This essay will provide knowledge and understanding of supporting children and young people 's health and safety. In my placement there are many policies regarding health and safety when working with children. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Act 1999 and The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 require all schools to have policies and procedures to ensure the safety of staff and children. If the policies and procedures are not in place then it is a crime. A fine can be set and in some cases an arrest can be made when an employer has suffered damages caused by failure to set the correct policies and procedures.
In my setting there is a few ways that health and safety is monitored and maintained. One is the common Fire Drill. During a Fire Drill all pupils and members of staff should stop everything they are doing, at the sound of the alarm. Teacher/LSA 's should collect the register quickly before getting the children to line up sensibly and quietly. The adult should then escort the children to the assigned safety area, for example, the playground. This is where you should take the register to make sure every child marked in, for that day, is present. Everyone should remain quiet and still, until given the all clear to re-enter the building. The Fire Drill policy is made clear to anyone who enters the school building, as there are posters placed all over the school and more importantly there is a copy, of the poster, in every classroom. In the lower areas of the school the poster is placed lower down on the wall so the children are at eye level with it, enabling them to see it clearly. The children are made aware of the policy every term when they have a practise run of the Fire Drill. Also their allocated teacher will talk them through is at the beginning of every year as well as pointing out the poster, letting them know where it is.
Another way that health and safety is monitored, is
Bibliography: Kamen. T (2003) Teaching Assistant 's Handbook London: Hodder & Stoughton Kamen. T (2012) Teaching Assistant 's Handbook Level 2: Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools London: Hodder Education