Freedom of Information Query

BattleCorp

I'm guessing that schools must have a COVID-19 risk assessment. Businesses must have them so I'm sure schools should risk assess it too.

If a school was unwilling to give a parent a copy of the COVID-19 risk assessment, does the Freedom Of Information Act apply? Could such a document be gotten from the school under that act?

GerardKeating

BattleCorp wrote: »

I'm guessing that schools must have a COVID-19 risk assessment. Businesses must have them so I'm sure schools should risk assess it too.

If a school was unwilling to give a parent a copy of the COVID-19 risk assessment, does the Freedom Of Information Act apply? Could such a document be gotten from the school under that act?

Maybe not directly from the school, but I would assume the Department has a copy, and you could do a FOI request against them.

But you won't get it before the schools are back next week, they have up to a month or more to comply.

Peregrinus

I wouldn't assume that the Department has a copy.

For one thing, it's going to depend on the relationship between the Department and the school. Are we talking about a national school here, or a fee-paying secondary school? Or something else?

BattleCorp

Peregrinus wrote: »

I wouldn't assume that the Department has a copy.

For one thing, it's going to depend on the relationship between the Department and the school. Are we talking about a national school here, or a fee-paying secondary school? Or something else?

I was only asking the question on behalf of someone else so I'm not 100% sure. I'm guessing it's not a fee-paying secondary school.

Peregrinus

I don't know if any schools shares its COVID risk assessment with the Department. The Dept might take the view that this is precisely the kind of management function that a board of management should be dealing with, and they don't want to get involved. But even if some schools do, it doesn't follow that every school does.

BattleCorp

Peregrinus wrote: »

I don't know if any schools shares its COVID risk assessment with the Department. The Dept might take the view that this is precisely the kind of management function that a board of management should be dealing with, and they don't want to get involved. But even if some schools do, it doesn't follow that every school does.

If that's the case, I'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of schools don't have a COVID-19 risk assessment as each school wouldn't have a health and safety professional available to carry out the risk assessment.

And given that schools are not only places of education, they are also workplaces so the school would be legally obliged to have risk assessments in place for all foreseeable hazards - such as COVID-19.

Peregrinus

Most workplaces don't have a "health and safety professional" available either. Presumably schools, like other workplaces, can hire such expertise as is required.