A HEADTEACHER has insisted school trips will continue to play an important part of his school's curriculum - despite growing red tape surrounding health and safety.

Some teaching unions have become so concerned about the potential for teachers to be held personally responsible for injuries on out-of-school activities that they have urged members not to get involved with them.

But Dr Adrian Lythgoe, head of Barden High School, Burnley, said that staff at his school had continued to organise trips with skill, and praised them for doing so during his speech at the school's annual awards evening.

He said: "There are, quite rightly, stringent requirements on staff taking pupils out of school in order to ensure their safety. This has not deterred staff, who continue to take groups of pupils out to a whole host of places. These include a trip to France, days at theme parks and many other educational visits.

"It is an important part of a wide education that these visits take place and I am extremely grateful to so many staff who work within new guidelines continuing to give pupils these opportunities."

My Lythgoe welcomed Jack Bennett, former director of education at Lancashire County Council, to the speech night and praised him for his involvement in the £150million project which is set to overhaul Burnley's high schools in the coming years.

He said: "The next few years are going to be a real period of transition in Burnley as we see existing buildings replaced by fantastic new schools with the most up-to-date facilities and equipment. However, schools are not about buildings and equipment, they are about people and the relationships between those people.

"The concept of education in Burnley is about high quality education in all the individual schools but with collaboration across those schools to increase the opportunities afforded to young people and increase understanding and awareness across different groups of pupils.

"This should ensure the individual needs of pupils across the town are met, regardless of who they are, where they live, or whatever special needs they might have."