at a reduced rate to Bespoke days

More information about package pricing is available here.

Access package

The Access package provides access to the on-line portal and telephone helpdesk. 

This service provides online and telephone information and advice that covers best practice policies and procedures including (not exhaustive):

• Guidance and interpretation of legislation to enable compliance by schools;

• Advising on school trips and outdoor education;

• Model risk assessments and planning templates;

• Accident management;

• After school and breakfast clubs;

• Asbestos advice;

• Care and control;

• Cleaning and catering;

• Contractors;

• Design and Technology and food technology;

• Discarded needles and syringes;

• Electricity;

• Evacuation of disabled persons;

• Exterior areas for PE;

• First-aid;

• First-aid;

• Gardening, plants and ponds;

• Hazardous substances and COSHH;

• Ice and snow;

• Infection control;

• Interactive whiteboards;

• Intimate care guidance;

• Keeping and handling animals;

• laboratory use;

• Ladders & ladder use;

• Lettings;

• Lone working;

• Manual handling;

• Parent and toddler groups;

• Moving  handling;

• New and expectant mothers;

• Norovirus  in schools;

• Office and reception areas;

• One to one tuition;

• Outdoor play equipment;

• PE for pupils with SEN;

• Playgrounds;

• Pupil with temporary disability;

• Science and radiation safety;

• Security;

• Slips and trips;

• Stress;

• Sun protection;

• Swimming pools;

• Toilets and washroom;

• Vehicle and pedestrian interface;

• Violence and aggression;

• Work experience and Young Apprenticeships;

• Working in the office environment;

• Support following major incidents and in addressing issues raised by enforcing bodies;

• Site safety for building work;

• A detailed handbook for the Education Visits Coordinator.

The portal also includes:

• H&S update service – for example, to alert schools to any pending changes to legislation;

• FAQs – as quick reference tool;

• Discussion forums;

• Email query form.

The telephone helpline is answered by a real person from 8am to 6pm on normal working days and is available for an individual problem or query.  Simple queries will be answered immediately; more complex queries are passed to an experienced schools H&S specialist.

Combined package

The Combined package includes the Access package plus five half-days of consultant time, delivered as required by the school.  The five half days may be delivered on-site at school, off-site at meetings or off-site for report writing or other desk-based work.

Typically, this work might include:

• Health & safety audits including reports and action plans

• Pre/post HSE inspection planning

• Inspections service for outdoor play equipment

• Support following major incidents

• Accident investigation and report

• Training and briefing sessions

Other services

By negotiation and for a supplementary charge, we are able to undertake additional services, such as supporting specific environmental issues or advice.

Print details here.