IT'S half-term and the time of year when schools take their pupils on trips.

Whether they are on exchange schemes in Germany, art trips to Venice or skiing trips in the Alps, schools take pupils on a wide range of life-enhancing experiences.

Thousands of schoolchildren take part in all manner of trips every year and most pass without incident.

It makes it all the more sad, then, that the minute a child is a casualty the world and his wife decides adventurous trips should be banned.

Ten-year-old Max Palmer was with a group of schoolchildren when he died. However, he was not on the trip as one of their classmates. He went along to accompany his mum, who works at the school.

It has been reported that Max died while copying a teacher and two other children aged 12 and 13 jump down a waterfall and into the pool below. I'm sure the facts will be revealed at the inquest.

Tragedies do happen and for many unexplained reasons. This one has so what now?

If schools were to suddenly cancel all trips for the foreseeable future then imagine the uproar. Parents and children would be outraged that they couldn't go on a trip to give them a different learning experience.

There will always be parents who worry endlessly about the dangers of school trips - but that doesn't mean we should obey their every command.

It's necessary for children to learn away from a school environment. You can't teach children trust, respect and communication skills without some practical guidance.

I'm sure we all have fond memories of school trips. I know I certainly do. I hope children are not stopped from taking the chance to go potholing, abseiling, sailing, orienteering or other outdoor activities because of scaremongering.

There are health and safety guidelines to be followed by schools planning trips. You can bet that they are stringently followed - but even the best-laid plans sometimes go wrong.

A straw poll on the BBC news website had surfers agreeing school trips were safe.

But, at the end of the day, it is for parents to decide whether they trust the school, its teachers - and any other body involved in activities - before allowing their children to participate.

I would hate to think that children are growing up in a world dominated by computers, PlayStations and skateboards who did not have the chance to experience real adrenaline-rushing moments.

Adventure trips are not everyone's cup of tea, but it should be an option.

It's said that lessons are always learnt after school trip accidents. But, following the law of averages, there will always be accidents.

If we were to refuse to do anything that carried an element of risk, where would we be?

Children would not be allowed to cycle to school for fear of being run over. They couldn't walk, either, because they might get abducted.

Buses are out of the question because they sometimes crash, as do cars. Even getting up in the morning poses a risk - but we all do it every day.

School trips are a special part of children's lives. They're all about growing up and children should not be denied that rite of passage.