Public sector risk managers have welcomed revised government guidelines on school trips.
In the last five years 20 youngsters and two adults have died in organised school trips, prompting calls for improved training for organisers, thorough risk assessments in advance of trips and a greater attention to safety.
ALARM chairman Ian Horwood said: "In the face of the rising death toll and the increasingly litigious society in which we live, one teaching union -the NASUWT - is already advising its members that it may not be in their
professional or personal interests to take part in trips."
"It's impossible to measure the many benefits children derive from these types of activities, and we would not want those benefits stopped.
"To that end, although I am yet to study the government's new guidance, anything that can help strike the balance between educational benefits and the risks associated with such trips should be welcomed."
Under the new government guidelines, every local education authority will be required to appoint an outdoor education adviser specifically to oversee school trips.
Among other things, the guidance also clarifies that the legal responsibility for school trips lies with the LEA and not the school.
He added: "But with around six million children taking part in such trips each year, it is imperative we reduce the obvious risks involved."
