NASUWT Representatives

www.nasuwt.org.uk61lAny member who is not satisfied with the adequacy of thearrangements for a visit with which they are involved shouldreport their misgivings to the EVC in the first instance and totheir Local Association Secretary and their employer ifmatters are not satisfactorily resolved.Directed timel All LOtC activities should be counted against directed time,except where additional payments are made to a teacher forout-of-school-hours learning activities.lAdequate staff cover, which does not place a burden onteaching staff, should be a precondition of an educationalvisit or journey taking place.Use of teachers’ own vehiclesMembers should be advised that they should not use their ownvehicles to transport pupils, for example, to events or formedical treatment. Such practice makes a teacher vulnerable tothe risk of:l malicious allegations; andl serious legal repercussions if, in the event of an accident,their motor insurance does not have the appropriate cover.Learning Outside the Classroom Quality BadgeIn England, the NASUWT worked with the Department forChildren, Schools and Families (DCSF) (now the DfE) to improvethe quality and safety of educational visits and learning outsidethe classroom. Progress was made on all of the issues theUnion raised.Health and safety with regard to LOtC is of fundamentalimportance to schools. The LOtC Quality Badge, launched inOctober 2008, represents an important step towards minimisingthe risk of LOtC activities and improving schools’ access to highquality LOtC providers. The Quality Badge enables schools toidentify providers who are reputable and manage risksappropriately.Schools often raise the administrative burdens associated withplanning LOtC activities. An LOtC ‘Out and About’ package hasalso been developed, which is intended to be easy to use, willsave staff time and cut unnecessary paperwork when planningand organising LOtC activitiesGovernment guidanceThe Health & Safety: Department for Education Advice on LegalDuties and Powers for Local Authorities, Head Teachers, Staffand Governing Bodies was issued by the DfE in August 2011. Itreplaced a number of guidance documents on health, safetyand security in schools, including Health and Safety:Responsibilities and Powers (2001), Health and Safety of Pupilson Educational Visits (HASPEV 1998) and the threeFor advice and help ˚ Local Association ˚ Regional Centre ˚ National Executive