Safety and Security

Our safety management– your peace of mind
Safe trips will always be our absolute priority. Our effective Safety
Management System was developed in conjunction with RoSPA
(the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) and covers all
of the key aspects of organising a school trip. Click here to download a
copy of our Safety Management system. We also monitor our suppliers’
standards and expect them to share the same safety ethos as us.

We are justifiably proud of our safety record and satisfaction ratings.
Our Safety Management System covers the key aspects of organising a school trip, including:

- Safety audits of accommodation
- Safety audits of coaches and regulation of drivers’ hours
- 24 hour emergency assistance available during your trip
- Comprehensive travel insurance
- Financial security through ABTA and ATOL
- Adherence to HASPEV guidelines
- Organised inspection visits (please ask for details)

1. Where you Stay
We only use accommodation specially suited to schools and groups;
providing a perfect base for enjoying your tour. We select accommodation
that we can rely on to provide you with excellent service, and to always
make you especially welcome. We have used much of the accommodation
in this brochure for many years, and all our hotels are regularly inspected
by a senior member of staff to ensure that they adhere to the
School Travel Forum (STF) standards as a minimum.

2. School Travel Forum
Encounters Europe is a founding member of the School Travel Forum, a
major new initiative helping schools meet their obligations. The School
Travel Forum is a group of leading school tour operators who promote good
practice and safety in school travel.

As an assured member of the STF, we adhere to a rigorous Code of Practice
and Safety Management Standards that are externally verified each year by
independent Health and Safety professionals.

During the course of developing the STF Code of Practice, and in addition to
liaising with the DfES (now the DCSF), advice has been sought from all leading educational
Unions and Associations. The STF initiative has the support of the SHA,
NAHT, ATL, PAT and the NUT. The NASUWT advises members wishing
to organise school trips to use companies that have this type of scheme.

3. DfES Safety Guidelines
We comply fully with the DfES guide "Health and Safety of Pupils on
Educational Visits 1998" and the appendices added in 2002.

4. Inspection Visits
We encourage teachers to take advantage of our inspection trips and
DfES guidelines strongly recommend that they do just that. Inspection
visits help Party Leaders to properly risk assess the supervision
aspects of the trip by familiarising themselves with location,
accommodation, etc. However, we can normally provide you with all the necessary information if you find the preliminary visit non-essential.

5. Your Complete Financial Security
Encounters Europe is a fully licensed and bonded tour operator.
You can book with us in complete confidence that the money you
pay is fully protected. For coaching holidays we comply with the
bonding requirements of the Association of British Travel Agents.
The air holidays and flights we offer are protected by Civil
Aviation Authority regulations.