The Risk Management Toolkit
Being aware of risks and managing them appropriately is the key to good business and resource management in schools. The DCSF is working with local authorities (LAs), insurers and other stakeholders to help schools manage their risks more effectively and reduce the number of school incidents.
The true cost of incidents in schools, be they theft, vandalism or fire, goes well beyond financial costs. Serious disruption means considerable costs to the school in human terms: classrooms may be damaged; loss of equipment can lead to serious problems in delivery of the curriculum; pupils may feel threatened by intruders; and in the event of a serious fire, children, staff and the whole community may be affected if the school has to close. Good risk management (RM) will help reduce the chances of such incidents happening. This will also make schools more attractive to insurers so that in the longer term they will benefit from lower insurance premiums.
Our RM strategy includes the development of a diagnostic risk-ranking tool that will allow LAs to assess all areas and levels of insurable risk in their schools. Using risk-ranking data, authorities can work towards implementing weighted or discounted premiums as a financial incentive for schools to effectively manage their risks. These two elements of the strategy are complemented by an RM toolkit: a web-based access point for schools to find advice on RM and help them improve their risk ranking. There are significant benefits for both LAs and schools.
The RM Toolkit is a new national website to provide schools with practical guidance, tools and templates to address the areas of risk identified in the risk ranking. Positioned as the primary access point to RM content for schools, this will help drive awareness of RM at a school level and provide 'best practice' consistent approaches for handling both property and liability risks. It will help build capability and sustainable RM solutions for the future.
The toolkit is currently being user-acceptance tested with a view to going live in early 2008. Visit the Risk Management Toolkit website for:
- a toolkit and recommendations for action that schools can use to improve chosen elements of their risk-ranking survey
- inks to other RM sites
- local advice and information
- links to generic RM information, such as health and safety
- information on liability issues.
It will enable teachers to:
- focus on core activities rather then spend time searching for information
- raise awareness of risk and promote what can best be done to manage it
- encourage and facilitate knowledge-sharing.
There are two areas, one for national and one for local information.
