Safety Management System

We are committed to ensuring that our tours comply with the latest DfES guidelines that relate to Heath and Safety on educational visits. These guidelines state:

• Your LEA or governing body should advise you to ask tour operators for a copy of their Safety Management System.
  
• A Safety Management System should clearly set out how a tour operator manages safety for the component parts of the visit that they will be providing. In particular, all tour operators should be able to show that they have carried out full safety checks on both hotels and transport.
  
• As a tour operator, we can provide details of independent checks made by qualified external organisations on our Safety Management System.

These guidelines also explain that teachers taking trips abroad have a duty of care to follow the advice of their LEA or governing body and that Head Teachers should ensure that tour operators used by their school have had their credentials and accreditations verified. 

In response to these guidelines, Anglia Battlefield Tours Ltd has developed a rigorous and robust Safety Management System. Modelled on the Schools Travel Forum standards, this documentation is available to schools and LEAs upon request.

Our Safety Management System is helping to improve the safety standards on school tours. Our policy of giving a formal evening presentation to students, their parents and teaching staff before each residential tour goes out is a great source of reassurance to both parents and teachers alike. Very few tour operators do this, in spite of the fact that it is a specific recommendation of the DfES guidelines.

What does our Safety Management System encompass?

Coach Operators - all coaches we use are subject to regular inspections, not only for their documentation but also for their safety features. Drivers are also checked for their driving experience, evidence of a criminal record and empathy with young people. 

Accommodation - all the accommodation we use will comply with EU and/or local safety regulations. Local regulations in various Europeans countries do differ. As a result, the Directors have personally visited all the core accommodation units used by Anglia and run a rolling programme of visits by senior guides of all other accommodation.

Presentation Evening - a formal presentation evening is offered for all of our residential tours. A large element of these presentations focuses on the safety aspect of the tour, and is part of the hallmark of Anglia Battlefield Tours Ltd.

Emergency Procedures and 24-hour Emergency Assistance - Anglia Battlefield Tours Ltd is the only schools tours operator who, as a matter of course, puts guides on all of its tours. In an emergency they are the first point of contact. All guides are provided with a comprehensive document detailing company policies for dealing with emergencies and incidents. They are supported, in turn, by a Duty Officer, who is available 24 hours a day on a mobile number issued to the lead teacher. In the unlikely event of a major emergency an Incident Room would be set up at the ABT offices and manned to give fast, efficient and coordinated responses. 

Our Safety Management System is tried, tested and robust. It has been externally verified by a suitably qualified independent Health and Safety professional and will continue to be verified on an annual basis.