If you're planning and running events for children, it's important to consider the appropriate supervision ratio of adults to young people under the age of 18. This will minimise any risks to children, enhance the benefits they draw from the activity, reassure parents and carers, and provide some protection for those responsible for providing the activity in the event of concerns or incidents arising. You should consider supervision levels for all parts of the event, including non-competition periods and down-time.
Anyone undertaking the supervision role should have been recruited and vetted (using a criminal record check) for suitability and understand their role and responsibilities. The ratio of supervisors to children/young people will depend on a number of factors:
the ages of children and young people
gender
additional supervision/support needs of some or all participants, such as disability or age
nature of activity (for example, whether it's taking place in an arena or out on a cross-country course)
competence/experience of horses and riders for the specific activity
recommended minimum supervision ratios
While your risk assessment may well indicate the need for an enhanced level of supervision and staffing for a particular activity, the following tables show recommended adult to child ratios. These are based on Ofsted guidelines and would be suitable for most organisations working with children and young people.
Age of participants | Number of adults: Number of children | |
4–8 years old | 1:6 | |
9–10 years old | 1:8 | |
11–18 years old | 1:10 |
Recommended supervision ratios for trips and events:
Age of participants | Number of adults: Number of children |
10 years and under | 2:8 |
11 years and over | 2:10 |
If there is an accident or incident you should ensure there is always someone available to supervise the remaining children. Coaches working with children should try to ensure that they do not work in isolation. Regardless of the overall supervision ratio agreed, at least two adults should be supervising children/young people at all times. If the group of children is male and female, there should be male and female adult supervisors. The NSPCC has produced some useful guidelines on how to manage a lone working situation.
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