Whole School Health and Safety Policy
It is the policy of Christian Schools Ltd. not only to comply with the safety and health measures required by law, but also to prevent injury, ill-health, damage and loss arising from the daily running of our community.
The company recognises that the effective prevention of accidents depends as much on a committed attitude of mind to safety as on the maintenance of equipment. However, the company expects its employees on their part or recognise that equally there is a clear duty on them to exercise self-discipline and accept responsibility to do every thing possible to prevent injury to themselves and others. In accordance with this the Company will:-
Gain competent advice on Health and Safety matters.
Update and implement procedures and codes of safe working practices.
Provide training for safety, hygiene, first aid, risk assessment and fire protection & risk assessment.
Health & Safety of the Pupils.
Tower College takes its responsibility for the pupils’ health, well-being, security and safety extremely seriously. Staff must be aware of the needs of the pupils in their care at all times. Staff will not be censured for ‘over-reacting’ but any serious lapse or neglect of a pupil in need of care may result in disciplinary procedure. We are ‘in loco parentis’ and should indeed treat each child as if he/she were our own.
First Aid
We have qualified First-Aid Officers through-out school, whose details are on notice-boards in The Staff room and below. Training and refresher courses are obligatory for all staff, the most recent having taken place on 7th January 2008 with the St John’s Ambulance.
Qualified First Aiders
Nursery and Kindergarten Mrs M Picton, Mrs Gibson
Junior Department Mrs Murtagh
Senior Department Mrs Childs
First Aid Kits
First Aid kits, which should be kept well-stocked, are located in the following rooms;
Staff Room Caretaker's Room Nursery
Junior Foyer Medical Room Laboratories
Kindergarten Minibuses Transition
Paracetamol Policy
Staff abide by best practice as advised in our training course regarding equipment and products used for first aid. We do, with the written consent of parents, give paracetamol to Senior pupils with headaches, period pain etc. These are administered only by the Principal to avoid duplication of doses, and a record of doses is kept.
Minor Accidents on School Premises.
When a child in your care is involved in a minor accident the normal procedure of cleaning and dressing the wound should be carried out. Assess the level of seriousness, and if the child needs to be sent home, please contact the Office staff. The accident should be recorded by the member of staff who dealt with it in the Accident Book in the Main Office, giving all information as listed above.
Parents must be informed of all accidents in which a pupil sustains a knock to the head, even if he/she is not sent home. Pupils sustaining bumps to the head must be closely monitored throughout the remainder of the school day, and if travelling by Coach then the teacher or prefect on the coach must be informed.
Serious accidents on School Premises.
If the accident is more serious or a child in your care becomes ill, then please remain with the pupil while sending a message for one of the First Aid Officers (see list above)to attend the patient. Make the patient comfortable and monitor closely.
It is the First Aid Officer’s responsibility to decide on the course of action to be taken, after assessing the patient.
If appropriate, the First-Aid Officer can administer treatment him/herself. If a check-up and treatment at Hospital are necessary, then an ambulance must be summoned immediately and arrangements made for an appropriate person to accompany the patient. Parents must be informed as soon as possible, and information given so that they can meet their child at the hospital.
If a First Aid Officer is not available and the patient needs hospital attention, then an ambulance should be summoned by the Staff member in charge of the patient.
Accidents occurring off the premises.
Procedures for trips / outings / matches / school holidays etc. are detailed in the Staff Handbook and have been set out with the Health and Safety of our pupils and staff as the main priority.
The completion of a Risk Assessment Form, an Activity Form and parental consent forms are essential.
If an event takes place in school time, the class registers must be completed and returned to the Office before departure.
If the pupils participating in an out of school event do not constitute the whole of one or more classes, please list the participating pupils’ names and classes.
If an event involves an overnight stay, then Contact / Medical forms must be completed & duplicated in order that the Office / Emergency Staff Contact and the Staff leading the event all have immediate access to the necessary information.
The School mobile phone is to be taken on all out of school trips, to ensure two way contact.
First Aid kits should be taken on all trips, as should medication for pupils with known health problems.
If the above procedures are followed, then any emergency can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.
Accidents / illnesses should be dealt with, following the procedures for in-school accidents / illnesses and both parents and the School Office / Emergency Staff Contact / Principal should be informed as soon as possible.
Health & Safety of Staff.
Accidents occurring to members of Staff of teaching or non-teaching departments should be dealt with, as appropriate, by colleagues or by a First Aid Officer if summoned by colleagues. The Principal is to be notified of all accidents occurring to Staff. All incidents will be recorded in the Staff Accident Book.
Documentation re Health & Safety of pupils.
Risk Assessment Forms.
Risk Assessments must be completed by the relevant staff for all work areas, classrooms, laboratories, Assembly Halls, Kitchens / Dining Hall, Offices, workshops, sports facilities, play areas, gardens, washrooms, car / coach and walkways. Risk assessments are vitally important when planning school trips. They must be thoroughly completed, and reviewed regularly. Risk Assessment Forms must be signed by the member of staff making the assessment, and countersigned by the Principal.
Accident Book.
All accidents are recorded in the Accident Book in the Main Office. Two copies are made - one for the Accident Book and one for the child’s own file. The forms are quite clear and require the following information:
Name & Form of pupil.
Time, date & place of accident.
Circumstances of accident.
Staff member on duty.
Treatment given, and by whom.
Whether the accident is sufficiently serious to inform the parents.
Whether a check –up at the Hospital is required.
An Information Document regarding ongoing health-care needs is kept in the Main Office and the Staff Room. It includes;
Asthmatics, Diabetics, Ezcema sufferers, Anaphylaxis threat for pupils with nut allergies etc.
Pupils with problems requiring a special diet e.g.coeliac disease.
Pupils with long term problems that prevent them from taking part in PE, Games or swimming.
Regular meetings are held to keep staff up-to-date with individual pupils’ situations, and to ensure that all staff are confident that they can deal appropriately with any emergencies that arise.
Our Health and Safety policy is reviewed annually to monitor its effectiveness, and to ensure that it reflects changing needs and circumstances. All staff are given a copy, and it is displayed in the Offices, Staff Rooms etc.
Signed for and on behalf of the governors.
R J Oxley (Miss)
Principal & Company Secretary.
January 2010
Tower College, Christian Schools Ltd. Registered Charity No. 526611
