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New Service to Reduce the Risks of School Trips Gains
Support
2006
NEW messaging service, School Trips Plus that will
improve both safety and communication on schools trips,
has gained support from both the National Association
of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the National Confederation
of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA).
School Trips Plus (www.schooltripsplus.co.uk),
has been developed to provide an invaluable way to help
everyone associated with school trips to communicate
effectively. The service helps teachers to manage incidents,
parents to stay informed and pupils to stay safe; providing
peace of mind and reassurance to both parents and teachers.
Schools are set up with a free* School Trips Plus online
account. Before going on a school trip, the school simply
logs onto their account and enters the school trip venue
and the mobile numbers of the teachers/carers who will
be on the trip.
Each child is then provided with a wristband or lanyard
and tag to wear on the trip. On the reverse of each
is the School Trips Plus telephone number and a unique
School ID. If a child becomes separated from the group,
is involved in an accident, or is caught misbehaving,
one call to this number will simultaneously ring all
the teachers/carers on the trip. Ensuring that help
is immediately available should it be required.
Teachers can also use the service to contact other
teachers which is particularly useful to summon help
in the event of an incident.
"School trips play a huge part of a child's life
and with this new service we hope to provide teachers
and parents with the confidence and reassurance that
they have the tools to make school trips safer,"
commented Paul Kent, managing director of School Trips
Plus.
Mike Lloyd, Assistant Secretary and School Trips Adviser
for NAHT added, "Outdoor education by its very
nature will involve some element of risk and no matter
how much pre-planning is carried out you cannot foresee
every eventuality. School Trips Plus is therefore a
vital tool and safety net to help teachers and head
teachers to communicate effectively in the event of
an incident."
The service also incorporates an extremely useful voicemail
system that can be used to keep parents informed and
up-to-date. Each parent will be given a School Trips
Plus key ring with their schools unique ID. This can
be used by teachers to leave messages for parents at
any time during the trip, particularly useful for letting
parents know that the group have arrived safely at their
destination or if they are stuck in traffic and are
likely to return late. Instead of worrying, the parents
simply ring the number and listen to the latest message.
"We are delighted to support School Trips Plus
as it provides direct communication between teachers
and parents and the reassurance parents seek to ensure
the safety of their children on school trips,"
said David Butler, chief executive, NCPTA.
-ends-
Notes to editors:
* Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Tempest Photography
over 60,000 pre-schools, primary and secondary schools
will receive their first year's subscription free.
NAHT is the largest union for school leaders in Europe
representing over 28,000 head, deputy and assistant
head teachers. The Association offers unrivalled tailor
made support for all school leaders across the 0 to
19 year-old age range in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland. The Association is dedicated to the maintenance
of effective school management and the improvement of
education for pupils through effective lobbying of parliament,
local support and networking, advice and guidance, training
and its first class website. For more information visit
www.naht.org.uk
The NCPTA, a registered charity, this year celebrates
its 50th Anniversary as the membership organisation
for Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and other home
school partnerships throughout England Wales and Northern
Ireland. Visit www.ncpta.org.uk.
School Trips Plus has been developed by Child Safe,
the national lost and found service for children. Child
Safe is now operating at over 40 shopping centres, including
the whole of Birmingham City Centre. Child Safe has
been supported or endorsed by NAHT, NCPTA, RNLI, ABTA
& BCSC and has a goal to deliver family safety services
at all public venues in the UK. For more information
about Child Safe, please visit www.childafezones.co.uk. |
