Teachers warned over school trips

Concerns over pupil safety have increased in recent years

A teachers' union has issued advice to avoid school trips following a series of court cases over accidents involving children.

The NASUWT, which has 223,500 members, said the "finger of blame" had been pointed too often at teachers.

General secretary Eamonn O'Kane said the decision was "highly regrettable" but added that society was becoming "increasingly litigious".

The union has set out 36 safety guidelines for group leaders.

However, Britain's biggest teaching union, the NUT, said it "would not dream" of asking members not to run school trips.

Jobs lost

The NASUWT has previously advised its members not to volunteer for such duties.

Mr O'Kane said: "In recent high-profile cases, teachers have been heavily penalised. Some have lost their jobs as a result of alleged misjudgements.

"In an increasingly litigious society which no longer appears to accept the concept of a genuine accident, our first responsibility must be to protect our members' interests."

One teacher, Paul Ellis, is serving 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of a boy, aged 10, who drowned during an outing to the Lake District.

Meanwhile, cases such as those of teenagers Hannah Black and Rochelle Cauvet, who drowned while on a river walk in the Yorkshire Dales, have prompted calls for greater attention to the risks of outdoor activities.

Drivers

Since last autumn, student teachers at the University of Central England in Birmingham have been taking part in a scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents aimed at improving safety on outings.

In its revised guidelines, the NASUWT advises teachers to use a "specially trained driver", rather than drive a minibus themselves.

According to its own figures, at least one child has died on a school trip each year over the last decade, with several thousand near-misses.

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: "Teachers should not abandon schools visits . Safely conducted and properly supervised, they are an important part of any child's education.

"The department values, and is committed to support, the professional competence of teachers who supervise educational visits, many of whom do so in their own spare time."