What is the legal ratio of school children to dinnerladies/MSA's.

Question

I work in a school but just wondered what the legal ratio of children an MSA/dinnerlady/dinnermen can look after at a time.

Answer 1

I don't believe there are any legal guidlines for lunchtime and break supervision. It would depend on the age of the pupils and the layout of the school. However, the headteacher and govs have a duty of care and must ensure the safety of students, so they should do some sort of risk assessment to work out how many supervisors they need. If you are worried I suggest you contact your union for advice.

Answer 2

Not sure of the legal ratio but in my school the middays have a class each and they are responsible for that class. Each class has 30 children. That is when they are in the class (wet play) or wen they are being taken to the dinner hall. But at play time all the middays supervise all the chidren.