Curriculum Area Risk Assessments

Info

Status: pending-signoff · Version: 05.26 · Last reviewed: 2026-05-21 · Next review: 2027-05-21 Owner: Head of Curriculum · Approved by: Proprietor + Governing Body

1. Purpose

This document supplements The Haven’s Risk Assessment Policy by setting out the subject-specific and curriculum-area risk assessment summaries that apply to our online provision. It identifies the hazards specific to each delivery area, who is at risk and how, and the control measures in place.

This document is a summary. Detailed live risk assessments for each subject are maintained by the curriculum lead and are reviewed termly. Subject-level risk assessments are available on request.

2. The shape of risk in an online provision

Curriculum risk for The Haven differs significantly from risk in a building-based school. There are no laboratories, kilns, gymnasiums or workshops. The hazards that matter to us are different and include:

• Distress in response to sensitive content (in literature, RSHE, drugs and alcohol education, current affairs).
• Online safety in research, references and links.
• Screen fatigue and eye strain.
• Disclosure of safeguarding concerns prompted by content.
• Parasocial dynamics and one-to-one mentoring boundaries.
• Misinterpretation of body language and tone in text-based or audio-only interaction.
• Differential impact of content on neurodivergent learners, including triggering of intrusive thoughts, demand response, or sensory overload. Our subject-level risk assessments respond to these realities, not to template hazards drawn from physical-site provision.

3. Cross-curriculum control measures

The following control measures apply across all subjects and curriculum areas:

• Many of our educators bring lived experience of neurodivergence, with lived insight into how content may land.
• Curriculum content is reviewed for sensitivity and trigger potential before delivery.
• Sessions are paced to allow processing time; demand level is adjusted in real time.
• Learners may step away, switch off camera/microphone, or contribute by chat only, at any time.
• Educators are trained to recognise distress and to respond without escalation.
• Safeguarding concerns arising in any subject are routed immediately to the DSL.
• Filtering and monitoring apply to any links or resources shared.
• Lesson recordings allow learners to revisit content at their own pace.
• Screen breaks are built into session design.

4. Subject-level risk assessment summaries

5. In-person activities (meet-ups and days out)

Where The Haven runs in-person activities, a separate event-specific risk assessment is produced under the Off-Site Visits Policy and the Trips and Visits Policy. The risk profile of in-person activities is different from online delivery and is assessed in its own right.

6. Process for new content

Before introducing significant new curriculum content, the curriculum lead and educator review the content for risk and update the relevant subject-level risk assessment. Where content covers significantly sensitive material, the DSL is consulted before introduction.

7. Roles and responsibilities

• Head: Owns this document and approves significant changes.
• Curriculum lead: Maintains subject-level risk assessments; reviews termly.
• Educators: Apply control measures in delivery; notice and report concerns.
• DSL: Receives safeguarding concerns arising from any subject area.
• Mentor: Holds the whole-learner view across subjects.

8. Related documents

• Risk Assessment Policy
• Teaching and Learning Policy
• Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
• Online Safety Policy
• RSHE Policy
• Drugs and Alcohol Policy
• Mental Health and Well-being Policy
• Off-Site Visits and Trips and Visits policies
• Examinations Policy

9. Review

This document is reviewed annually by the Head in consultation with the curriculum lead, and approved by the Board of Governors. Subject-level assessments are reviewed termly by the curriculum lead.

Document version	1.0
Date issued	May 2026
Next review	May 2027
Document owner	Head
Approved by	Board of Governors

