Issue - meetings

          The Board considered the performance of health safety management within the Authority for 1st April 2025 to 31st August 2025. This included the proposed recommendations because of the accident analysis data for the first half of 2025 from 1st April and will be actioned during the period 2025/26. The risk assessments remained the same and work was being done to ‘tie up’ the system. They had the first set of data for lone working, but this could not be compared until 2026. There had been a decrease in incidents in workplaces but increase in the 43 primary schools that reported to the Council. 15 incidents came from one school from two pupils with SENs. Support is given to school staff when these incidents happen and offer additional support when required.

          The following additional information was provided in response to Member’s questions:

• It was confirmed that academies do not report incidents to the Council, and these incidents would only be known if academies shared this information.
• The Board expressed that Academies should provide statistics for incidents that occurred in their schools. Officers agreed to see if they could obtain these statistics through the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
• Ofsted guidance emphasised that schools should collaborate with the local community.
• It was noted that officers had written to academies before asking them to share their incident statistics. 
• Officers agreed to see if this issue was unique to Halton.
• A Board Member noted that if a child was violent in school, then they could become violent in the community, and this would become a Council issue.
• Officers agreed to liaise with the Director of Education on this to see if Ofsted would need to be involved.

          RESOLVED: That the report be noted.