Help from primary teachers

[niclw]

I work as a HOD in secondary but would appreciate a bit of help from primary teachers. In particular from anyone that works in a church school where classes are taken off the school site to attend the church. What procedures do you have in place for walking children to and from the church? Do you do head counts or registers immediately before leaving the school and church? Are teachers expected to remain with their classes throughout the duration of the assembly/service/activity? I’m asking as a parent here as my child’s school failed to safeguard my KS1 child during a trip to the church. As a secondary teacher I don’t have experience taking children off site frequently but I know the procedures we follow when we do. I’m just wondering what primary schools do to safeguard the children. Would it be normal practice for the class teacher to walk the children to the church on their own without another adult supporting the class? Other classes would have been walking over at a similar time too? How do you ensure children are not left behind? I am expecting a meeting with my child’s headteacher next week and want to go in prepared with how I expect things to change moving forward so just looking for ideas. Thank you in advance for any responses.

I don't currently work in one but I trained in a church school and we regularly attended the church a couple of minutes walk down the village high street.
We would take a register, walk down with them and remain with our class for the service. The whole school walked together but split by classes if that makes sense. Adults worked out at one class teacher plus a TA per class. The head teacher or deputy usually would be the last adult leaving the church and checking there were no children remaining but we counted our class as we left too so that was like a back up I think.

There is no legal requirement of child to adult ratios as far as I know, other than guidance. However, there is a legal requirement for a risk assessment of the trip to the church to be carried out.

I have never left the school building, including to go to church without at least one other adult but really it should be 3 adults per class. I guess this would depend on the length of the journey to the church, whether there were any roads to cross and the needs of the class.

I can't see how you could ever take a class out of school with just one adult. What if that one adult had a fall, or became ill? You have to have at the very least, another adult with you and that might just be acceptable if it was a short walk, and no roads to cross etc.

In the church, you sit with them on the side like an assembly and be on hand to assist. And yes, I would count the children on leaving the school building, count them on entering the church and count them when back at school or do a register.

@SlashBeef@TeacherPrimaryabc Thank you both for your replies. You both said what I expected to hear from other posters. I am seriously unimpressed with my child’s school right now. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the service as a parent otherwise I would have picked up on the first of the two safeguarding issues as soon as I saw the class arrive. The fact there were two issues in the space on an hour to an hour and a half regarding my child has meant that I have lost faith in the school but in particular the class teacher who I am yet to meet. I am considering a change of school if I am not happy with the outcome.

1. Head count before you leave the classroom and (probably) ask the children if they can spot if anyone is missing - with 30 children, there will always be one that's noticed someone nipping into the loo.
2. Year 6 walking with Reception and Year 5 walking with year 1, each younger child holding the hand/walking with an older one if the whole school is going out at the same time (did that regularly at the church school I worked at).
3. Never leaving the school grounds without at least 1 other adult so one can be at the front leading the way and one at the back watching that no one is walking in the road/being stupid/disappearing/whatever.
4. Repeat of 1 before leaving destination to return to school.
5. Constant vigilance, as Mad Eye Moody said.

@toomuchicecream Thank you for your reply. It is much appreciated. When I get the requested meeting I will be nsisting that this is new procedures.

I got regularly with my KS1 class and have done for years. I try and have 4 staff per class. We have one adult always at the back and one at the front. Two staff do the roads. Children are prepped beforehand about road safety and church etiquette. I count heads regularly throughout the activity and children walk with a chosen partner. Children with additional needs stay close to me or a nominated staff member. I do a risk assessment for each trip. We always take first aid kits, class medication and general clothes in case a child has a fall or accident while there.

Please can you explain what happened so I can advise.

We have about 1:10 but perhaps stricter in KS1 and less so with a sensible KS2 class (so a group of 22 Y6s might go with 2 adults). Once at a venue, we might not keep that same ratio if the whole school was there e.g. if there were 8 adults overall, that wouldn't necessarily be 1:10 but would be plenty of adults to watch every class as well as deal with a first aid incident etc. I always count the children many, many times when we're out of school, even when it would be virtually impossible to lose a child.

With any kind of school 'trip' in Year 1 we have a ratio of one adult to 6 children.