Ordinary Classroom Health and Safety Checklist

Use this checklist only for an ordinary classroom. Do not use it as the checklist for specialist classrooms, laboratories, art, IT, design and technology, drama or sports facilities. This is an optional way to identify concerns and support proportionate classroom health and safety arrangements.

Complete this checklist each term or when circumstances change significantly, if the school chooses to use that approach. Bring serious incidents to the employer's attention straight away.

Review entrances, exits, circulation routes and the arrangement of furniture. Identify obstructions, trip hazards, unstable furniture or arrangements that could hinder safe movement.

Check floors and other walking surfaces for damage, wet areas, loose coverings, trailing items or other conditions that could cause slips or trips.

Check desks, chairs, storage units and classroom equipment for visible damage, instability, sharp edges, insecure positioning or other conditions requiring attention.

Review cupboards, shelves and other storage. Identify overloaded, unstable, inaccessible or poorly positioned items, and items that could fall or obstruct movement.

Check that doors and windows can be used safely and that their operation, condition or position does not create a foreseeable risk to people in or around the classroom.

Review lighting and visibility in the classroom, including whether people can move around, work and identify hazards safely.

Review whether the classroom has suitable ventilation and whether temperature or airflow conditions create a health or safety concern for people using the room.

Check visible electrical equipment, plugs and cables for damage, unsafe positioning, trailing cables or other conditions requiring attention. Do not use or handle damaged equipment; record the concern and follow the school's arrangements.

Review the cleanliness of work surfaces, floors, shared items and other areas used by pupils, staff or visitors. Identify conditions requiring cleaning, removal or further attention.

Check that the classroom's emergency arrangements are known and that exits, routes and relevant emergency information are not obstructed or obscured. Record any concern for action through the school's arrangements.

Check whether relevant first-aid arrangements and information for reporting incidents are known to the people using the classroom. Do not assume that equipment or arrangements are present if they have not been checked.

Consider whether the classroom arrangement creates a concern for pupils, staff or visitors who may need particular access, movement, communication or other support. Record any concern without making assumptions about an individual's needs.

For each concern identified, record what was observed, where it was observed and who may be affected. Include enough detail for the concern to be understood and followed up.

For each recorded concern, identify the action needed, the person or role responsible for progressing it and any relevant follow-up information. Use the school's existing arrangements for escalation and completion.

If a serious incident has occurred, bring it to the employer's attention straight away rather than relying only on this checklist.

Indicate the current status of the concerns recorded in this review.