A pair of Scottish councils has been required to pay out a combined £7,000, in accident claims following an accident on school trips over the past two years.
Highland Council paid out just over £6300 between 2009 and March of this year in compensation claims, while Edinburgh City Council paid around £600 in compensation for the same period. However, it still has one claim outstanding.
These figures were uncovered using freedom of information requests, and were not accompanied by details regarding the nature of any of the injuries.
The compensation claim figures were published in a report by the Countryside Alliance Foundation called Teaching Children Outside the Classroom. The Foundation are calling for Scottish children to participate in more outdoor activities and learning after a report proved that parents had ‘strong support’ for such a programme.
A representative of the group, Ross Montague, said: “Our sister charity, the SCA Educational Trust, has always found pupils and teachers to be extremely enthusiastic when outdoor education opportunities are offered. Stumbling blocks are often put in the way, with parent and council anxieties over health and safety issues cited as reasons to avoid outdoor education.”
A total of 21 successful accident compensation claims, relating to accidents during school trips, were made against four councils within the two year period.
Seven accident claims were made against Highland Council alone, making it the most liable all of the councils, concerning school trips. Other councils accused against include North Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council. No compensation money was paid by either council during that time.