The school leaders’ union believes that children in the Isle of Man could miss out on off island trips due to a rule change when travelling.
It is calling on the Steam Packet to reconsider its rule of one adult for every five children for group travel.
The new rule doubles the previous ratio of one adult to ten children.
NAHT claims that the rule “is out of step with the Department of Education, Sport & Culture (DESC) educational visits guidance and best practice across the British Isles”.
Miss Out
It says that “school leaders say they simply don’t have the staffing resources to meet the new requirement”.
It claims that “it will severely limit off-island school trips, depriving children of vital learning opportunities”.
Rehana Azam, NAHT Regional Head North West said: “This unfair policy means children on the Isle of Man will miss out on educational experiences and opportunities available to other children in the UK.“
“It also places an impossible burden on schools and makes off-island trips unworkable. It is already difficult to free up enough staff for off-island trips. Some schools are already cancelling their plans because of this.”
“We understand the need for safeguarding, but this new ratio far exceeds what is required by educational experts and adds unnecessary barriers to what should be enriching experiences for children. “
“While some schools and communities may rally to organise trips under the new ratio this year, NAHT stresses that this is not sustainable in the long term. Increased financial and administrative pressures will inevitably reduce the number of off-island trips, depriving future cohorts of children of invaluable experiences.”
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