1. Safe Practice in PESSPA

2. Cotton Wool Child

3. The Risk Continuum Appropriate challenge & Acceptable risk
Totally Range of Increasingly high Danger
safe acceptable levels of risk
risk
Events to be as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible
(ROSPA)
SP 2016 Ch 1 Sec 7
Minimising risk
(apathy, paranoia, incompetence)
Best practice?
(challenge v risk)
Irresponsible/incompetent/ unfortunate
Appropriate challenge & Acceptable risk
ROSPA ‘As safe as necessary not as safe as possible’
The Young report discussed a shift from risk assessment to risk benefit.
Prof Lofstedt Nov 2011 in reference to schools as a specific sector to be addressed “Care should be taken to ensure that the regulations do not prevent children from being exposed to new or exciting activities that contribute to their education and development” (Page 40 Chapter 4 23).
Also report by House of Commons Science & Technology Committee (Sept 11) re practical experiments and field trips –concluded that there was no credible evidence to support h & s as the reason for the decline of practicals and work outside the classroom.
Situations can and should be challenging but still safe because of the ways in which the risk is managed. Too often children are not sufficiently challenged as a result of a number of things:
Teacher lack of knowledge
Fear of risk
Lack of support from management
Children can become bored as a result.

4. De-mystifying the term Risk Management
All staff must be fully aware of the PE school policy on health and safety and their personal responsibilities in relation to it. This responsibility may cause anxiety often because of the term ‘risk’. Risk management is an increasingly used term for what is often called ‘safe practice.

5. What does the term “Risk” mean…….
Risk is about the likelihood that a person may be harmed. In PE there will always be an element of risk. Our intention is to help teachers reduce risks to acceptable levels

6. The Risk Continuum Appropriate challenge & Acceptable risk
Totally Range of Increasingly high Danger
safe acceptable levels of risk
risk
Events to be as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible
(ROSPA)
SP 2016 Ch 1 Sec 7
Minimising risk
(apathy, paranoia, incompetence)
Best practice?
(challenge v risk)
Irresponsible/incompetent/ unfortunate
Appropriate challenge & Acceptable risk
ROSPA ‘As safe as necessary not as safe as possible’
The Young report discussed a shift from risk assessment to risk benefit.
Prof Lofstedt Nov 2011 in reference to schools as a specific sector to be addressed “Care should be taken to ensure that the regulations do not prevent children from being exposed to new or exciting activities that contribute to their education and development” (Page 40 Chapter 4 23).
Also report by House of Commons Science & Technology Committee (Sept 11) re practical experiments and field trips –concluded that there was no credible evidence to support h & s as the reason for the decline of practicals and work outside the classroom.
Situations can and should be challenging but still safe because of the ways in which the risk is managed. Too often children are not sufficiently challenged as a result of a number of things:
Teacher lack of knowledge
Fear of risk
Lack of support from management
Children can become bored as a result.

7. Practice needs to be as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible

8. Safe Practice 2016 From: 1st4sport Chelsea Close Off Amberley Road
Armley
Leeds LS2 4HO
Author Angela James and Jill Elbourn contributions from many including NGBs
Used by professional and courts
References case law
They have this in their schools?

9. Format
colour coded chapters

10. Chapter 1
Legal Responsibilities
Risk Assessment
Policy and Procedures

11. What are your legal responsibilities?
Know and apply employer’s policy for H&S
Show reasonable forethought = common sense
Implement the policy
Assess and manage risk (participate in risk assessments)
Pass on guilty knowledge
Expand – guilty knowledge

12. Statutory/Regulatory/ Requirement- MUST DO’

13. Safety standards are set by….
The law of the land
Employers’ requirements
National Governing Bodies of Sport

14. ‘SHOULD’ Advisory/Guidance/Choice

15. ....“SHOULD”.... Regular and approved practice (LA guidelines/schemes)
Other expert advice
(afPE)
Common sense
(e.g. your experience and expertise)

16. And if we don’t follow guidance….
“careless conduct which injures another and which the law deems liable for compensation”

17. Negligence

18. Other sections in Chapter 1
Risk Assessment
Policy and Procedures

19. Your policies, routines, and procedures
School/department policies, procedures and risk assessments need to be:
-Comprehensive
-Specific to school
-Regularly reviewed
-Regularly communicated
-Consistently applied by all

24. Chapter 2. Section 1: Teaching and managing safely
good organisation, teaching and management is
safe organisation, teaching and management.
pp64-67/ table 6

25. Competence to teach PE Chapter 2 Section 2 (2.2.10) p.70 paragraph
understands the importance of “forethought” in their planning
can teach the relevant techniques, skills, tactics or choreography accurately at a level appropriate to the ability, confidence and previous experience of the students involved
provides appropriate progressive practices to enable student improvement
applies the safety issues relevant to the particular activity
knows and applies the rules if the activity is a sport
knows the group – their abilities, confidence and particular needs
has the observation and analytical skills to ensure what is going on is safe and amend anything that is deemed unsafe
has effective class control.

26. Who can teach PE? Chapter 2 section 2 pp.81-84/Table 7
“Specified work (i.e. teaching) may not be carried out by a person in a school unless s/he holds QTS or satisfies the specific requirements…” (Education Act 2003, s133).
Provided they:
only assist or support the work of a nominated teacher in school;
are subject to the direction and supervision of a nominated teacher;
have satisfied the head teacher, through a risk assessment, that they have the skills,
experience and expertise required to carry out the specified work i.e. Are managed effectively

27. Chapter 3: Learning about being safe “Teaching Safety”

28. Teaching safety
Safeguarding Assessing and managing risk First aid Exercise safe practice Space Tasks Equipment People

29. Fear of Injuries in PESSPA is Unfounded
Ratio of injuries to participant numbers very low – PESSPA 0.001%.
Most could not be prevented – “no fault” accidents – could not be anticipated
Mostly minor injuries - top five injuries: bruise/minor cut or graze/ sprain/ nose bleed/ head injury
Top five causes: contact with object/ contact with wall or floor/ contact with person/ slip/ trip

30. Some key messages Good teaching is safe teaching
Use common sense; think before acting; look and check it
is safe
Improvement through simple teaching points
Trust your judgement