Risk Management in
Physical Education
and School Sport
Peter Whitlam
What the session is about.
Purpose:
• To provide an update on current and key risk management issues in
physical education and school sport.
Outcomes:
• An understanding of:
– the key principles in managing risk in PESS;
– the format and application of the “triangle” model for risk
assessment;
– current hot topics and concerns about safe practice in physical
education;
Essentially – what school staff need to be aware of in H&S.
TDA Professional Standards for
Teachers
This risk management course contributes towards
the following standards:
Core standards:
Frameworks:
Professional skills:
Learning environment:
C3
C29 and C30
C37 and C38
Post threshold standards:
Frameworks:
Health and well being:
Professional Skills:
P1
P6
P7 and P8
What do school staff need to know/
understand/ be able to do?

Basic legal framework in which we operate
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Know and apply employer’s policies and procedures relating to safe practice

What “risk management” means and why it is important

Risk-benefit assessment – balancing taking risks without undue danger of
serious harm
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Managing not minimising risk (risk aversion)

Importance of regularly reviewing policies, procedures, routines and
standards in H&S

The risk assessment process

Standard of risk (safety) awareness expected

Relationship between good practice and safe practice

Demonstrate forethought, anticipation, forward planning for what may
happen and plan accordingly

Be confident in their practice - eliminate any mystique and fear about H&S
Attitude towards risk.
Gung ho?
Challenge
Risk
Excitement
Opportunity?
Danger?
The risk continuum
Minimising risk
Best practice?
(apathy, paranoia,
incompetence)
(challenge v risk)
Totally
safe
Range of
acceptable
risk
Incompetence, unfortunate
Increasingly high
levels of risk
Danger
Principles:
i.
Risk–benefit assessment – weighing protection from harm against the
provision of stimulating experiences.
ii. Events to be as safe as necessary not as safe as possible (RoSPA)
ii. Exposure to well-managed challenge (opportunity) and risk (safety):
a.
educates about risk
b.
opens up exciting learning opportunities
c.
develops high quality PESS
The key messages!
• “Risk management is about enabling good
things to happen, not just preventing
the bad”.
Dr Lynne Drennan, CEO ALARM
Views, Autumn 2008).
(Zurich Municipal News &
• “Risk management should be routine,
embedded and well documented”.
Tom Shewry, Head of Education, Zurich Municipal, (News and
Views, Autumn 2008).
Risk Management: Why it is important?
 empower pupils to manage their own safety
(risk education/NCPE PoS requirement/ECM – being safe)
 entitlement to be taught in a safe and healthy
environment
 high quality PESS involves challenge
 school staff have a legal duty to be proactive not reactive
 avoid allegations of negligence:
“careless conduct which injures another and which
the law deems liable for compensation”



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duty of care
breach of duty
damage
foreseeability
(Frederick Place Chambers 1995)
(responsibility)
(careless)
(injury)
(but for……)
What is risk management?
 good practice/safe practice
 reasonable forethought to a suitable and sufficient level
 3 purposes:
 ensure potential safety problems are understood
 check whether existing precautions are adequate
 implement any FURTHER precautions necessary
 3 levels of risk assessment:
 generic - provided, written
 facility/activity/event specific – to do, written
 on-going - dynamic – expertise, unwritten
 legal requirement – HaSaW Act 1974; MHS Regs 1999 and
common law
To comply with the law
we must…

show we have carried out a risk (safety)
assessment;

identify the significant risks (red traffic light)

identify who could be harmed;

