This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New Outdoor Education Centre at Oban
08/10/2004
A new national development officer is to be appointed to
help schools and pupils make the most of the opportunities
offered by outdoor education.
Education Minister Peter Peacock made the announcement
as he opened an extension at North Lanarkshire's new
Kilbowie Outdoor Education Centre at Oban.
He said that together with the extra 400 PE teachers
already announced and the other teachers the Executive is
funding, it should create unprecedented opportunities to
allow outdoor education to grow.
New guidance on school trips will be issued this month
to help with the planning of successful school trips.
The Minister also signalled that he wanted to see
schools move towards offering all pupils, at both primary
and secondary, at least one residential experience during
their school careers, such as outdoor education could
provide.
Mr Peacock said:
"Outdoor education can have tremendous benefits in the
physical, personal and social development of children of
all ages, providing an important setting for young people
to discover more about themselves and the world around
them.
"I want more young people to experience the far-reaching
benefits of outdoor education. Not only can it enrich their
school life, it can help pupils develop skills and
interests that will stay with them for the rest of their
lives.
"The new guidance on school trips will give schools the
confidence to make greater use of the vast range of
opportunities we have in Scotland whilst ensuring pupil and
staff safety remains a top priority."
Learning and Teaching Scotland will take forward the
development of outdoor education including the appointment
of a development officer and an audit of current
provision.
The outdoor education health and safety guidance will
cover:
- Responsibilities for visits
- Planning visits
- Supervision
- Communication with parents
- Preparing pupils
- Transport
- Insurance
- Types of visits
- Visits abroad
- Emergency procedures
Mr Peacock was visiting North Lanarkshire Council's
Kilbowie Outdoor Education Centre, in Oban, where he opened
an extension.