Welfare of visitors
Safeguarding
Pendarren House follows Haringey Council’s local Safeguarding Children’s Board guidance http://www.haringeylscb.org/
All the instructors are qualified first aiders and have attended a 16 hour first aid course as a minimum, which is appropriate for delivering adventurous activities.
All staff have enhanced checks with the DBS.
Activities
The Centre has experienced and qualified instructors who will lead you through the various risk-assessed activities. Your safety is a priority for us.
Pendarren House is regularly inspected by government inspectors for the Adventure Activities Licensing Scheme (AALS), part of HSE, as well as Haringey Council’s Health and Safety Team. These inspections are to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect clients and staff. These teams check documents such as risk assessments and observe sessions to check that safe working practices are in place and are being adhered to, and the safety systems are working effectively.
Instructors hold the NGB qualification for the activity or are assessed on a site specific basis by the Technical Adviser.
AALS
Pendarren House Outdoor Education Centre is registered with The Adventure Activities Licensing Service as licensed to provide specific climbing, caving, trekking and watersports activities. These are:
Kayaking
Open canoeing
Paddle surfing
Improvised rafting
Rock climbing
Abseiling
Sea level traversing
Gorge scrambling
Coasteering
Hill walking and mountaineering
Caving
Mine exploration
Details can be checked on their website www.aals.org, license number L10583.
Other activities on offer are not in the scope of AALS, but all activities are subject to risk assessments which are taken into consideration when reviewing Pendarren’s safe working practices.
These include:
Orienteering
High ropes tower
Climbing tower
Zip line
Field studies
Educational visits
Environmental studies
Bushcraft
Problem solving and team challenges
The numerous risk assessment documents are working documents and it is Pendarren’s policy not to email them out, partly due to their size. They are available for group leaders to view should they wish. Activity equipment is in good condition, subject to regular inspections and is well maintained. Instructors hold a mixture of National Governing Body (NGB) qualifications and in house training and assessment. NGB qualifications held by the teaching team include the Mountaineering Instructor Certificate (MIC), Cave Instructor Certificate (CIC), BCU level 4 Canoe, level 4 Kayak and level 4 Sea kayak.
Although Pendarren makes great effort to minimise risk there is some inherent risk in all activities that cannot be entirely eliminated.
Catering
Pendarren has a 5 star rating from the Food Hygiene authority. The catering team can provide nutritious meals for a variety of clientele and have experience of dealing with a wide variety of requests e.g. for religious, cultural and medical reasons. Catering staff hold Level 2 or 3 Food Safety certificates and have undertaken allergen training. Please notify us in advance of any dietary requirements so the menu can be adjusted accordingly. There is always a vegetarian option.