More children and young people will be able to go on educational school trips thanks to new measures slashing red tape and giving teachers more support, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said today.

The Out and About package, launched this morning and backed with £4.5 million of funding, is designed to give schools much clearer information to organise effective learning outside the classroom activities for all pupils.

It includes a new Quality Badge scheme which will cut paperwork for teachers by helping schools and local authorities to identify organisations that provide high quality experiences and manage safety effectively.
Mr Balls said learning outside the classroom – whether within school grounds, locally and on visits further afield or even abroad – should be part and parcel of every child’s school career.

But he said it was wrong to deny children valuable learning opportunities or wrap them in cotton wool because of risk assessment paperwork or fears over compensation culture.

And he stressed it was time to allay teachers’ fears about litigation over incidents on school trips once and for all.

Another positive step for those that like taking children on school trips…