Teenage pupils were rescued from a mountain in freezing conditions after being led to the summit by a teacher inexperienced at climbing, a court heard.
A group of 13 Year 10 pupils from Gateshead Cheder were on a trip to Helvellyn, in the Lake District, when they became stranded.
Schoolchildren, some of whom were wearing their school shoes and trousers, had to be rescued by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team in cold and icy conditions.
Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard one pupil was injured after slipping on ice and that at least two members of the public warned the group to turn back during their ascent.
Rescuers were scrambled during the group’s descent, when they inadvertently ventured off the path to head towards a section of steep terrain of around 20 metres in height.
Two adults leading the expedition, a teacher and teaching assistant, had no mountaineering experience and relied on a smartphone app as a compass, the court was told.
It is understood the trek was organised as part of an outdoor learning activity in March 2020.
The school was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £4,547 in costs after it pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
‘Entirely avoidable’ incident
Speaking after the hearing, Stephen Garner, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said the incident was “entirely avoidable”. He urged schools to take “sensible and proportionate measures” for trips involving trekking.
“On this occasion, none of the party came to serious harm,” he said. “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.”
