Published: 08 November 2005
Education Outside
Proposals to help schools provide every child with even more high quality, safe school trips - including residential experiences – have been published for consultation as Schools Minister, Andrew Adonis unveiled the framework for the Manifesto for Education Outside the Classroom.
The Manifesto for Education Outside the classroom aims to improve the quantity & quality of education outside the classroom, galvanising support to help schools & parents exploit the contribution that out of classroom learning can make to a child's education and personal development.
The aims of the Manifesto include:
giving all children a wide range of high quality experiences outside the classroom, including at least one residential experience;
supporting schools and local authorities in managing visits safely and efficiently, with key recommendations for keeping pupils and staff safe while reducing the bureaucracy sometimes associated with school trips;
supporting teachers with easily accessible advice, guidance and resources to organise visits;
encouraging schools to join with other schools and organisations such as the National Trust to get the best from education outside the classroom; and
encouraging parents to support education outside the classroom to ensure that their children can get the most out of their school experience.
The Manifesto follows publication yesterday of a Compensation Bill by the Department for Constitutional Affairs to tackle practices that can give rise to unjustified negligence claims and affect participation in routine activities.
The Bill is intended to ensure that the wider social value of activities are taken into account when courts consider negligence claims.
The Department for Education and Skills is working closely with teaching unions to develop detailed guidance to help ensure the fair treatment of school staff in the rare event of a pupil being injured during out of classroom activities.
Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said:
"Learning outside the classroom can be an inspirational experience and we know that millions of school activities outside the classroom take place safely every year.
From a geography field trip to a week at an outdoor pursuits centre, education outside the classroom can help to enrich the curriculum and bring subjects to life.
We know that parents and teachers want to feel confident when pupils are taken from the classroom on a visit.
Schools already make good use of our extensive and widely-welcomed guidance on visit safety, but we will go further in our Manifesto by including key recommendations for safe visits.
We hope that the Manifesto will give schools the confidence to offer even more education outside the classroom and that all those involved are fully aware of their rights and responsibilities."
Lord Puttnam, championing education outside the classroom, launched the consultation at the National Trust's new Snuff Mill Environmental Education Centre at Morden Hall Park in south west London, saying:
"The world beyond the classroom can stimulate, inspire and bring learning to life for all children.
They should experience all sorts of activities as an integral part of their learning.
The manifesto will help us to drive forward a shared vision for the development of education outside the classroom that schools, youth groups, local authorities and other providers will be encouraged to sign up to."
It is estimated that there are currently over seven million pupil visits each year.
The National Trust is the largest provider of school visits to historic houses, coast and countryside throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland with over 500,000 pupils visiting its each year.
Over 100 partner organisations have worked with Government to contribute their ideas for the vision and aims behind the Manifesto, with the final version due for publication in the Spring.
The consultation closes on 30 Jan 2006
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