Outings and Trips

Statement of Intent:

We believe that outings and trips enrich our children’s education and social wellbeing. Outings and trips give the children, their parents/carers and families an opportunity to meet with our children, parents/carers and families in a social environment. Details of all outings and trips are communicated to parents/carers.

Outings and trips:

A risk assessment will be carried out before the trip to ensure the suitability of the trip for the pre-school children.

• For the majority of our outings and trips we require each child to be supervised by their parents/carers or another responsible adult. For outings and trips where parents/carers/responsible adults are not required for each child, our adult to child ratio is high, normally one adult to two children.
• In cases where we do require parents/carers or other responsible adults to accompany each child, every effort will be made to ensure that those without transport can be included on the outing/trip by obtaining cost of hiring transport and evaluating if this can be covered by parents.
• Parents/carers always sign a consent form before all outing/trip along with an emergency contact form where a child is unaccompanied.
• Parents/carers will fill out an emergency contact details form to be held by the pre-school manager for the duration of the trip.
• The children are appropriately supervised to ensure no child gets lost and that there is no unauthorised access to children.
• A qualified first aider will always accompany children on outings and trips ensuring that they have the relevant first aid equipment with them. Children who need medication administering will first and foremost be the responsibility of the parent/carer accompanying them. In all other instances PLEASE REFER TO OUR POLICY ADMINISTERING MEDICINES
• A supply of drinking water will be purchased by the pre-school and brought on outings and trips that parents do not attend should the children require drinks.
• Feedback on the outings and trips run is obtained from parents verbally after the outings or trip and in writing as part of the end of year feedback. This feedback is taken on board when organising future outings and trips.

If a child goes missing from an outing: PLEASE REFER TO LOST CHILD POLICY

On the majority of our outings we do insist that parents/carers or a responsible adult accompany their child, however the following procedures will be followed in any instance where we are on an outing without parents/carers.

• Staff will ask all children to stand with their designated adult and carry out a headcount to ensure that no other child is missing
• One member of staff will search the immediate vicinity only
• Staff will take the remaining children back to the setting, where they will keep them quietly occupied in the main hall and recheck the register
• If the child cannot be located, the pre-school manager will telephone the child’s parents/carers, police, social services and the pre-school Chair of Directors and Ofsted Nominated Person