Help for teachers planning school trips

The government has announced a raft of new measures designed to make it more straightforward to plan school trips.

Guidance published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families outlines useful safety tips, provides a trip-planning checklist, highlights accreditation schemes - such as the Quality Badge - and explains how employers can protect staff if a child is injured.

The Quality Badge is awarded to all organisations offering children aged nought to 19 good quality teaching in a safe setting.

Announcing the measures, schools minister Diana Johnson said learning outside the classroom is an important part of children's education and personal development.

"We hope that this guidance will make life easier for teachers and break down some of the myths around being sued," she noted.

Responding to the news, Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Executive, said school trips are an ideal chance for children to learn about risk and how to deal with it while having fun.

Written by Tim Colman





Published On 09/11/2009