Back Our Teachers

9.18.59am GMT Thu 10th Feb 2005

The latest call for teachers to take more children on school trips has been attacked by Lib Dem Graham Oakes.

"School trips are a valuable part of the broad education our children deserve and need" he commented.

"If we want our teachers to take on more school trips then they have to know we support them and will stand by them."

Over recent years teachers have faced more and more regulations, paperwork and legal actions. The advice given by the teachers unions is not to take children on school trips; because of the risk of legal action should an accident occur. However many still do take children out for the day or on residential courses for several days.

"We need to back our teachers. We should pay them whilst they are looking after our children and we should remove the liability from them when they act on our behalf."

"Children are more likely to have an accident in their own home than whilst on a school trip."

"We need to show them that we respect and value them, reduce the bureaucratic burden and let them teach."

NOTE TO EDITORS Graham Oakes was Vice Chairman of the Education Committee & Chair of the Life Long Learning Scrutiny Panel on Devon County Council. He has also been a school governor. He is married to a teacher.