Work experience placements in school: guidance and risk assessments

Get guidance on the things you need to consider as a placement provider. Plus, see an example risk assessment from a school.

Last reviewed on 7 July 2023
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 5643
Contents
  1. Work experience students count as your employees under health and safety law
  2. Check if you can use your existing risk assessment
  3. Discuss the placement with organisers and parents beforehand
  4. Make sure to also assess any risks to your own pupils
  5. See an example risk assessment

Work experience students count as your employees under health and safety law

This means you have the same responsibilities for their health, safety and welfare as you do for your usual staff. 

Check if you can use your existing risk assessment

If you've had work experience students in the last few years, you should have a risk assessment in place already.

You can use this same risk assessment if the new student has:

  • A similar level of maturity and understanding (see the section below on how to determine this)
  • No particular or additional needs

If the above is not the case, or your school has had significant changes since, you may need to adapt your existing risk assessment, or create a new one.

Discuss the placement with organisers and parents beforehand

Physical and psychological capacity Any particular needs – for example, due