Risk Assessments

[Guest]

I need some advise. We are moving into a new room within the main school during the Easter holidays. The room is fab, childrens toilet, our own kitchen, main classroom and a brill outdoor play area with astro turf decking and a tarmac road for bikes.

 

I will need to do a full risk assessment before the children come in on the 19th April. Can anyone advice me on this, or send me a copy of a form that may help me. I do a termly risk assessment and also a weekly risk assessment but thought that with this being a brand new room that it should have some sort of proper form ready for Ofsted.

 

Hope that someone can help.

Not sure if i have put this in the right place.

 

Sue

[Guest]

go to the hse website i think they have pro formas on there you can adapt.

[Cait]

Hi Sue, I wouldn't personally go overboard. Look at what you already have, in the format you are familiar with and see what has changed. A lot of things will be the same and some may just need a tweak here and there. Eg, if you have RA for carrying hot drinks, or using sharp tools, or inspecting the outdoor area before children go out. You may have something to add to your slips, trips and falls unless you have used astroturf before - it may be different, I don't know.

 

I would suggest that, armed with your previous RAs, you walk through your new setting with your staff, and just have a good look. Make lots of notes and when Ofsted come to have a look they can see how you are intending to deal with your new environment. You make find that, in use, some things you'd considered a potential hazard turn out not to be, and some things you hadn't considered turn out to be!

 

When we moved to a new building, an old chapel, there were lots of rugs on the wooden floor and we thought they would present a tripping hazard and considered removing them, but the Ofsted inspector said we should leave them as the potential benefits were greater than the hazard. She was right, in the year it took us to raise funds to carpet the room, there was only one trip caused by a rug.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies they will help us loads.

 

Once we get back into the classroom next week we will walk around the classroom like you suggested to see what we all think may be a hazard.

 

Thanks again Sue