identify what needs to be done to control/
reduce the risk to make it sufficiently safe.
Controlling risk:
“traffic lights”
SEVERITY
LIKELIHOOD
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW
HIGH
MEDIUM
(concerns/ unsafe)
LOW
(safe)
Action required
immediately
Action required
when practicable
Action – be
aware monitor
Context – we are good at
what we do…..
HSE 1995:
Schools: young people – 3 deaths/5000 major injuries:
1
3+ days off work/school or visit to hospital for 24 hours
11
441
Minor first aid only
Non-injury accidents/near misses
2.25 million reported injuries/year - 1.5 billion pupil days/year.
PESS – c. 1/2-2/3 of total school injuries = 0.001% v total pupil days.
Games 42%
Gymnastics 27%
Swimming 1%
Principle: Termly analysis of incident report forms informs about safe
practice policy and procedures – pattern and number
Statutory requirements
(HaSaWA and Management Regs)
The employer must:
 be ultimately responsible for health and safety
though tasks may be delegated.
HaSaWA
1974
 have a health and safety policy
HaSaWA 1974
 initiate procedures to ensure satisfactory
implementation of the policy
HaSaWA 1974
 assess the risks of all activities, manage the risks,
inform employees of measures to make situations
safe, provide training and supervision where appropriate
and monitor implementation of the procedures
MHSRegs 1999
 accept responsibility for corporate manslaughter if
poor management systems lead to death
Corp Mansl Act 2007
The legal responsibilities of school
staff
(HaSaWA and Management Regs)
MAKE ALL ADULTS WORKING WITH PUPILS
AWARE OF THEIR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
 Know and apply employer’s policy for H&S
(SP 2008 ch 2 pp 18-19)
(local requirements take precedence over national guidance)
 Pass on guilty knowledge
 Do what is within their power to prevent further injury
 Not to interfere or misuse items for H&S
 Participate in inspections (risk assessments) AS A TEAM
 And the common law duty of care…… show reasonable
forethought (common sense)
(SP 2008 ch 2 pp 13-17)
Safe practice – a summary
Two key criteria for managing risk:
1.
Quality of teaching
(good teaching is safe teaching)
2.
Quality of leadership and management
(good organisation is safe organisation)
(includes key aspect of written risk assessments)
Reducing risk in PESS:
1. Quality of teaching
A safe “teacher” of physical education considers:
1.
whether s/he has the personal expertise, competence and/or
qualifications in the activity/ies and at the level being taught;
2. a session format to include warm up, technical development and cool
down;
3. checking work space, equipment and personal effects before and
during use;
4. teaching position to maximise observation of class;
5. using regular and approved practice (QCA/ LA/ NGB schemes);
6. progression according to ability;
7. matching comparable size, experience, confidence where weight
bearing, physical contact or “accelerating projectiles” are applied;
8. strict officiating in games – applying the rules consistently;
9. involving pupils in their own safety – checking understanding and
providing clear instructions;
10. thinking logically through a lesson – what could cause harm? – have I
covered the likelihood?
1. Quality of teaching:
Personalised
learning, inclusion, or safe practice/
risk education principles? (S.T.E.P.S.)
Directed to open ended tasks
Single to linking to combined/multiple tasks
Simple to complex tasks ( more or less space/time/
options/ equipment/ constraints/ requirements)
Familiar tasks/environments/groupings to unfamiliar ones
Variety in movement to quality/ technical demand
Set to negotiated to self-determined tasks
Working individually, with a partner, into group work
involving cooperation/ competition/ leadership
 Different tasks for different pupils
 Different levels of information/support/ intervention for
pupils working on the same task
 Additional teacher time for some pupils
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(acknowledgement to Dudley CS: “Policy into Practice” Section 1: Planning Principles)
2. Quality of management and leadership
 Do you have a H&S policy for PESS/ off-site sports visits?
 Are required procedures and standards known, understood and applied
consistently by all adults who teach PESS/ manage teams/ lead groups?
 Are your policies and procedures reviewed regularly (annually)?
 Do all staff understand the limits and requirements of their roles and
responsibilities in H&S?
 Are all adults teaching PESS/ managing teams/ leading visits competent
and confident in the areas they teach/ coach/ officiate/ lead?
 Are all non-QTS staff managed effectively?
 Is there induction, continuing development and monitoring of all staff?
 Do PE programmes/ fixture lists/ visit objectives match ability and
confidence of team/ group?
 Are attendance, participation and assessment records maintained?
 Do you have written risk assessments for PE/ sports events/ visits?
 Are risk assessments evaluated after the event and updated
periodically?
 Do off-site risk assessments consider critical incident plans?
 Are incident report forms completed regularly and analysed periodically
to monitor number and pattern of causes of injury?
 Is H&S a standing item on department/school meeting agendas?
 Is good teaching, coaching and leadership developed and monitored?
Reducing risk in PESS:
Criteria for written risk assessments
 Suitable and sufficient
 Reasonable anticipation/forward planning
 Significant risks (red traffic light) identified and
recorded
 Identify those possibly harmed
 List any additional controls/precautions needed
– “supervision – protection – training”





