The House of Commons select committee report into education outside the classroom was published last week. The MPs said there was no evidence that school trips were “inherently risky”. They called for:
* a Department for Education and Skills manifesto giving all students a right to outdoor learning;
* a national outdoor education champion;
* ring-fenced funding to protect and promote outdoor education;
* measures to reduce the paperwork that school trip leaders are expected to complete;
* improvements in training for teachers.
A guidance document, High Quality Outdoor Education, is about to be published by the outdoor education advisers panel supported by the English Outdoor Council.
