Parents of children attending Priesthorpe School in Leeds were left astounded last week when almost an entire class went missing while on a school trip to Nidderdale. Nidderldale is an area of outstanding natural beauty, which borders the Yorkshire Dales and is popular with school groups from the county.
The visiting pupils set off in small groups across the area to complete their set activities but quickly became disorientated; possibly following markers left by other orienteering and fell running events. It became apparent the groups, amounting to 21 pupils, were widely dispersed and police and members of Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were called to search for them. Thanks to the additional efforts of local people all the children were found just before dark and returned to the campsite.
Parents are rightly angry and concerned about the management of the outing, citing the many terrible scenarios that could have panned out if the children had not been found, particularly after nightfall. Concerns have been raised around supervision and the school has committed to reviewing what happened.
The children had no means of communication and no rallying point. If such widespread confusion developed there were clearly issues in the clarity of instruction. There appears to have been no contingency plan for the event of children becoming lost, resulting in drafted in help from local people which barely found the class in time. Risk assessment, crisis planning and a clear awareness of responsibility would have identified dangers, allowed control measure to be put in place and structures for emergencies to be well known and swiftly implemented.
See the article from the current edition of Compliance Matters on Emergencies on School Trips. HandsamSchoolTripsAdvisor has a range of reviews of outdoor locations to help you find the ideal outing for your class and a trip planning system to ensure you are as prepared as possible.
