Service Level Agreement 2024-2025 – Southampton Maintained Schools – Offsite activities and educational visits
SLA
Introduction
This agreement covers the health and safety procedures required for offsite activity and educational visits (outdoor education), physical education and sport.
Southampton City Council has entered into a Service Level Agreement with Hampshire County Council and are offering all schools (both maintained and academies) the opportunity to be covered by this arrangement. Should any school not wish to buy into this arrangement it will need to seek alternative provision so that if there is ever an ‘incident’ the school can demonstrate; it has agreed approval systems for educational visits and ventures and its safeguarding and health and safety processes are in place. This will validate the insurance cover in place in case of litigation.
(It should be noted that non maintained schools are responsible for their own insurance arrangements for all aspects of school life including Off-site activity)
Service options
Core services included within main package
- Advice and guidance on current best practice, through access to publications, websites, information notes and other communications as well as phone or email access to the Outdoor Education Advisors.
- Legal advice and problem solving support for Health & Safety and procedural issues arising, including access to key officers.
- Support for incidents and emergencies that may arise.
- Provision of an agreed approval system in order to assess the requirements for specific educational visits, including access to a web-based approval and information systems (Evolve).
- Monitoring of the activity providers of outdoor education to confirm they have effective safety management systems in place. Details of this monitoring information is available via Evolve.
- Provision of support for PE & school sport, including guidance on using coaches and activity providers, access to the PE Advisor and training in a variety of courses, e.g. swimming, gymnastics and multi skills.
- Operate any required activity licences, including the Adventure Activities Licence.
- Provision of information, in a range of mediums, on a comprehensive range of outdoor education training programmes.
- Access to good practice initiatives, e.g. Primary Trailblazers (outdoor learning).
- Schools which a Direct License with the DofE Award (DLCs), will be able to liaise directly with the County DofE Manager for advice, support, access to training and the development of training teams.
- Liaison with the Insurance and Risk Manager over all related matters.
Optional additional services
Access to outdoor education training programmes, PE safety courses and 'bespoke' support for special events can be purchased separately for an additional charge.
Pricing
The charge for the service is £1.60 per pupil p.a.
Service contacts and performance review
The contact for the service provider is:
Clare Dobbs Head of Service (Hampshire Outdoors) Skills and Participation Four Chimneys, Winton Close Winchester, Hants SO22 6AB Tel: 01962 876218 Email: outdoor.education@hants.gov.uk
Overall contract management will be through regular meetings with the Services provider and SCC.
Specific issues arising can be raised directly with the provider and / or Southampton City Council – Contact Chris Hallett (Traded Services Account Manager for Schools) via email: SLAs@southampton.gov.uk