Written consent from parents is not required for pupils to take part in the majority of off-site activities organised by a school (with the exception of nursery age children), as most of these activities take place during school hours and are a normal part of a child’s education at school. However, parents should be told where their child will be at all times and of any extra safety measures required.
Written consent is usually only requested for activities that need a higher level of risk management or those that take place outside school hours. The Department has prepared a consent form which schools can ask parents to sign when a child enrols at the school. This will cover a child’s participation in any of these types of activities throughout their time at the school. These include adventure activities, off-site sporting fixtures outside the school day, residential visits and all off-site activities for nursery schools which take place at any time (including during school holidays or at the weekend). Parents must be told in advance of each activity and must be given the opportunity to withdraw their child from any particular school trip or activity covered by the form.
