RoSPA SchoolSafe

Effective risk management is critical to ensuring that safety is managed effectively in and out of the classroom.

RoSPA SchoolSafe is a programme that checks and validates a school's performance in areas that are important for successful health and safety risk management.

The RoSPA SchoolSafe programme evaluates the essential building blocks which schools and academies need to have in place to ensure that any risks to the safety and health of students and staff are managed systematically.

The school will get a concise and balanced view of their capability and effectiveness in delivering a 'whole school approach' to safety. It will also identify a set of priority tasks in building and taking forward a sensible school health and safety plan that will assure a safe, healthy and rewarding learning environment for everyone.

RoSPA SchoolSafe looks at five critical areas:

1. Teaching safety,
2. Teaching safely and the learning environment,
3. Experiencing and learning outside the classroom,
4. Providing and physical safety issues,
5. Maintaining e.g. training

How it works

The review programme has been developed by consolidating a variety of existing standards into a core question set. This question set has been prioritised by focusing on the five acknowledged health and safety challenges in schools. Performance in each topic area is scored.

Each topic area score is then weighted in accordance to the relative potential severity and likelihood of injury (the risk).

The weighted scores for each topic are then used to calculate an overall A*, A, B or C RoSPA SchoolSafe rating.

The review is not intended to be an exhaustive trawl of every health or safety standard that might apply, nor is it just a simple paperwork check. The focus of the review is on being proactive. It focuses on the extent to which the school has been able to develop and implement the critical building blocks for safety: management involvement, planning, consultation, competence, and reacting. The review can be used as the start of a process to help the school to build its health and safety development plan and to track improvements in performance.

The assessment will consist of a site visit, document and policy reviews and interviews with stakeholders.

What will schools and colleges get from SchoolSafe?

1. A succinct report which includes recommendations and an action plan and that can be easily understood by teachers, Governors, Trustee's, parents and other stakeholders. The report indicates which performance rating has been achieved and why. Where appropriate the report will highlight what is required for the school to move to the next level.
2. Any areas where significant risks are identified will be 'red flagged'.
3. An attractive framed certificate with the appropriate standard level which the school may display in public areas such as reception.
4. The appropriate level RoSPA SchoolSafe logo which can be used on literature and headed paper.
5. PR support from RoSPA's communications team including a press release to celebrate the school gaining the award.

RoSPA SchoolSafe Fees

Further discounts are available to local authorities and academy trusts for multi site bookings.