School trips
Teachers should lead more school trips and stop worrying about the risk of being sued over accidents, the Commons education and skills select committee said.
The MPs called for ministers to intensify efforts to promote the benefits of fieldwork trips, outdoor activities and visits to the theatre.
The decline of outdoor education must be reversed, and all pupils should have access to this vital area of development, the MPs said.
Party Response: Conservative
Tim Collins, shadow education secretary, said: "The blame culture that now surrounds school trips has done enormous damage to supervised out-of-classroom learning.
"This has left our children a lot poorer as a result. We will ensure that head teachers will have the power to require parents to sign a waiver explaining that they accept the inherent risks of these trips."
Stakeholder Response: NASUWT
Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, has issued a statement saying: "NASUWT has always maintained that education outside the classroom can provide a valuable educational experience and curriculum enrichment.
"However, casework has demonstrated a significant increase in problems arising from teachers' involvement in educational visits.
"NASUWT's leadership group members reported growing concerns over what appears to be an increasingly litigious attitude among parents.
"As a responsible trade union we responded to these developments by drawing them to the attention of members, advising them to consider very carefully their involvement in such activities and offering detailed guidance to those who chose to continue to be involved.
"We also drew these concerns to the attention of government ministers. The then secretary of state Charles Clarke acknowledged their validity and offered to work with NASUWT to address them.
"No activity is entirely risk free but steps can be taken to minimise the level of risk. Measures to do this are currently being considered by the DfES and when the proposals we have put forward are progressed, NASUWT will review its guidance to members.
"I am disappointed that the sSelect committee says our concerns are a perception rather than a reality.
"A golden opportunity has been missedto act in the interests of teachers and pupils by accepting the need for additional safeguards and supporting their early introduction."
Stakeholder Response: Professional Association of Teachers
Jean Gemmell,PAT general secretary, said: "We welcome the committee's backing for school visits. Risk assessed, safely conducted and properly supervised, school trips play a key role in education.
"They are of enormous benefit to pupils, teachers and support staff. We should all applaud school staff who give children these opportunities.
"Education is not just about what happens in the classroom. School trips give children experiences they have not had before and may never have again.
"PAT encourages and support members who chose to become involved in such activities, but we do recognise the possible difficulties they face.
"We support the committee chairman's calls for more 'common sense' and a move away from the 'climate of fear'. However, accidents can and do happen, but fortunately they are very rare. No aspect of life is entirely risk free, but, as the committee points out, there are millions of school visits each year, and most take place without incident.
"Parents can reasonably expect safety to be the paramount consideration on school trips and serious incidents have to be investigated, but we must remove the fear factor.
"School trips should be an enjoyable experience and teachers and support staff who are conducting a well organised and properly supervised visit shouldn't have the fear of possible litigation hanging over them before the minibus has even left the school gates.
"In November, Charles Clarke, when he was education secretary, made a speech at a National College for School Leadership Conference in which he promised to look into teachers' concerns about school trips. We hope that his successor will fulfil that the pledge.
"The benefits of outdoor education should - and do - far outweigh the concerns.
"The issue of school trips was debated at PAT's 2001 Annual Conference and members supported the continuation of such a valuable educational resource."
Stakeholder Response: Secondary Heads Association
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"I strongly welcome the committee’s recommendation that the bureaucracy of risk assessment should be reduced. Avoiding risks should not depend on filling in lengthy forms.
"Children grow up protected, rightly and increasingly so, but as they enter adulthood they have to learn to manage risks – and the only way to do that is to take some.
"There will always be risks and despite the best precautions, accidents will continue to happen. That is a fact of life. But in today’s compensation culture, society wants someone to blame when things go wrong. Unfortunately this is often the school.
"Schools need to have clear, workable guidance that protects them and their staff when accidents happen. With this in place, schools can continue to offer a rich programme of learning experiences outside school.
"Pupils should not suffer by constraints imposed on funding. Money for outside activities should be given directly to schools, rather than providers or local authorities, since it is schools that know what is most appropriate for their pupils."
Stakeholder Response: National Union of Teachers
Steve Sinnott, NUT general secretary, said: "School trips are an integral part of school life and should not be put at risk because of fear of litigation. Indeed, claims that this country has developed a compensation culture are not supported by the number of such cases coming to court which has shown a decline in recent years.
"Teachers and pupils gain immensely from such trips, Not only do they have a high educational content but they allow teachers and pupils to get to know and respect each other better in a different environment from the classroom."
Stakeholder Response: Association of Teacher and Lecturers
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "School trips are an important part of all young people’s educational and personal development. Many ATL members devote a great deal of effort, energy and their own leisure time to providing outdoor school experiences for their pupils.
"We know there are anxieties about the compensation culture. We need to ensure that the fear that something may go wrong, and it sometimes might, does not restrict what teachers are prepared to do, and therefore limit opportunities for young people.
"The issue of outdoor school experiences will be highlighted in a resolution to ATL’s forthcoming annual conference."
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