What if the real question isn't who made the mistake but why?

When something goes wrong, the instinct is to find someone to blame. In this activity you'll hear from a safety investigator whose job isn't to point fingers – it's to understand what put someone in that position in the first place.

This activity is designed to be flexible and can be used as follows:

  • During a lesson - 30 minutes. Students work in pairs and then share their reflections with the rest of the class.
  • During tutor time - 20 minutes. Students watch the video independently and then discuss one of the topics together.
  • As homework - Students watch the video on their own and complete the reflection at their own pace.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 5
  • PSHE Association KS3 codes L4, L12
  • PSHE Association KS4 codes L3

1. Before you start

Take a moment to think about the following question:

  • Think of a time when something went wrong and someone got blamed for it. Did anyone ask why it happened - or did it just stop at whose fault it was?

If you're working with a partner or team, share and compare your thoughts before continuing.

2. Watch the video

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Tim Atkin - Aviation Safety Investigator

Tim is a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force who investigates aviation incidents. When something goes wrong, his job isn't to blame someone - it's to understand why the system put them in that situation in the first place. He conducts interviews, gathers evidence, and writes reports with recommendations that aim to stop the same thing happening again.

While watching the video, listen for the following:

  • What does Tim say is the difference between blaming someone and understanding why something happened?
  • What are the main steps Tim goes through during an investigation?

3. Reflect and discuss

First, add a personal reflection based on the following:

  • What is one thing from Tim's approach to investigation that you hadn't thought about before?

Next, think about the following and discuss with your partner or group:

  • Tim says he's been blamed at school and work for making mistakes, with "no change" afterwards. His job now is to dig beneath the surface and understand why the system led to that outcome. Can you think of a situation - at school or elsewhere - where asking "why did this happen?" would have been more useful than asking "whose fault was it?"
  • Tim says he spends a lot of his time thinking - putting himself in other people's positions to understand what made them make a decision. Why do you think that skill matters in an investigation? Where else might it be useful?
  • Tim says the most rewarding part of his job is when his recommendations get implemented and make real change. What does it tell you about a job when the goal isn't to fix one problem, but to stop it happening again for everyone?