CLEAPSS is often associated with risk assessments and chemical safety, but that is only part of what it does. Its wider purpose is to help schools run safe, worthwhile and ambitious practical learning across science, D&T, art and food.
1. Help teachers say “yes” to practical work
One of the most useful things CLEAPSS does is help teachers find a sensible way to carry out practical activities rather than avoiding them because they appear risky. Its guidance combines practical ideas with advice on how to turn them into safe classroom experiences.
2. Give staff someone knowledgeable to ask
Not every question has an obvious answer in a handbook. Member schools can contact the CLEAPSS helpline when they encounter an unusual chemical, piece of equipment, practical idea or safety question.
3. Take some of the mystery out of risk assessment
CLEAPSS provides detailed risk information and guidance showing what should be considered when planning practical work. Teachers still make decisions for their own lesson, class and circumstances, but they do not have to start from scratch.
4. Make chemical safety far easier to manage
HazCards provide information about chemical hazards and suitable control measures for use in schools and colleges. They are especially useful when preparing an unfamiliar practical or checking how a chemical should be used and stored.
5. Provide practical methods that have already been thought through
CLEAPSS Practical Procedures give teachers and technicians detailed methods for a wide range of science activities. This is particularly useful when a department wants to introduce an experiment that staff have not run before.
6. Help pupils understand practical safety
Student Safety Sheets present safety information in a form pupils can use. They can help move practical safety beyond a teacher simply saying “put your goggles on” by helping pupils understand why precautions matter.
7. Make technicians’ working lives easier
CLEAPSS provides a large range of resources for technicians, including laboratory checklists, labels, stock information, prep-room guidance and practical support.
8. Develop technicians rather than simply rely on experience
Training is available in areas such as chemical safety, microbiology, Physics, prep-room management and general laboratory health and safety. This can be particularly valuable for technicians who are new to the role.
9. Give new and non-specialist teachers more confidence
Knowing the theory is not the same as feeling confident running a practical with 30 pupils. CLEAPSS guidance and training can help teachers understand how to organise equipment, manage risks and make experiments work successfully.
10. Support schools with more specialised areas of Physics
Radioactive sources, lasers and some electrical equipment need careful management. CLEAPSS provides specialist advice and training so that schools can continue to teach these areas practically and safely.
11. Help departments look after laboratories properly
CLEAPSS guidance covers much more than individual lessons. It includes advice on prep rooms, chemical stores, ventilation, fire safety, PPE, laboratory design and specialist equipment.
12. Help schools spend their equipment budget more wisely
Buying scientific equipment can be expensive. CLEAPSS guidance can help departments think about suitability, safety and quality before purchasing items such as power supplies, microscopes, balances and fume cupboards.
13. Help schools maintain equipment rather than automatically replace it
CLEAPSS also provides advice about maintenance, testing, servicing and repair. This can help schools keep useful equipment working for longer and make better use of limited budgets.
14. Keep departments up to date
Safety guidance, legislation, equipment and practical methods change. CLEAPSS regularly updates resources and publishes information that helps departments keep their procedures current.
15. Support practical science in primary schools
CLEAPSS is not only for secondary laboratories. Primary schools can access practical activities, safety guidance and support aimed at teachers who may not have a specialist science background.
16. Help schools plan safely for open days, science fairs and special events
Practical science does not only happen in normal lessons. Open evenings, transition days, science fairs and demonstrations can involve unfamiliar pupils, parents and younger siblings. CLEAPSS guidance can help schools think carefully about how activities should be organised and supervised.
17. Support practical subjects across the whole school
CLEAPSS support extends beyond science into areas including Design & Technology, food and art. This means its guidance can be useful to technicians, classroom teachers, Heads of Department and senior leaders across a school.
Perhaps the biggest misconception is that CLEAPSS exists mainly to tell schools what they cannot do. Much of its real value is the opposite: giving staff enough knowledge, guidance and confidence to offer pupils more high-quality hands-on experiences safely.
Find out more about CLEAPSS:
https://www.cleapss.org.uk/
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