Risk assessments are the responsibility of employers under health and safety law. In a school this could be a local authority, trust, or governing body, depending on the school’s status. Doing this properly means employers ‘having the back’ of school leaders and other staff so that nobody feels that they are bearing this burden alone.
The role of NEU reps/health and safety reps is to press for, and be consulted on, the risk assessment to make sure it is suitable and sufficient.
Such a risk assessment should be conducted and reviewed at regular intervals, not just undertaken once Ofsted has announced its visit, because the impact of an Ofsted inspection isn’t limited to the actual inspection, nor to the immediate time before or after.
Level of Education: School
Lead Organisation: National education union
