A panel of school governors discuss their legal responsibilities in relation to a series of events in a hypothetical school. After watching a series of reconstructions, their job is to debate just where the duties of the school governors lie.
Keeping a close eye on the discussion is governor expert Paul McGann, an education officer with 15 years experience in training governors and troubleshooting in schools. He provides advice and guidance on dealing with the issues along the way.
The panel debate their duties in the areas of health and safety after a child is injured in the playground by a catapult. The discussion moves on to focus on school security when it becomes apparent that other dangerous items are being discovered within the school grounds. Finally, the panel discuss complaints from the caretaker that he is becoming overworked because of having to deal with the risks presented by the local community.
Key points:
- When does responsibility for children's safety at school start - as soon as the gates open?
- If an accident occurs, the governors need to show parents they've considered a wide range of courses of action
- Monitoring and checking the implementation of your health and safety policy should be a high priority
