What Are You Risking When It Comes to Activities Outside the Classroom?
- David Gregory
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Many school programs now run outside the classroom, and the skills required to lead them safely are very different from those needed inside.
On the one hand, we have a highly structured and controlled environment with clear and consistent parameters around the nature of classroom activities and definitive timeframes on how long a teacher is responsible for the students and those activities. If something goes wrong, you can easily get help. Teachers are well trained and prepared for the classroom environment.
Outside the classroom, however, it is dramatically different. It’s a highly dynamic and often uncontrolled environment without clear and consistent parameters. Activities can vary dramatically in length and nature. The type of supervision required and the skills and experience needed to conduct these activities is dramatically different.
The Complexities of Offsite Activities
When you’re dealing with students, staff, transport, activities, airports, foreign cultures, laws, medical concerns, mental health issues, disparate activities, remote operations and communications, there is no shortage of complex considerations which need to be made in relation to the planning for and management of risk.
Strong operational support ensures that logistics, communications, compliance, insurance and staffing ratios are all managed. HR input, safeguarding protocols, and legal oversight are critical to making sure every activity is safe, well staffed, and fully covered.
These challenges go far beyond teaching. The level of real risk in offsite activities and the potential liability for school leaders can be significant.
When I was a head of school, this was something I was well aware of, not only due to my background, training and experience in outdoor education but added to this the first school I ever worked at had had a fatality just prior to my starting, after which safety was at the forefront of everything we did.
Lessons From Tragedy
Working in a fractured organisation and a community in crisis shaped the way I think about risk management.
That was over twenty years ago. Unfortunately, I’ve seen the contributing factors which led to the tragic death of that boy in 2000 occur again and again, mainly due to the disconnect between the reality of the skills and experience of classroom teachers versus the skills and mindset needed for unstructured environments.
It can be the case that schools only focus on safety, and put training in place, after they’ve had a significant incident, injury, or even a fatality. When looking at the tragic outcomes of these situations and the subsequent evidence presented in court, they are often easily preventable incidents if only the teachers had training and experience outside the classroom.
The Expanding Role of Teachers
Nobody is ‘just a classroom teacher’ anymore. The more our school programs venture out into the real world, the more important it is to have teachers with risk management understanding and skills. Every time our teachers leave the school gates with a group, they’re responsible for the safety and well-being of that group.
With the sheer volume of co-curricular programs, excursions, activities, and overseas trips now part of school life, it’s more important than ever for teachers to have the skills and experience to lead outside the classroom.
HR plays a pivotal role in ensuring training, professional development, and appraisal systems equip teachers not only for classroom delivery but also for risk management and supervision in less structured environments. The fix for many schools is simple - ensure HR is aware of this and keeps effective briefings in this area on the annual PD agenda.
The Cost of Ignoring the Skills Gap
Countless incidents and coronial inquests show that teachers often lack the skills to safely run or supervise activities outside the classroom.
There’s also often a gap between what schools are insured for and the activities they run. Undisclosed or unchecked activities could leave a school uncovered in the event of an incident. Finance and operations teams need an eye on this topic.
If this skills gap isn’t addressed, it becomes a serious risk for students, schools, and leadership. Beyond the impact on students, cases like these can take years in court, creating immense stress for leaders, staff, and families - with costs far beyond time alone. These are the issues that can sink schools and ruin careers.
Building Safer, Stronger Programs
As an educator, activities outside the classroom have always been a huge part of my work and the benefits to a student’s overall educational experience can be phenomenal.
Very few in education would want to see these programs cut or cancelled because they’re seen as “too risky.”
If staff lack training in risk management, then yes, the activities are too risky. But with targeted training and support, that risk changes dramatically. Properly prepared staff can deliver unforgettable experiences that are safe, enriching, and memorable for all the right reasons.