North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Education Secretary to engage with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that guidance to schools and local authorities regarding school trips does not discourage teachers from organising such trips.
Raising the matter in the Assembly Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood said:
“It’s now a number of years since the Health and Safety Executive produced a statement stating that school trips have clear benefits for pupils, but misunderstandings may discourage schools and teachers from organising such trips, and they want to make sure that mistaken and unfounded health and safety concerns don’t create obstacles that prevent these from happening.
“What engagement have you had, or could you have, with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that the guidance given to local authorities and schools enables them to focus on how the real risks are managed, rather than on the paperwork that can accompany that?”
The Education Secretary, Kirsty Williams, told Mr Isherwood that schools and local authorities should use the web-based ‘Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel’ guidance, which is kept up-to-date with changes in legislation and good practice by a working group of experts in the field, and which has links to other relevant advice.
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