Schools

Hosking Associates: the health, safety, and environmental partner for schools

The person at the top of any organisation is ultimately responsible for the way in which safety, health and sustainability is managed. Schools are no exception.

All of our consultants are DBS checked and carry clearance photo ID badges when visiting any school site.

Areas Covered: All areas are covered including employee safety and wellbeing, safeguarding, food safety consultation, contractor management, work at height, safe access for maintenance/repair, emergency arrangements, risk management, developing policies or operational procedures, advising on structure, risk assessments, auditing and checks, training and incident management.

As all clients, the first step is to undertake an initial review. Depending on the scope agreed this can look at current standards of Health & Safety, Food Safety and/or Environmental Management. From this a detailed action plan is created. Schools can then choose to implement findings themselves, or continue with our support to implement or refresh their safety or environmental management system and arrangements.

Alternatively, schools have the option of accessing our services via our Safety Ribbon Award or Green Ribbon Award audits if a short snap shot is required which assesses current levels of compliance against legal standards.

We have created bundle services to enable budgets and resources to be managed. In most cases, we ensure there is a good system in place for managing hard and soft copy documentation, assist with organising risk assessments, and checking systems are in place. We can also review school policy documentation.

We have extensive experience of working with schools to help them make the transition to an academy, and of working alongside governors and staff. We are available to work with clusters of schools, and can split our costs between them where common management practices are in place. This is especially useful for trusts who oversee a number of schools within an area.

We have also worked with PFI schools to check and advise on the work facilities management providers are undertaking to verify standards are being met. We have worked for both schools and the facilities management company in this regard.

Additionally, we are available to compliment internal local authority Safety, Health or Environmental departments to provide support where the local authority is the employer.

Many schools are in the process of becoming an academy. Once this happens, the governing body becomes the employer and will therefore become responsible for overall health and safety in schools, including:

  • Overall accountability for health, safety and welfare for the school workforce, contractors, pupils, visitors and volunteers
  • Ensuring the school complies with health, safety and environmental legislation and approved codes of practice
  • Ensuring standards of food safety are maintained and managed where food is prepared
  • Risk assessing the risks to the workforce and others
  • Providing information, instruction and training
  • Implementing regular checking systems, and for reviewing that the health and safety policy and procedures are in place and being implemented
  • Consulting with health and safety staff and representatives (recognised appointed trade union and employee representatives)