Heads 'declare war on red tape'

Documents on health and safety in schools and risk assessments for outdoor trips have grown to excessive proportions, the National Association of Head Teachers said.

Mick Brookes, NAHT general secretary, urged his members not to complete forms which were not legal requirements and which added little to the education of pupils.

He said teachers were suffering from bureaucratic "overkill" when filling in required risk assessment forms before taking pupils on school trips.

"We want to make sure that school trips are safe," he said.

"Pre-visits are important. But the truth is it's much safer taking children on school trips than it is for families taking children to the seaside, for instance."

He said headteachers had to grapple with endless forms on health and safety, such as asbestos surveys, and one NAHT member was confronted with an enormous questionnaire on disabled access.

Mr Brookes warned that many headteachers were being driven out of the job because the burden of red tape had become too much.