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Health & Safety

At Newman Catholic Trust, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and visitors is our top priority. We are committed to fostering a safe and healthy environment across all our academies.

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This commitment is reflected in our comprehensive Health & Safety approaches. These are outlined below.

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In addition to the core elements below, we have established procedures for addressing specific health and safety concerns, such as safeguarding, first aid, water hygiene, fire safety, accident reporting, hazardous substances, lone working, working at height, and off-site visits. We collaborate with our external consultants Delegated Services to establish best practice, compliant policies and effective procedures across the Trust. 

  • Creating a Culture of Safety: We actively promote health and safety awareness through regular consultations, training sessions, and accessible resources. Health & Safety is a reoccurring priority for both the Trust Board and our Local Governing Committees.

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  • Equipping Our Staff: We provide staff with the necessary training to fulfil their health and safety responsibilities effectively. This includes courses on managing safety, risk assessment, fire awareness, and specific topics like Legionella and asbestos management. Regular evacuation drills ensure everyone is familiar with emergency procedures. The Trust uses iAMCompliant as a resource portal for managing compliance and also providing high-quality training. 

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  • Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Our Trust Policy Statement clearly outlines the health and safety expectations for all stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees, leadership teams, staff, students, parents/guardians, and contractors.

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  • Rigorous Auditing and Inspection: We engage external health and safety advisors Delegated Services to conduct annual audits and inspections at all schools. This includes providing ongoing support, training, and updates throughout the year. Audit results are reported to leadership teams and Local Governing Committees.

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  • Comprehensive Policies and Procedures: Each school has its own health and safety policy, aligned with a Trust-wide policy statement. Both policies are based on Department for Education guidelines and current Health and Safety legislation (including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974). Policies are reviewed annually and updated when necessary to reflect legislative changes. Approval for policy changes is granted by the Local Governing Committee or the Trust Board/FAR (depending on whether it is a local or Trust policy change).

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Trust Health and Safety Statement & Policies

Trust Policies

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy 1

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Statement of Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy for

The Cardinal Newman Educational Trust

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This statement of “Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy” is produced in respect of Cardinal Newman Catholic Educational Trust. It forms the basis of future planning and implementation of health, safety and wellbeing (HS&W) matters.

1.0      The Cardinal Newman Catholic Educational Trust Statement of General Policy

1.1      The Cardinal Newman Catholic Educational Trust (Newman Catholic Trust) is the employer of its staff both centrally and at its academies. The Newman Catholic Trust will maintain strategic oversight of Health & Safety policy and procedures for all Trust academies. There is a strong relationship with the Catholic church, however the Newman Catholic Trust will delegate responsibility to the Local Governing Committees (LGC) and Academy Principal to maintain local oversight of local health & safety needs, policies and procedures. Where an Executive Principal model is in place over a school, responsibility will be delegated to the Head of School (HoS).

 

Together they will:

1.1.1   Accept its responsibility for setting out the overall establishments HS&W Policy and undertake to take all reasonable steps within its power to prevent or reduce the possibility of:

·         Harm, injury and ill-health to children, employees, parents, contractors, visitors to the school and members of the general public;

·         Damage to property, plant, machinery, equipment, tools and other materials;

·         Harm to the environment

 

1.2      Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the establishment’s budget reflects the finance necessary to implement Heath, Safety & Wellbeing requirements.

1.3      Accept its responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, so far as is reasonably practicable to:

 

1.3.1   Provide plant, equipment and systems of work which are safe and without risks to health;

 

1.3.2   Make arrangements for ensuring the handling, storage and transportation of articles and substances are safe and without risk to health;

 

1.3.3   Provide suitable and sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to enable all employees, children, parents and carers at the establishment to perform their work, learning and play safely and efficiently;

 

1.3.4   Promote the development and maintenance of sound HS&W practices ensuring that any actions taken are inclusive and non-discriminatory;

 

1.3.5   Maintain the premises in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and ensure the maintenance of safe access to and exit from the premises;

 

1.3.6   Provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health and adequate as regards welfare facilities for employees, children, parents and carers.

 

1.3.7   Provide as necessary personal protective equipment (“PPE”) to all employees, volunteers, parents, children and visitors in the setting, for the safe use of plant, machinery, equipment, tools, materials and substances for work or within the curriculum.

 

1.3.8   Maintain a close interest in all health and safety matters insofar as they affect all activities under the control of the establishment. In particular they will work closely with other agencies sharing the premises to cooperate on work-related health and safety matters. They will also check that parents and carers and community groups are also health and safety aware.

 

1.3.9   Keep themselves up to date on relevant health, safety and wellbeing matters through governors’ professional development, advice from the Trust, and the setting’s competent person, the Principal/Head of school and the H&S Governors.

 

1.4      Recognise the requirement to engage and consult staff on Health, safety and Wellbeing matters which will be achieved by discussion through the setting’s safety committee, or other effective means.

 

1.5      Agree that one of our trustees is to be designated the “Health and Safety lead,” who will attend meetings of the safety committee and speak on HS&W matters. H&S lead trustee has a relationship with all of our Academies’ Local Governing Committees and will support and oversee the work of the lead HS&W governors of the LGCs.

 

1.6      Delegate authority for the development and implementation of this policy to the Principal/Head of school who will:

  • ensure that arrangements will be made to bring this policy to the notice of all employees (including new, temporary and part-time employees) at their academy.

  • The Principal/Head of school will also bring it to the attention of parents/carers, agency and other contract staff, contractors, volunteer helpers and the children so that they fulfil their duties to co-operate with this policy.

  • The Principal/Head of school will liaise with other agencies and groups using the site to ensure consistent health and safety outcomes.

 

1.7      Recognise their responsibility for monitoring HS&W performance, including auditing and will require the Principal/Head of school to present an annual report on Health and Safety, Wellbeing and related matters. This will include evidence of safety inspections carried out by representatives of the setting at least three times a year.

         

1.8      Seek to continually improve HS&W Policies, Procedures, Codes of Practice and Guidelines. Cross-cutting matters such as safeguarding and inclusion will be linked in so there are no policy gaps.

 

1.9      Review this policy on a regular basis to confirm that the arrangements are still appropriate. The review will take place whenever there are significant changes in the arrangements and not later than 24 months from the previous review date. This policy will be re-edited and re-issued within three months of the review date where this is deemed necessary

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