Health & Safety
At St Joseph's we take Health & Safety very seriously, it is a priority for all within the school and is managed on a daily basis by our School Business Manager - Faye Glover, supported by the Site Manager - Mrs Joe Lucas and our Health and safety Governor and overseen by the Headteacher.
We report on Health & Safety to our Health and Safety Governor and to the Board of Governors through our Finance and Premises Committee
The Health & Safety Team undertake termly site inspections and we undergo an annual Needs Assessment Audit by the West Berkshire Health & Safety Team.
Staff throughout the school receive training on many aspects of Health & Safety as is appropriate for thier role. These include, First Aid, Fire Safety, Food Hygiene, Working at Height, Manual Handling, Asbestos Management and COSHH to name a few.
"It was an absolute delight to see a school that has so positively embraced health and safety and have really embedded it well into the whole management system. There was some excellent practice noted in many areas and the staff who have worked so hard to achieve this should be highly commended for all their efforts. The school were very receptive to suggestions for improvements throughout our discussions and in fact completed a number of them before even receiving the report. Their commitment and dedication to the school and the health and safety of staff, pupils and visitors was very evident."
Senior Health and Safety Advisor, West Berkshire Council - April 2016
Health & Safety Needs Assessment 2022
The Schools Health and Safety Needs Assessment is designed to assess and measure levels of compliance with health and safety legislation and best practice. The associated action plan helps schools to prioritise improvement in their plan.
The audit is conducted using a process of objective evidence gathering including a review of safety management documentation, discussions with relevant managers and staff and a tour / inspection of the site. The audit helps:
- To provide a supportive and practical framework for the continual improvement of health and safety.
- To gather examples of best practice to share with similar schools to assist continual improvement.
- To measure the performance and effectiveness of schools safety management systems.
- To assist schools and West Berkshire Council meet their respective statutory duties to manage and monitor health and safety provision.
There are 20 questions each carrying a maximum of 4 marks giving a total maximum possible score of 80. Any question marked not applicable will reduce the total maximum score possible accordingly.
Benchmark |
Overall Score |
Description |
|
Outstanding |
92%+ |
Evidence that demonstrates outstanding management of health and safety. |
|
Good |
80% to 91% |
Evidence that demonstrates good management health & safety. |
|
Requires Improvement |
55% to 79% |
There is some evidence that indicates management of health & safety but improvement is required in many areas. |
|
Inadequate |
Up to 54% |
There is minimal evidence that health & safety is being managed to appropriate standards and urgent improvements are required. |
We can confirm that for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School the overall score achieved is OUTSTANDING. 85%