Schools invest significant time and resources into making sure staff complete mandatory training programmes, yet the true measure of success is whether that learning influences behaviour, improves competence and reduces risk.
The question every school should ask is: are we delivering training that genuinely protects people, or are we simply ticking a box?
Here we are applying the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT approach, to support you in building a positive and proactive training safety culture.
This white paper outlines:
- Plan - For effective training to keep your colleagues and pupils safe
- Do - Decide on the best method of delivery
- Do - Demonstrate competence
- Do - Keep the training records and retain them
- Check - How do you know that your health and safety training is effective?
- Act - Change up your training package to make sure people are engaged and stay up to date with legislative requirements
- In summary
1. PLAN - For effective training to keep your colleagues and pupils safe
It is commonplace and correct to see health and safety training referred to in your health and safety policy.
From our experience, we see well developed health and safety training programmes, based on inputs from risk assessments, as well as needs being identified from the entire health and safety management system.
We also see health and safety training programmes that come together by accident, and that often rely on someone remembering that training is needed.
Less frequently, luckily, we see health and safety training not approached in a formal way at all, unlike safeguarding training.
2. DO - Decide on the best method of delivery
Logistically in a school environment it is fully appreciated that online health and safety training works well as it gives good coverage in the delivery of training.
This way competency can also be assessed and records centrally kept. Online health and safety training modules have also advanced in recent years and provide a wealth of information. But do your safety results show that this method of delivery is always effective? Do you need to mix it up?
Plan accordingly to make sure that your face-to-face safety training can have the biggest impact and be most memorable.
The use of external providers can also bring a fresh means of delivery and make a great impact on the safety culture.
4. Do - Keep the training records and retain them
Without training records how can you provide evidence that training was provided?
Sometimes at Assurity Consulting we are asked if we have a certificate for someone’s training that we have delivered. You may require quick access to these records due to a claim being submitted, as part of an audit or because an employee wants to obtain evidence of the training they have attended. That single training certificate is so valuable to demonstrate that you did deliver training.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (section 7), the employee has their own duty to adhere to the training you provide.
It’s also useful to keep a record of the training content too, as this too can be invaluable information.
5. CHECK - How do you know that your health and safety training is effective?
The purpose of training is more than doing an online session and ticking a box to say that’s done. There is a moral purpose to delivering the training and therefore it must be effective.
As auditors we will sometimes ask, “have you done work at height training”, “have you done risk assessment training?”. People often struggle to recall and remember the training, which is potentially a concern;
- Is this because it was done online in a raft of other modules and therefore the learning has not been kept in the learner’s mind?
- Has there been so much online training that, even though there is a competency assessment, the learner simply cannot remember the training?
Receiving feedback on the effectiveness of the training through surveys or audit results can tell you a lot about how well the training is received, how well it is understood and how engaged your staff are with the process.
6. ACT - Change up your training package to make sure people are engaged and stay up to date with legislative requirements
What does continuous improvement look like for your health and safety training programme?
Training should be reflective of new legislation, the need for change should be discovered through methods of ‘checking’ and training needs to remain relevant. Questions to consider to test the need for improvement may be:
- Has there been a near miss or accident that shows refresher training is needed on a certain process?
- Has there been an audit that shows your risk assessment training is not effective?
- Has there been a key change in legislation that requires you to put in place additional training?
A good recent example that can be used to test this theory is the requirement for schools to provide comprehensive allergy training, at least annually, to ALL staff as of September 2026.
ALL staff refers to permanent staff, temporary staff, supply teachers, peripatetic staff, agency workers and regular volunteers. It includes catering staff and others who may oversee children and young people at breakfast or after school clubs, but the guidance is not intended to include contractors carrying out work with no pupil-facing role.
The Government formally passed Bendict’s Law in February 2026, it outlines new requirements in allergy management safety which will impact on your current processes and training needs.
7. In summary
Effective health and safety training is about much more than meeting statutory requirements or maintaining a training matrix. It should equip staff with the knowledge, confidence and competence to work safely and respond appropriately when risks arise.
By carefully planning training needs, delivering engaging and memorable learning experiences, by checking understanding and effectiveness, and continually reviewing and improving the training programme, schools can make sure that their training has a lasting impact.
