Lesson planner · classroom toolsIndividual Pupil Risk Assessment
Plan how one pupil will take part safely in a trip or activity: medical needs, mobility, anxiety or behaviour, and personal care. Use initials or "Pupil A" only, and attach it to the trip risk assessment.
Starting points – Check every row against your school's policy and the venue's own risk assessment, and add what is specific to your group.
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This supports, but does not replace, your school's or employer's policy. The visit leader, EVC or head teacher must check and approve it.
When to write one
Write an individual pupil risk assessment when a pupil needs something different from the rest of the group to take part safely: a severe allergy, epilepsy or diabetes, a wheelchair or mobility need, anxiety in new places, or a behaviour support plan. The aim is to include the pupil, not to find reasons to leave them behind. DfE's statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions expects schools to plan so these pupils can take part in visits, making adjustments where they can.
How to write it
- Talk to the parent or carer first, and the SENCo or school nurse. They know what works.
- Start from the plans the pupil already has: the individual healthcare plan, EHCP or support plan. Refer to them; don't copy medical details into this form.
- Walk through the day for this pupil: travel, toilets, lunch, noise, crowds, the activity itself.
- Name the adult (by role) who carries medicines and the plan, and who the pupil will go to.
- Share it only with the adults who need it, and attach it to the trip assessment.
Before
- Meet the family and SENCo or nurse
- Check the venue's access and quiet spaces
- Prepare the pupil: photos, a social story, the timetable
On the day
- Named adult with medicines and plan
- Check in at each transition
Afterwards
- Feed back to the family
- Update the plan
Keep pupils' details out of it
Write "Pupil A" or initials, and say where the confidential plan is kept ("held by the visit leader"). Names, medical details and contact numbers belong in the school's own system, not in a risk assessment that gets printed, emailed and left on a coach seat. Everything you type here stays in this browser.
Sources and further reading
- DfE: Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions
- DfE: Health and safety on educational visits
- OEAP National Guidance (oeapng.info)
We link to these so you can read the original guidance; we haven't copied it. Check for updates, and follow your school's or local authority's own policy where it says more.
Questions teachers ask
What is an individual pupil risk assessment?
A short plan for one pupil who needs extra support to take part in a trip or activity safely, such as for a medical condition, mobility need or behaviour. It sits alongside the main risk assessment.
Can I write the pupil's name on it?
Use initials or "Pupil A" on anything you print or share widely, and keep the full details in the school's confidential system. This maker stays in your browser, but printed copies travel.
Can a school stop a pupil going on a trip because of a medical condition?
DfE guidance expects schools to make arrangements so pupils with medical conditions can take part unless evidence from a clinician says it isn't possible. Talk to your SENCo and head if you're unsure.