3.5 Parental Consent for Visits

Overview

Parental consent helps ensure that families understand and support their child’s participation in visits. It supports safeguarding, allows schools to gather and share relevant information, and ensures parents can make informed decisions when needed.

Not all visits require formal written consent, but clear communication with parents is always important.

When Consent Is Required

Written parental consent is required in the following situations:

Nursery-age children

Consent is required for all off-site visits.

Visits outside the normal school day

For pupils above nursery age, activities outside school hours require written consent.

Higher-risk activities

Adventurous activities or visits to hazardous environments require specific consent.

Overseas visits

Consent from all those with parental responsibility must be obtained.

Non-curriculum activities

Activities that are not part of the National Curriculum, public examination syllabus, or religious education.

Emergency medical treatment

Consent may be needed for urgent treatment (such as anaesthetics or blood transfusions) if parents cannot be contacted.

Data sharing or media use

When personal information must be shared with third-party providers or when photographs or videos may be used.

When Consent Is Not Normally Required

Formal consent is usually not required for:

• Visits that take place during normal school hours
• Activities that form part of the standard curriculum

The exception is nursery settings, where consent is required for all visits.

Parents cannot normally withdraw their child from curriculum activities, except in specific areas such as religious education or sex education.

Even where consent is not legally required, informing parents about visits is good practice. It builds trust, reassures families, supports planning and helps prevent misunderstandings.

Good Practice for Visit Leaders

When seeking consent, ensure that it is specific, informed, unambiguous and freely given.

You should:

• Provide clear information about the activity, supervision and potential risks
• Share relevant details about timings, travel arrangements and location
• Obtain up-to-date medical information
• Avoid introducing significant activities that differ from what parents agreed to
• Confirm consent where photographs or video recordings may be used

Key Point

Most educational visits are part of normal school learning and require only routine communication with parents. Specific written consent is typically needed only for nursery children, higher-risk activities, overseas visits, non-curriculum activities, or medical and safeguarding purposes.