Determine ratios based on your risk assessment
Specific staff ratios for school trips and visits aren't prescribed in law.
Instead, you need to carry out an appropriate risk assessment for the trip, and determine your staffing needs based on that. See our examples of school trip risk assessments for more support.
Decide the number of adults you need depending on:
- The nature of the outing and the activities
- The age and maturity of your pupils
This includes trips overseas.
See the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) guidance and mythbuster on school trips to help complete your risk assessment.
The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP) outlines factors to consider and a framework to assess the staffing requirements of your trip – you can use this to help guide you if you're unsure.
There are separate rules for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), as outlined in section 3 of this article.
If you decide that you need