Welcome to the Suffolk Schools’ Safety, Health and Wellbeing pages.
On these pages you will find information for schools’ health and safety, and also, very importantly, on wellbeing. All the links in the menu go to a specific topic page and you will hopefully find relevant information for your needs. If you have any ideas or thoughts about these webpages, please contact:
Antonina (Nina) Bickerton – CYP and Suffolk (maintained) Schools’ Safety, Health and Wellbeing Advisor, Suffolk County Council: Email: [email protected].
Please see our Safety, Health and Wellbeing Privacy Notice.
Latest News
July 2026: Allergy safety in schools – new DfE guidance was published on 6 July 2026.
This is an important reminder that from September 2026 the Department for Education’s ‘Allergy safety in schools’ statutory guidance will be in operation.
LA settings will be surveyed in the autumn term to check compliance and more information will follow on this.
To precis: lifesaving allergy pens MUST be stocked by schools, provision for all staff training in allergy awareness MUST be given, and every school MUST have a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans which record specific arrangements for individuals, for instance an allergy management plan. Schools can choose their own provider for the training, but the content must cover the requirements of the DfE (information in the link above).
CLEAPSS resources will help you manage allergies across your science and D&T departments. Links cannot be provided here, but if your school has CLEAPSS membership, search for the reference number or name of the document and you will be able to download it. A list of those documents can be found on the CLEAPSS and CoSHH page and also the Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions page.
July 2026:
Safety alert for ‘Squishy Dumpling Toys’. This safety alert is designed to notify all schools, EY providers and parents of a product recall involving these toys which do not meet the requirements of the Toys (Safety) regulations 2011.
It is very important that this is read and actioned by all relevant settings. Thank you.
June 2026:
General fire precaution responsibilities – New document June 2026 – PLEASE READ. This isn’t new information, this is merely a reminder of all the requirements in schools, regarding fire precautions and the need for evacuation drills. Please also see the Fire Safety Information page for further detail.
June and July 2026
Red heat alert for the East of England – Important SHaW and safeguarding guidance below:
Please could all schools fill out this DfE survey regarding school closures (partial / early or full) due to the hot weather during the period of 23 – 26 June 2026.
As we are now in the summer months, please be aware of the effect of the hot weather on children and vulnerable people.
Two new documents called ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Children during heatwaves and early school closures’ and ‘Heatwave Advice’ can also be found on the page ‘Weather – staying safe in the heat and the cold’.
There is a new ‘hot weather checklist’ available for use by any educational setting, and further advice via the Government advice HERE.
Weather alerts across England can be found on the UKSHA dashboard and also via The Met Office.
Updated DfE advice can be found on the Education Hub page.
Product recall – Toys and craft packages containing play sand (14 May 2026)
There has been contact this week from schools and CYP settings, concerning articles from the BBC and the NAHT regarding products containing suspected asbestos.
SHaW colleagues in the East of England have advised the articles’ approaches are very precautionary for what is still a low risk and goes beyond the scope of acting on specific product recalls. Currently (14 May 2026) there is no clear, published national guidance from DfE, UKHSA, or OPSS that explicitly says all play sand must be treated as potentially contaminated regardless of supplier. What has been published is a precautionary interpretation, not a directly attributable instruction.
Some specific products have been recalled (coloured craft sands, sand filled toys etc) and they span a number of suppliers / products. We believe it’s reasonable to act on confirmed product recalls and formal advice which are evidence based rather than apply blanket restrictions on all play sand.
Please read the attached article as a matter of priority, and contact Nina Bickerton, SHaW Advisor for Schools and CYP as required.
NEW GUIDANCE – LOCK DOWNS, INVACUTATION AND EVACUATION:
The SCC LA Maintained Schools’ ‘Critical Incident – policy and procedure guidance’ document has now been completed. Schools will be able to use this document to form their own procedures, processes and policy. The document is entirely sourced from Government, HSE, and National Counter-Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) guidance. The Martyn’s Law documents on the Critical Incident page will also help. Further advice can be sought from your SHaW Advisor.
HOBBYCRAFT PRODUCT RECALL – URGENT:
Hobbycraft’s product called ‘Giant Box of Craft’ has been recalled. Stop using the product IMMEDIATELY, please. The vials of sand within the craft box may be contaminated with asbestos – testing to date has revealed there is ‘Trace Asbestos Detected’ in some of the samples. Clear instructions on how to dispose of the vials are in the article, which has a customer services phone number if more details are needed.
NEW GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOLS PREMISES MANAGEMENT: Please go to the Premises Management page for two new documents which clearly explain the processes of ‘who does what and when’ with regards to the maintenance of school premises. Premises Responsible Persons (PRPs) at every school will find these clearly laid out documents very useful.
ADVICE FOR SCHOOLS ON COPING WITH SEVERE WEATHER – an updated process for schools who are reporting closures – please read the letter from Schools’ Infrastructure. There is more information on this topic on the page called ‘Weather – staying safe in the heat and the cold’ (see the menu at the right).
SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL’S PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH TEAM have published a newsletter regarding suicide prevention. Whilst this has been written for Christmas time, which can be a challenging period of the year for many, there are some excellent resources for use throughout the year. Within this newsletter is a range of FREE training resources designed to equip you with the confidence to recognise the signs that someone is struggling, and to have a conversation that really matters. PLEASE take some time to read it, and to share it with your colleagues. Thank you.
NEW RISK ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTS – NEW AND EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Please navigate to the ‘Risk Assessment’ page (see the menu – right) for a new guidance document and new blank template – November 2025.
PREMISES RESPONSIBLE PERSON TRAINING: All new Headteachers and relevant Governors should book this training as soon as possible. It is free for LA Maintained Schools. Please go to the Vertas training web page for more details. If you have resident caretakers (i.e., employed directly by the school) it’s excellent training for them too alongside those Heads whose training was more than three years ago.
DRIVING FOR WORK: Important information for all schools regarding driving for work, specifically carrying pupils / students in personal staff cars for work purposes. Please read the updated guidance on the Minibus Safety and Driving for Work page. Any queries, contact [email protected]
