Government issues guidance on school trips

Education and Skills Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has issued a list of school trip guidelines, to help plan safer trips for school children.

The three-step approach aims to help improve both the quantity and quality of education outside the classroom, and focuses on increasing staff confidence, cutting bureaucracy and enriching outdoor provision.

The guidance, which is due to be published in the summer, states that staff who take "reasonable care" and follow employer guidelines will be protected by the law in the event of any accidents. It also includes plans for compulsory safety checks in order to protect pupils and safeguard against the risk of litigation and makes clear to employers that staff should be treated fairly, in the event of a pupil's injury.

The announcement of the new guidelines follow warnings issued by teachers' unions about the possible legal action if pupils were injured, which had resulted in many schools abandoning outdoor activities.

The Education and Skills Secretary also announced plans to minimise the amount of paperwork involved in organising school trips. Mrs Kelly said that the government would be working with local authorities, to help achieve a balance between minimising red tape, while ensuring that necessary health and safety measures are still met.

Commenting on the new guidelines, Mrs Kelly said that around seven million pupil visits take place every year and added that activities such as field trips could help bring a subject to life. She said: "The majority of schools already offer a range of outdoor learning, including school trips that enrich the curriculum, build confidence and increase skills. However, we know that some schools and staff would like re-assurance about their responsibility for pupil safety. We want to make sure that all teachers have the confidence to continue offering these experiences and that everyone involved in a school trip, including parents, are aware of their rights and responsibilities."

David Hart, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers welcomed the guidelines and said: "We must get away from the totally unfounded belief that a solicitor's letter is always waiting around the corner whenever a school visit takes place. Teachers who follow the good advice that already exists and who use their commonsense have nothing to fear. We cannot afford to allow valuable school visits to disappear for reasons that are largely unjustified."

However, the Conservative Shadow Education Secretary, Tim Collins, said that the whole issue was an "absurd row". He said: "If only the government had taken on our suggestion of a Teacher Protection Bill then this nonsense could have been avoided. Under a Conservative government a simple signed note from parents acknowledging their acceptance of any risk would suffice to ensure that out children continue to both enjoy and learn from school trips."

(KMcA/SP)