CalmComplianceRisk Assessment template
School Higher-Risk Educational Visit Risk Assessment
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 1 October 2026
- Audience
- Primary and secondary schools in England, including maintained schools and academies, excluding independent schools. Intended for persons planning, managing, leading or approving educational visits where additional planning or a higher level of risk assessment may be required.
- Jurisdiction
- england
Activity assessed
Educational visits outside existing school policies or requiring additional planning, including visits involving unusual activities, particular locations, greater distance, specialist staff skills, specific participant capabilities or additional control measures. Applicability remains conditional on the characteristics of the proposed visit.
Assess each hazard and its controls against your site before use. Template ratings require local review.
Hazards and controls
The visit is not fully covered by existing school policies or arrangements, and the need for proportionate additional planning or risk assessment has not been established.
- Existing controls
- Record the school policies, procedures, arrangements or previous plans that already apply to this visit, if any. Do not assume that existing arrangements cover changed circumstances.
- Proposed controls
- Describe why this visit is within the scope of this register, including any relevant distance, activity, location, participant, staffing or specialist-skill considerations. Identify which elements are routine and which require additional planning. Review the assessment when the itinerary, provider, staffing, participants or conditions change.
Local assessment and additional controls
Insufficient planning, competence or approval for a visit requiring detailed planning.
- Existing controls
- Record the named visit manager, educational visits coordinator or equivalent role, their relevant skills, status and competence, and any existing school approval route. Leave unconfirmed details blank pending verification.
- Proposed controls
- Document the itinerary, purpose, activities, locations, timings, staffing, participant group, transport arrangements, communication arrangements, emergency arrangements and provider information as applicable. Obtain informed approval from the headteacher or governing board where the visit requires it under the school's arrangements. Confirm who will review and authorise changes.
Local assessment and additional controls
Greater distance, unfamiliar locations or multiple locations create additional exposure to travel, access, separation, delay or emergency-response risks.
- Existing controls
- Record only confirmed controls relating to the actual route and locations, such as established school procedures, venue information or agreed supervision arrangements.
- Proposed controls
- Record the complete route and locations separately from this register where required. Check access, entry and exit arrangements, meeting points, communication limitations, foreseeable delays, welfare facilities and arrangements for a participant who becomes separated or cannot continue. Identify who will make decisions if the itinerary must change.
Local assessment and additional controls
An activity is added, substituted or materially changed during the visit without prior assessment and approval.
- Existing controls
- Record any existing rule that limits activities to those included in the approved plan and any existing process for managing proposed changes.
- Proposed controls
- List all activities that may take place before the visit, including optional or weather-dependent activities. Do not add adventure activities during the trip unless the school's arrangements provide a safe and authorised process for reassessment and approval; otherwise do not undertake the activity. Brief staff and participants on the planned activity boundaries.
Local assessment and additional controls
Caving, climbing, trekking, watersports or another adventure activity exposes participants to hazards that have not been assessed for the actual activity, location, conditions and participant group.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed activity-specific controls already provided by the school, venue or activity provider. Do not infer controls from the activity name alone.
- Proposed controls
- Where applicable, identify and assess the activity before the visit. Record the activity boundaries, participant abilities, relevant environmental conditions, staff competence, provider arrangements, supervision ratios or arrangements, rescue arrangements and stopping criteria. Confirm that the activity is within the capability of the participants and supervising staff.
Local assessment and additional controls
The needs, abilities, experience, medical information or other relevant capabilities of participants are not matched to the proposed visit or activity.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed information about participant needs and any existing individual plans, reasonable adjustments, supervision arrangements or school procedures that apply. Avoid recording unnecessary personal information in this register.
- Proposed controls
- Determine the capabilities and relevant needs of the participant group before approval. Consider mobility, communication, sensory, behavioural, medical, dietary, swimming or activity-specific requirements as applicable. Agree reasonable adjustments, additional support, exclusion criteria, supervision and contingency arrangements with the appropriate school personnel and, where relevant, parents or carers and providers.
Local assessment and additional controls
Participants are exposed to drowning, immersion, unsafe water conditions or inadequate supervision during watersports, swimming or use of another water-based leisure facility.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed information about the facility, activity provider, instructors, lifeguards, participant abilities, supervision and emergency arrangements. Do not assume that a hotel swimming pool or other facility has a trained lifeguard on duty.
- Proposed controls
- Where applicable, confirm the need for and availability of appropriately qualified instructors and lifeguards, and record how their roles interact with school supervision. Check the facility's water-safety arrangements, participant restrictions, conditions, rescue and emergency arrangements before approval. Do not proceed if required supervision, instruction, competence or safety arrangements cannot be confirmed.
