Gateshead school fined after taking students on dangerous mountain hike
A school in Gateshead has been fined £30,000 after taking its students on a dangerous mountain hike in the Lake District.
The group of 13 Year 10 pupils from The Gateshead Cheder were on an organised trip to Helvellyn in the Lake District in 5 March 2020, led by one teacher and a teaching assistant.
Weather conditions on the day were cold and icy, and despite reviewing weather reports, which stressed the dangers of ascending above the snow line, the school decided the trip should still go ahead as planned.
Their route included ascending from Wythburn via Birk Side, and descending Helvellyn via Browncove Crags.
The group of schoolchildren had to be rescued by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) from Helvellyn after becoming stranded in winter conditions.
Newcastle Magistrates’ Court also heard that despite the conditions many of the school children did not have suitable equipment, a number of them were wearing school shoes and school trousers; and others were wearing trainers.
The adults leading the trip had no formal qualifications in mountain leadership or any experience of mountain environments in winter conditions. The party had a map but relied on a smartphone app as a compass.
During their ascent, at least two members of the public warned the Gateshead Cheder party to turn back, but the group continued their ascent and managed to reach the summit of Helvellyn without incident.
However, as the party made their descent, they inadvertently ventured off the path and unknowingly began heading towards a section of steep terrain featuring vertical rock faces of around 20 metres in height.
While descending one of the pupils slid on the ice and fell several metres sustaining minor cuts. This caused another pupil to panic and run from the group down the mountain.
The two adults remained with the injured pupil and the other school children. By this time, it had begun to get dark and the temperature was dropping.
The party were eventually located and rescued by KMRT, who cut steps into the snow to assist the party back to the path and down the mountain. The other pupil was lucky enough to make it back down the mountain and was found by members of the public.
The school was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £181 and costs of £4,574.90.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Garner said:
“On this occasion, none of the party came to serious harm, however, the school were aware of the weather and ground conditions, but decided to proceed without the appropriate planning, equipment, or suitably trained leaders. Those taking part in the trek that day were placed in serious danger and there was a clear failing by the school to adopt sensible precautions to ensure their safety.
“Excursions into mountains, particularly in winter, need to be led by people with the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience. If a school does not have access to the necessary expertise in house, then licensed Adventure Activities providers are available to manage the technical aspects of this type of trekking activity.”
He added: “This incident was entirely avoidable. HSE recognises the benefits of outdoor learning activities including those involving hiking or trekking in mountain environments, however schools need to take sensible and proportionate measures to control the risks involved. This trip should not have gone ahead without such measures in place.”
A spokesman for the school said: “The health and safety of our pupils and staff is always of the utmost importance. We have clear and robust safety measures in place but, on this occasion we appreciate that mistakes were made.
"As such, we fully accept the Court’s judgement. We have conducted a thorough investigation into what happened two years ago and have made a number improvements to our health and safety policy and practice. This includes a thorough review of our risk assessment policies and procedures."