I gave up taking traditional school trips abroad a few years before I retired from teaching. I was afraid of being sued by parents if anything went wrong. The last trip I took consisted of two parents and four students, with the parents taking responsibility for the young people.

I may have been paranoid, but I wasn't prepared to take the risk. I know that parents at my school were beginning to sue the school if their child fell over and injuried herself in the school grounds, so can you blame me?

Well, maybe you can. I know that the 'safety a long way first' attitude has changed children's lives drastically since the days when as a 9 or 10 year old I roamed the Irish countryside freely on my bike; and I don't think the changes have been good. Children's lives have been impoverished by too much caution, too much cotton wool. And I colluded in the trend. So I find the present debate between the educational establishment and the teachers' union very interesting. Those who don't personally have to face being sued by American-influenced parents want school trips to happen. Those representing the teachers say 'no'. Here's part of today's Guardian article;

Teachers stand firm on school trip guidance

Staff and agencies
Thursday February 10, 2005

The teachers' union under attack for advising members not to take school trips said today it would change its policy only when more safeguards were in place.

The House of Commons education committee has called for the government to promote school trips with a £30m outdoor education manifesto and criticised the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) for its stance.

The union's general secretary, Chris Keates, said casework had shown growing concerns about an increasingly litigious attitude among parents. "No activity is entirely risk free but steps can be taken to minimise the level of risk. Measures to do this are currently being considered by the Department for Education and Skills and when the proposals we have put forward are progressed, NASUWT will review its guidance to members," she said.

Read the whole article here, and consult a page of links to news and comment on the topic here.