School trips scheme gets funding go-ahead

Children's Secretary Ed Balls and children's minister Kevin Brennan unveiled funds of £4.5m for the Out and About package. The programme aims to remove the red tape that restricts schools from offering school trips.

In addition to Out and About, the Quality Badge Scheme will highlight organisations that provide high-quality experiences and meet safety standards. The Quality Badge will enable teachers to identify safe and engaging locations and activities for school trips.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: "It is wrong to wrap children in cotton wool as they grow up. Trips and getting out of the classroom should be part and parcel of school life and always form people's most vivid childhood memories."

He added that progress in being made to make it easier for pupils to learn outside the classroom. He said: "Today's package makes a clear case for the benefits of learning outside the classroom. It is a massive step forward to making it easier for teachers to take pupils out of the classroom - giving them the confidence and tools to organise outside the classroom environment; cutting paperwork and red tape on visits; and breaking down the fear of litigation."

For more information, visit www.dcsf.gov.uk