A MEMBER of staff is to be appointed in all York primary and secondary schools to assess the risk of school trips, in a bid to avoid tragedies like one which claimed the lives of two Leeds girls in a North Yorkshire river.

Each school is to have an educational visits co-ordinator (EVC), as part of plans by the DfES to step up safety on educational visits. A new post will also be created by the City of York Council to advise the individual co-ordinators. David Aked, education health and safety adviser at the City of York Council, said: "The post holder will support, advise and monitor schools activities with regard to the planning, organisation, and management of educational visits, ensuring that schools are aware of, and follow best practice."

The schools' individual co-ordinators will be responsible for carrying out detailed risk assessments for planned visits.

Schools are not expected to fund a new post, but the role will be given to either the head teacher or another teacher with a keen interest in educational visits.

Mr Aked said: "In many secondary schools this role will have already been identified. It does not mean, however, that the school should create and fund a new post.

"Rather, that formal recognition of the EVC will help to fulfil the health and safety management obligations the school had for educational visits."

Over recent years a number of tragedies have taken place on school trips, including the deaths in 2000 of Rochelle Cauvet and Hannah Black, from Leeds, after they were swept away in a beck north of Settle. The new requirements are in addition to guidance already given to schools, which includes a good practice guide and one for carrying out risk assessments.

Plans are in the pipeline for a city-wide panel of educational visits co-ordinators which will share information regarding trips.

City of York councillors will be asked to approve the appointment of an educational visits co-ordinator at a meeting at the Guildhall, on Thursday.

Updated: 11:07 Tuesday, January 14, 2003