Local assessment and additional controls
An external organisation provides an activity without the required competence, assurance or licence for the activity.
- Existing controls
- Record the provider name, activities supplied, information received, relevant assurance or quality-badge information, and any licence information confirmed for the activity. Do not treat unverified provider claims as evidence.
- Proposed controls
- Where a provider supplies an activity requiring a licence, check the applicable licensing position and retain sufficient evidence of the check in the visit file. Confirm the provider's activity-specific competence, supervision, emergency arrangements, insurance or other school-required checks through the school's established procurement and visit-planning processes.
Local assessment and additional controls
Staffing levels, staff competence or specialist skills are insufficient for the activity, location, participant group or foreseeable changes.
- Existing controls
- Record the actual staff and provider roles, relevant competence or experience, supervision arrangements and any specialist skills that have been verified.
- Proposed controls
- Match staffing and competence to the planned activities, locations and participant needs. Identify who leads each activity, who holds decision-making responsibility, who supervises participants and who provides specialist instruction or rescue capability where applicable. Define arrangements for staff absence, fatigue, separation, handover and escalation.
Local assessment and additional controls
Participants become separated from the group or are inadequately supervised in transit, at the venue, during free time or during transitions between activities.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed supervision arrangements, groupings, headcount procedures, meeting points, communication methods and venue-specific requirements.
- Proposed controls
- Set out supervision arrangements for each stage of the itinerary, including transitions, toilet or welfare breaks, arrival and departure, free time and any split groups. Establish headcount and regrouping procedures, boundaries, participant instructions and actions if a participant is missing or separated. Ensure arrangements reflect participant capabilities and the actual location.
Local assessment and additional controls
Travel to, from or between visit locations introduces risks associated with transport, road crossings, delays, breakdown, poor weather, fatigue or changes to the planned route.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed transport arrangements, supplier checks, school procedures, supervision arrangements and contingency information for the actual journey.
- Proposed controls
- Document the transport mode, provider or responsible driver, passenger arrangements, supervision, embarkation and disembarkation points, road-crossing arrangements, accessible travel needs, rest or welfare requirements and contingency arrangements for delay, cancellation, breakdown or route change. Apply the school's transport and safeguarding procedures.
Local assessment and additional controls
Weather, terrain, water conditions, crowding, public access, venue conditions or other location-specific factors make the planned activity unsuitable or increase exposure to harm.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed information about the actual location, venue conditions, access restrictions, weather arrangements and any controls already provided by the venue or provider.
- Proposed controls
- Identify conditions that could make the activity unsafe or unsuitable and define monitoring, postponement, cancellation, shelter, clothing, hydration, rest and alternative-activity arrangements as applicable. Set clear stop or withdrawal criteria and identify who has authority to use them.
Local assessment and additional controls
Illness, injury, medication needs, allergies, fatigue, dehydration, distress or other welfare needs are not anticipated or managed during the visit.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed school procedures, individual healthcare arrangements, medication arrangements, first-aid provision, emergency contacts and welfare facilities that apply to this visit.
- Proposed controls
- Confirm relevant health and welfare needs through the school's established process. Plan access to medication, first aid, emergency assistance, food and drink, toilets, rest and privacy as applicable. Identify how urgent medical care will be obtained, how parents or carers and school leaders will be contacted, and how an unwell or injured participant will be supervised.
Local assessment and additional controls
A significant incident, missing participant, serious illness, injury, evacuation or other emergency is not communicated or managed promptly.
- Existing controls
- Record confirmed emergency contacts, communication methods, venue or provider procedures and school escalation arrangements.
- Proposed controls
- Prepare an incident and emergency plan proportionate to the visit. Record how staff will raise an alarm, contact emergency services, account for participants, preserve supervision, notify the school, communicate with parents or carers, manage media or public enquiries where applicable, and record decisions. Check whether mobile coverage or other communication limitations require an alternative arrangement.
Local assessment and additional controls
The visit proceeds despite material changes to the itinerary, participants, staffing, provider, weather, location or activity that invalidate the planned controls.
- Existing controls
- Record any existing process for pre-departure checks, dynamic review, escalation, cancellation or approval of changes.
- Proposed controls
- Define the changes that require reassessment, consultation or approval before proceeding. Recheck conditions at appropriate points, document significant decisions and use cancellation, postponement, route change or alternative activity where the planned controls are no longer suitable. Do not add unplanned adventure activities during the visit.
Local assessment and additional controls