According to the schools inspectorate, health and safety concerns have contributed to a big decline in geography field trips, leading, in turn, to many students abandoning the subject altogether.
Reporting an 11 per cent decline in the number of students taking geography at A level, the Ofsted inspectors comment:
“The majority of the primary and secondary schools in the survey did not recognise the value of fieldwork sufficiently and did not fulfil the requirement to provide it. Concerns about health and safety, curriculum time, expertise and budgets reduced the amount and effectiveness of fieldwork."
The report goes on to say that health and safety fears were so pronounced in some schools that head teachers had refused to allow pupils off site.
“The majority of the primary and secondary schools in the survey did not recognise the value of fieldwork sufficiently and did not fulfil the requirement to provide it. Concerns about health and safety, curriculum time, expertise and budgets reduced the amount and effectiveness of fieldwork."
The report goes on to say that health and safety fears were so pronounced in some schools that head teachers had refused to allow pupils off site.
I have always considered travel to be probably the most mind-broadening exercise a child, or anyone else for that matter, can engage in. Geography may reasonably be said to be the academic expression of travel. Now, because of institutionalised paranoia, thousands of young people are being denied a life-enhancing experience.
Yet another triumph for the healthansafety industry.
3 comments:
"MPs already have a tendency to become too involved in matters which should rightly be issues for local councils and devolved institutions".
Can you believe the tosh Glyn Davies is peddling?
Do you think the Bajan sun has got to him?
Can this man be up for the job as an MP?
We think not, you hear us cry!!
The top dog at Health and Safety made clear that people were misinterpreting the actual guidelines, from local government to voluntary organisations.
Make things as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.
Huw - you have got the point of this series of posts. The legislation is broadly sensible; it is the misinterpretation of it, exacerbated by the activities of claims farmers and unscrupulous lawyers, that has caused the problems.
Unfortunately, some literally-minded people are not as astute as you, and I include one of my North Wales Parliamentary colleagues in that number.
Many thanks for your contribution.
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