At Hill View School, we believe that school trips and off-site activities are a valuable part of our learners' learning and development. They offer opportunities to enrich the curriculum, develop social skills, and provide memorable experiences outside the classroom. To ensure the safety and well-being of all our learners, we have a clear policy and procedures for planning and conducting all school trips.

A key part of this process involves parent carer consent and ensuring you are fully informed about the nature of the trips your child may participate in. We use standardised forms, often referred to as EV5 and EV6 forms, as part of our consent and information-gathering process.

Understanding Our Consent Forms

We utilise two main types of consent forms for school trips, in line with local authority guidance:

• EV6 Form: Consent for Regular, Local Activities

  • This form is typically used to gain your consent for your child to participate in a range of routine, local, and low-risk activities that often form part of the regular school curriculum or occur during the normal school day.
  • Once completed and returned, this form usually provides consent for the academic year for the types of activities listed below.
  • It also helps us ensure we have the most up-to-date medical and emergency contact information for your child for these activities.

• EV5 Form: Consent for Specific External Visits

  • This form is used for trips that are not covered by the EV6 blanket consent. These are usually trips that might:
    • Be of a longer duration or extend beyond the normal school day.
    • Take place further afield or overseas.
    • Involve adventurous activities.
    • Have a higher cost associated with them.
    • Be residential.
  • You will receive a specific EV5 form with detailed information for each of these types of trips, requiring your distinct consent for your child's participation.

Trips Typically Covered by an EV6 Form

The EV6 form at Hill View School generally covers consent for your child to participate in the following types of local and regular activities:

• Local Walks and Visits:
  • Educational walks in the immediate local area around the school.
  • Visits to local parks, places of worship, or community facilities relevant to curriculum studies.
  • Local environmental or fieldwork studies.
• Sporting Fixtures:
  • Participation in sports matches or tournaments held at other local schools within our county.
• Inter-School Activities:
  • Joint activities, workshops (e.g., Gifted & Talented, subject-specific workshops), or transition events with other local schools and colleges.
• Local Curriculum-Based Outings:
  • Visits to local museums, libraries, or theatres within the county for specific educational purposes, where these are short, low-risk, and part of planned curriculum work.

Please note: You will always be informed in advance, typically via a letter or email, before any specific outing covered by the EV6 consent takes place, even if individual renewed consent is not required for each one. This ensures you are aware of when your child will be off school premises.

Our Commitment to Safety

For all trips, whether covered by an EV6 or requiring a specific EV5 form, the school undertakes comprehensive planning and risk assessments. This includes:

• Ensuring appropriate adult-to-child ratios.
• Having trained first-aiders present.
• Arranging safe transportation.
• Assessing the suitability of the venue and activities.
• Briefing students on safety expectations.

Our Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC), Nick Benbow, oversees all off-site visits to ensure they meet our safety standards and local authority guidelines.

Access EV5 and EV6 Forms

To ensure your child can participate in these valuable experiences, please find links to our current consent forms below. Please complete and return these to the school office as requested.

• [Link to school's EV6 Form PDF/Download Page] - Our EV6 Form for Regular, Local Activities
• [Link to school's EV5 Form PDF/Download Page] - Information on our EV5 Form for Specific External Visits

If you have any questions regarding our school trips policy or any specific upcoming visit, please do not hesitate to contact the school office or your child’s class teacher.