Ministers have launched a Quality Badge scheme to help schools identify organisations that not only provide high-quality learning experiences outside of the classroom but do so in a safe environment.
Part of an Out & About package of measures launched yesterday, the initiative aims to consolidate existing safety and quality badges into one, easily recognisable Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge for provider organisations.
It will be awarded to those that have pledged to deliver high-quality learning outside the classroom, provided they meet six criteria, including having safety management processes in place to manage risk effectively.
Children’s secretary Ed Balls and Children’s minister Kevin Brennan announced the scheme and other measures at the first Learning Outside the Classroom conference, in Greenwich. Mr Balls said it was wrong to deny children valuable learning opportunities, or wrap them in cotton wool because of risk-assessment paperwork.
“It is time that the fear of compensation culture is consigned to history once and for all,” declared Balls. “The fact is that individual teachers do not get sued because their employer holds public insurance liability, and prosecutions for gross negligence are extremely rare against the tens of thousands of trips that happen day in, day out.”
The first badges will be awarded in January next year, with a new Council for Learning Outside the Classroom acting as the assessment and awarding body. A support package for providers will also be available from November.
The scheme’s launch coincided with the publication of a survey by schools watchdog Ofsted, which suggested that primary schools relied heavily on commercial centres to arrange and provide residential visits, owing to health and safety concerns and staff workload issues.
Commenting on the report, Learning outside the classroom: How far should you go?, Kevin Brennan said: “We are glad that Ofsted agrees with us that high-quality learning outside the classroom is a significant factor in raising standards and improving personal development.
“The Out & About package will mean that learning outside the classroom can be integrated into the curriculum and be well planned and properly evaluated. It will make sure that best practice is mirrored across the country so young people get the best possible experiences.”
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers applauded the plans. Its general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: “We firmly believe school trips provide invaluable learning opportunities, which are difficult or impossible to replicate in the classroom.
“We provide advice for teachers who are running school trips, and have a dedicated health and safety team who advise and work with teachers and school heads to ensure learning outside the classroom is as safe and unstressful as possible, and, above all, fun for pupils and teachers.”
IOSH president Ray Hurst echoed these sentiments, saying: “We’re not in favour of banning field trips or other worthwhile educational experiences for health and safety reasons.”
He continued: “To curtail such activities and unfairly blame health and safety would be doing the pupils a great disservice. It may even make school students more risk-averse and less able to deal with risk when they later enter the world of work. So, we welcome any attempt to correct the current situation, which can sometimes appear to be nonsensical.”
