SCHOOL trips are under threat after a teacher was jailed for the manslaughter of a ten-year-old pupil who drowned on an outing, unions warned last night.

But the region's biggest education authority insisted it wants schools to allow children to take advantage of activities outside the classroom.

Durham County Council has issued a comprehensive guide to teachers at all its 306 schools and hundreds of youth groups - a "beefed-up" version of a booklet it has produced in the past.

The move comes after the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) re-issued its guidance on school trips following a spate of accidents.

A council spokesman said it had drawn together its existing guidelines and the latest supplementary advice from the DfES and combined it with almost £50,000 of training for teachers responsible for trips.

John Mitcheson, PE Inspector for the authority, said: "No serious incidents or accidents have occurred on our educational visits in recent years because teachers and other adults taking groups into outdoor environments plan effectively and ensure pupils remain safe throughout the visit.

"We are not seeking to reduce participation in outdoor education, but to encourage safe practice."

Teaching unions, however, warned that the case of drowning victim Max Palmer could prompt staff to refuse to take pupils on educational and outdoor activity trips.

Max's teacher, Paul Ellis, who admitted manslaughter yesterday, was a member of the NASUWT, the only union which advises its members against taking trips.

Officials from other unions said they hoped children would not suffer from a ban, but admitted teachers might be afraid to take the risk.

Teesside teacher Sue Percival, a national executive member of the NASUWT, said: "Over the years there have been an awful lot of disasters and accidents and people will jump on the bandwagon and blame the teachers for it.

"We always say to members 'whatever you are doing with young people you must carry out a risk assessment' but our policy is firm on educational visits and it states we should not be partaking in them."

Teacher jailed - Page 3