School Cycle Maintenance Club???

Tony B said:

This is my first time bringing up this idea with anyone, so it could
well be incredibly naive however here goes:

If I were to initiate an after school club for kids (11-16) to use the
spanners (probably their own, supplemented by a few of mine)on their own
bikes, will I end up penniless and/or in gaol as soon as one of the
attendees has an accident that "is your fault..." etc.?

I see this a/s club forming up around simple repairs and adjustments,
nothing too contentious but then these days... it could also (here's
hoping!) even lead to the PE department introducing cycling into the
curriculum. Better than boxing...

Comments are welcome from all.

Without doing a detailed check, I think the CTC Activity Providers
Insurance would cover you for this.
IMO I'd be a bit wary about having some cover.
When I've run similar projects the LA has insisted on seeing insurance.

'fraid its a sad sign of the times :-(

John B

Tony B said:

This is my first time bringing up this idea with anyone, so it could
well be incredibly naive however here goes:

If I were to initiate an after school club for kids (11-16) to use the
spanners (probably their own, supplemented by a few of mine)on their own
bikes, will I end up penniless and/or in gaol as soon as one of the
attendees has an accident that "is your fault..." etc.?

I see this a/s club forming up around simple repairs and adjustments,
nothing too contentious but then these days... it could also (here's
hoping!) even lead to the PE department introducing cycling into the
curriculum. Better than boxing...

Comments are welcome from all.

So long as it's a school activity you should be covered by the
school's public liability insurance. However, no insurance can ever
cover you for gross negligence, though examples of this are extremely
rare.

In 2003 a teacher was jailed for a year after the drowning of Max
Palmer during an educational trip to Glenridding.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05034.htm

The teacher had lied about his Mountain Leadership qualifications, and
ignored the warnings from the leader of a group of RAF cadets and let
a child attempt to swim across the plunge pool of Red Tarn Beck when
it was in spate.

Quoted message said:

Tony B

ps I have no cycle maintenance qualifications, but then who does.....
maybe I should get some?

So long as you are competent, there shouldn't be a problem. I teach
basic maintence to children as young as 8. Removing a rear wheel is
as far as it goes at the moment, but that does require the use of
spanners. The ones I use with children are the dumbell variety which
cost about £2.50.

The overwhelming majority of parents consider a grazed knuckle part of
the learning process. A set of lost fingers while trying to brake the
spinning wheel of an upside down fixer would be another matter.

See "Crushing fingers" at the bottom of this article:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixedb.html#danger

Tom Crispin said:

Tony B said:

This is my first time bringing up this idea with anyone, so it could
well be incredibly naive however here goes:

Won't you need a CRB check? Tom can you comment?

Quoted message said:

So long as you are competent, there shouldn't be a problem. I teach
basic maintence to children as young as 8. Removing a rear wheel is
as far as it goes at the moment, but that does require the use of
spanners. The ones I use with children are the dumbell variety which
cost about £2.50.

IRTA "The children are the dumbell variety" and thought that you're
meant to say "working towards Key Stage 1" these days.

Tim

Tim Hall said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is my first time bringing up this idea with anyone, so it could
well be incredibly naive however here goes:

Won't you need a CRB check? Tom can you comment?

The school should do that for anyone who has unsupervised contact with
children, and the level of check will depend on the nature of contact.
For example, a swimming coach might have an enhanced check whereas a
parent who helps out occasionally on school trips might have a List 99
check.

This puts off a lot of volunteers: over a third of men have been
convicted of an indictable offence. Ancient or trivial convictions
and cautions will be disregarded as irrelevent by the school.

E.g. my brother broke his flatmate's nose during a fight over whose
turn it was to wash up while he was a student. He received a
conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm. Such a conviction
is not a bar to him now being a school governor.

Tim Hall said:

Won't you need a CRB check?

Got that already - I'm on a teacher training course...

cheers,

Tony B