Amanda Spielman slams health and safety culture in schools

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, the Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman has criticised the current health and safety culture in schools.

Spielman claims over cautious practices can be harmful, and prevent children being given the chance to develop “resilience and grit”.

Offset’s Chief Inspector said she looks forward to seeing more children on school trips after September, and spoke of new training to which will ask inspectors to focus on what schools are doing to identify children potentially at risk of real harm.

Spielman wrote in the Telegraph: “My message to schools is this: keeping children safe from harm should always be your overriding concern, but in doing so, make sure you distinguish between real and imagined risk.”

”Trying to insulate your pupils from every bump, germ or bruise won't just drive you to distraction, it will short-change those pupils as well – limiting their opportunity to fully take advantage of the freedom of childhood, and to explore the world around them.“