The Daily Echo 15 February 2007

Written by Sandra Gidley MP on Thu 15th Feb 2007

I was shocked to read in last week's Echo that the Stubbington Study Centre is under threat of closure.

My two children were both lucky enough to spend a week there and both gained a huge amount from the experience despite being very different children. I can particularly remember the palpable excitement of my son. Usually he was reluctant to talk about the school day but on parent's night at Stubbington we couldn't stop him talking as he was so enthusiastic about all he had experienced.

For some children the hands on Stubbington experience will be the start of a life long interest in the natural world. With the threats facing us on a global scale the natural world needs all the allies it can get. I also can't help thinking that prompting an interest in anything other than computer games can only be a good thing.

The threatened closure of the centre is happening at a time when the number of school organised trips, at a national level, is declining but I am well aware that many local schools still offer a good range.

The reasons for the decline in organised trips are many and various but the regulatory burden on the school teachers who organise events has not helped. In an increasingly risk averse society increasing insurance rates also act as a deterrent.

I read the article on a day when I had woken up to the news that many schools in the Midlands were closed because of snow. I can't help feeling that this will produce a generation of adults who think it is perfectly acceptable to take a day off work if weather conditions are poor.

In my childhood if the weather was icy we tried to make "slides" on the school playground. I suspect that isn't allowed to happen today. We went off to the local woods and made shelters, trying to emulate the escapades of the Famous Five. And I can remember Mr Brown. He was a rather charismatic teacher who used to organise Sunday cycle trips. It was Mr Brown and thirty odd children with a packed lunch each. No parental approval slips, no risk assessment and it was great fun. It wouldn't happen today.

In today's controlled world Stubbington Study Centre allows children to experience something new and rather wonderful. Education is not just about SATs and league tables it is about preparation for life and providing new experiences. I urge Hampshire County Council to "Save Stubbington".

Published with kind permission of The Daily Echo