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' A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfactory. A life without limits on adventure is likely to be short. ' - Bertrand Russell
Introduction to Educational Visits
Welcome to Educational Visits, where you will find
useful Government information and LEA resources to support activity, teaching and learning in this area.
The following passage is an extract from Governor News, Spring Term 2004, by Taff Bowles, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Educational Visits Consultant.
I believe passionately in the value of Outdoor Education, and I am convinced that school
visits provide enormous potential benefits to pupils, not to mention staff as well!
Perhaps more than anything else, school visits help to bring education to LIFE, and they have an impact that is seldom achieved through other means.
The effect on
self-esteem and motivation, and the development of personal and
social skills, is sometimes quite remarkable.
| The effect on self-esteem and motivation, and the development of personal and social skills, is sometimes quite remarkable. | | |
- Taff Bowles, E.V. Consultant
The importance of improving the health and fitness of our young
people is also so vital.
Consider, for example, that 'Obesity and
Unfitness' is the official cause of 30000 deaths per year in the UK
(all ages), according to the National Audit Office.
Obesity in under
15s has tripled in the last 10 years and is widely regarded as the
biggest single cause of premature death for the current schoolleaving
generation.
Whilst parents might prevent their children from
canoeing, through fears of drowning, they might well be exposing
them to a much higher risk!
Indeed, another valuable role of Outdoor Education is to teach
young people how to assess and manage risks sensibly.
As a Headteacher from Cheshire stated, "Risk taking is a part of
growing up, and an unavoidable element of every adult’s life and
employment."
"Learning about risk in a controlled environment allows our
children to cope with the hazards they face when they leave the parental
home to make their own way in the world."
"If we attempt to banish risk
for a child’s life, we banish an excitement that he or she will endeavour
to find elsewhere". (from The Daily Telegraph 10th June 1998)
Whilst teachers and governors may, understandably, have increasing
concerns about the pervading 'culture of blame', and may feel
inhibited and restricted by the fear of litigation, it is important to
evaluate the real risks involved, and balance the costs and benefits
of inaction.
The figures below make interesting reading!
| Accidental or sudden death amongst young people (younger than 19 years old) per annum |
| Road traffic accidents | 698 |
| Suffocation | 139 |
| Suicide | 109 |
| Poisoning | 124 (a quarter from taking Class 'A' drugs) |
| Homicide | 48 |
| Adventure Activities | 1 (on a school visit) |
These statistics should be particularly encouraging, given that there
is an estimated 8-10 million pupil days of activity on educational
visits every year in the UK.
It is vital that all those involved in the planning and leadership of
school visits - including governing bodies - carry out their
responsibilities professionally, acknowledging and fulfilling their
duties for the health, safety and welfare of everyone in their care.
It
must be recognised that if those responsible for school visits follow
accepted policies and practices, take reasonable precautions, and
make sensible judgements, they have nothing to fear.
Accidents may
still happen, indeed, risks can never be eliminated, but, if
reasonable precautions and measures have been taken, those in
charge cannot be held responsible.
I hope that governors and
teachers are not disheartened by the few, exceptional cases that
reach the headlines.
On the contrary, I hope that both can be
encouraged, and that schools from the East Riding continue to
organise a wealth of visits that will continue to enrich and enhance
the education of our young people.
Notes on Accessing Resources
The resources, in the majority of cases, have been written by professional
educators working within the East Riding of Yorkshire LEA, or by
national education bodies such as the Department for Education Standards.
Please use the menu on the left of the page to access the various
sub-sections of this area, with some links able to expand to show
more links to pages where a "plus" icon is visible.
Here you will find useful and relevant information, and teaching
and learning resources where appropriate.
The individual resources or 'objects' are shown in a horizontal
panel, which includes information relating to the use of the item,
and also the file size, so you can make the choice as to what you
download, depending on the specification of your Internet connection.
Just click on the title of the resource to open, or right-click
to save directly to your computer via the "Save target as..." option.
The majority of the teaching and learning resources are designed
to be downloaded, and then saved, altered and repurposed to suit
the requirements of the lesson or individual user.
Please refer to our copyright policy (the link is in the panel
at the foot of the page).
Please use the addresses provided at the foot of this page to contact
us if you would like more information, or you would like to contribute
information or resources for publication on the site.
If you require information or resources for this subject area please contact:
Taff Bowles, Educational Visits Consultant
Tel: (01482) 392417
E-mail: taff.bowles@eastriding.gov.uk
School Improvement Service,
Room FT44,
County Hall,
Beverley,
HU17 9BA.
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