Posted By George Romero My local LEA has some excellent written procedures for the planning and conducting of Educational Visits. Unfortunately, the LEA Ed. Visits Co-ordinator is giving what I consider to be poor verbal advice. The LEA has a number of "generic risk assessments" which take the form of potential risks and suggested control measures. The EVC is telling schools that a separate risk assessment form should be filled out identifying the relevant parties etc. (so far so good). The EVC says that it is perfectly acceptable for the schools to write "As identified on the LEA generic Risk Assessment" in the control measure box of the form. Now, I think that it gets let down in a number of ways; 1. The generic RA's cover a number of different areas for example the transport RA includes travelling by coach, car, minibus, foot, train and plane, so would it be suitable and sufficient to write "As identified..." etc. when only travelling by coach and foot? 2. Most importantly the EVC is telling schools that the only RA that they need to take on the trip is the one that says "As identified...". The EVC is saying that the risks and control measures would be discussed at a staff briefing but the list of identified risks and the control measures would be left behind in the school. This goes against the DfES, HSE, AALA (Adventure Activities Licensing Authority) and OEAP (Outdoor Education Advisory Panel) advice, but my protests have fallen on deaf ears. I would appreciate any comments, advice etc.

Posted By Philby' George, I broadly agree with Neils comments except that although organisations must 'modify their existing assessments to take account of changes', it remains the duty of the LEA, as you rightly point out, and their representatives, to carry out their own specific assessment, as per DfES etc...after all, they know their charges better than anyone, they know how they're getting there etc. The organisations generic assessment, of the location and activity, is there to inform the schools assessment. Philby'