English and English Literature	English and English Literature	English and English Literature
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Distressing content in set texts	Learners encountering themes of bereavement, abuse, suicide, eating difficulties, racism, sexual content in studied texts.	Pre-warning of sensitive content; choice of comparison text where possible; permission to disengage; educator availability for follow-up conversation; DSL notified where disclosure arises.
Disclosure prompted by reflective writing tasks	Learners using personal writing to disclose safeguarding concerns.	Educators trained to recognise; routing to DSL; learner not pressured to share publicly; writing held confidentially where appropriate.
Online research in support of essay tasks	Exposure to harmful content while researching.	Curated resource lists; filtering; in-platform research tools; educator-mediated research for younger or more vulnerable learners.
Mathematics	Mathematics	Mathematics
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Mathematics anxiety	Learners with prior negative experiences of maths education becoming distressed.	Identity-first framing; recognition that maths anxiety is real and not a measure of capability; low-demand entry; multi-modal presentation; permission to take time.
Cognitive overload	Pace and demand exceeding learner’s current capacity.	Differentiated tasks; worked examples; permission to pause; educator-led pacing checks; lesson recordings for revisit.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths)	STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths)	STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths)
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Practical activity at home without supervision	Learners conducting experiments or making activities at home without appropriate supervision.	Activity design avoids hazardous materials and equipment; clear safety briefings before any practical; family informed in advance; alternatives provided where home environment is not suitable.
Use of household items in practical work	Misuse of household materials leading to injury.	Activities use only safe, age-appropriate materials; explicit guidance to families; no use of heat, sharps, chemicals or electricity beyond what is age-appropriate.
Digital fatigue from screen-heavy STEAM content	Eye strain, headache, sensory overload from intensive visual material.	Sessions structured with breaks; visual load managed in slides and demonstrations; offline tasks balanced with screen tasks.
PSHE and RSHE	PSHE and RSHE	PSHE and RSHE
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Distress at sensitive topics	Content on relationships, sex, mental health, family conflict, abuse, identity, drugs and alcohol prompting distress.	Content warning at start of every session; permission to skip; opt-out structures agreed with families in advance; trauma-informed pacing; educator and mentor available for follow-up.
Disclosure prompted by content	Learners disclosing abuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, eating difficulties, peer-on-peer abuse.	Educators trained to recognise and respond; routing to DSL; safe environment for private follow-up; learner not pressured to disclose publicly.
Identity-related content for LGBTQ+ learners	Learners encountering hostile or invalidating material about their identity, or fear of family response to disclosure.	Curriculum framing is inclusive; identity is affirmed; learners not outed; family communication handled with care.
Drugs and Alcohol Education	Drugs and Alcohol Education	Drugs and Alcohol Education
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Disclosure of own or family substance use	Learners disclosing substance use, parental substance use, or coercion.	Educators trained to recognise; routing to DSL; safeguarding response prioritised; partnership with family where appropriate; statutory referral where indicated.
Sensitisation of vulnerable learners	Content increasing the salience of substances for learners at risk.	Content is harm-reduction framed rather than fear-based; informed by current evidence; learner profile considered in delivery.
Mentoring and 1:1 sessions	Mentoring and 1:1 sessions	Mentoring and 1:1 sessions
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Parasocial dynamics	Learners becoming intensely attached to a single educator in ways that may not serve them long-term.	Mentor role is explained; supervision and reflective practice address dynamics; multiple trusted adults in the team; boundaries modelled.
Disclosure in private session	Safeguarding disclosures during a 1:1 session with no peer present.	Mentors trained in safeguarding; routing to DSL; learner informed about confidentiality and its limits at the start of the mentoring relationship.
Educator wellbeing in intensive 1:1 work	Vicarious trauma, burnout, secondary distress in mentors carrying complex cases.	Reflective supervision; reasonable caseloads; access to external support; clear escalation routes.
Neurodiversity University and Preparing for Adulthood	Neurodiversity University and Preparing for Adulthood	Neurodiversity University and Preparing for Adulthood
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Distress at identity-related content	Learners encountering content about neurodivergent identity that lands hard — recognition of past harm, grief over experiences before diagnosis.	Trauma-informed pacing; content choices made with care; mentor follow-up offered; group sessions designed for safety.
Self-disclosure of trauma	Learners sharing trauma in identity work.	Group norms set explicitly; learner not pressured to disclose; safe routes for private follow-up; DSL involved where indicated.
Examinations and assessed work	Examinations and assessed work	Examinations and assessed work
Hazard	Who is at risk and how	Control measures
Examination anxiety	Significant anxiety, including school-related trauma, affecting performance and wellbeing.	Access arrangements applied for where applicable; predictable structure; permission to defer; trauma-informed preparation.
Risk to mental health from intensive revision periods	Burnout, self-neglect, deterioration in mental health during exam season.	Reasonable timetables; wellbeing checks; family communication; permission to step back where indicated.