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Annual or if circumstances change
Probable / likely
Safe as necessary not as safe as possible
Trust your professional judgement
Minimal number of written assessments
Quick, easy, “MOT”
(SP 2008 – chapter 3 and Appendix 2)
Risk Management: A model
Pupils
Staff
PEOPLE
“Behaviour is the cause or a
contributory factor in more
than 80% of accidents”.
Helen Sully
(Kier Group for HSE) 2007.
Acceptable risk
PE/SPORT
CONTEXT
Appropriate challenge
Facility
Equipment
Procedures/routines
ORGANISATION
Class organisation
Teaching
Preparation
Progression
Beaumont, Eve, Kirkby, Whitlam 1998
Written risk assessment:
How do we do it?
 team activity
 in situ - in the facilities
 think of the people/context/organisation
triangle
 based on existing documentation,
procedures and practice
 look for FURTHER precautions necessary
 reasonable anticipation/observation as
subject teachers/specialists
 NOT about writing everything down again.
Written risk assessments:
The portfolio
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Scheme of work
Lesson plans
Attendance registers
Assessment records
Handbook – roles, responsibilities, policies, procedures, routines
Medical records
Emergency action procedures
SEN register
Out of hours club registers
Annual inspection reports - (PUWER 1998)
CPD and other professional records
Accident management and reporting systems – and analysis
Minutes of meetings
Health and safety audits
AND risk assessment records
Written risk assessments:
The process
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Decide what requires a risk assessment
Identify the hazards
Decide who is at risk
Evaluate the risks
Record the findings
Devise an action plan to reduce significant risks
Inform those affected
Review periodically
Support staff (Workforce Reform
Regulations 2003)



“Specified work (i.e. teaching) may not be carried out by a
person in a school unless s/he holds QTS or satisfy the
specific requirements…”
(Education Act 2003, s133).
HLTAs, sports coaches and other suitable adults may
teach classes or groups in timetabled physical education.
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.
(SP 2008 – chapter 4 and Appendix 3)
“Supervision and direction” – the
implications for schools.
Management!
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safer recruitment,
initial assessment,
induction,
information about pupils, procedures,
routines and standards,
regular communication,
risk assessments,
shared/monitored planning,
monitoring competence,
professional development.
(SP 2008 – Appendix 3b pp 313-316. Also see pages 14-15 in the handout)
Competence?

expertise in the range of activities to be taught – i.e.
» technical knowledge
» knowledge of progression
» safety issues
» rules,
(case law)

delivery of national curriculum process model

knowledge of the particular needs of the group

observation and analysis skills to ensure that
what is going on is safe

good class control and group management

appropriate relationships – teaching children
not coaching a sport
(Education Acts)
(case law/NCPE PoS)
(HaSaWA s.7)
(case law/STPC s.37)
(Common Core Skills/HLTA standards, DfES 2006 & afPE/ukSport ASLs 2006)
Targeted CPD?
(SP 2008 paragraph 4.2.14)
Policy and guidelines:
“the handbook”
 See pages 11-13 in the handout.
 This item appears in SP 2008 as Appendix 9.
 By law these need to be reviewed regularly
and staff monitored to ensure that a common
and safe standard is applied.
Summary
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“Routine, embedded and well-documented”
Look at H&S from position of “opportunity” not
“danger”
Keep it simple – good teaching; good organisation
Recognise, respect, support and develop those lacking
confidence and competence
Work at a level of common sense – as trained
professionals
Importance of forethought, anticipation, forward
planning for what may happen and plan accordingly
Apply the triangle model
Think about the “what if”s as well as the event
Written risk assessments as soon as possible
Policy and procedures to be developed over time
We are good at what we do!