Scottish Parent Teacher Council

Key points
• Teacher led 39 girls up mountain without map, compass or proper clothing
• School issued apology to parents and pledges to investigate incident
• Mountain rescue team hit out at the actions of the teacher

Key quote
"I don’t blame the kids, but the teacher seemed totally unaware of how tragic this could have been" - John Allen, rescue team leader

Story in full A TEACHER who led a party of 39 teenage girls into the Cairngorms without a map, compass or adequate clothing is to face an inquiry by her school, which says the incident was a "catalogue of errors".

The unnamed teacher, who could face disciplinary action, has been condemned by police, mountain rescue leaders and education officials for putting her own and the girls’ lives at risk by "breaking every rule in the book".

The school has apologised and says that it will investigate the incident and overhaul its procedures for trips.

The girls, aged between 16 and 18, from the Beth Jacob Seminary for Girls, a private Jewish school in London, were accompanied by four teachers on a three-day visit to the area.

However, only one member of staff was with the girls when they decided to climb 2,500ft Meall a Bhuachaille on Wednesday and became disorientated on the mist-covered summit.

The teacher used a mobile phone to raise the alarm at 4:30pm and asked a bus driver to drive up the mountain to fetch them.

She later requested a helicopter.

The party came off the hill three hours later with the help of members of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, who were appalled at how ill-equipped the group were.

They found the girls, one of whom is believed to have a heart condition, wearing trainers and skirts, with some using bin-liners to shelter from the cold, wind and rain.

It was also revealed that the group had ignored advice not to go into the hills due to the weather conditions.

As the group caught a train back to London yesterday, John Allen, the leader of the rescue team, strongly criticised the teacher’s actions.

He said: "I don’t blame the kids, but the teacher seemed totally unaware of how tragic this could have been.

"We thought this situation was so appalling we should speak out in the hope the message gets south of the Border that just because we are in a national park it is not a walk in the park.

"The teacher did not have a map or a compass. I didn’t see one adequate waterproof jacket, and none of the girls had waterproof trousers. I don’t understand why she was on her own with so many kids. She broke every rule in the book."

A week ago the team helped to rescue two 14-year-old boys who were suffering from hypothermia in the Cairngorms after encountering snow and strong winds at a lower altitude than the girls were at.

Mr Allen said: "The girls were higher than last week’s situation, and that puts the seriousness of this incident into perspective."

Richard Eccles, the warden of the Nethy House hostel where the girls were staying, said he had tried to warn them against going into the mountains.

"I was concerned about the weather in the Cairngorms," he said, "but I can just give advice, and they were determined to do their own thing."

Ron Christie, Highland Council’s outdoor education officer, said the girls should have been accompanied by four to five staff and had waterproof clothing and suitable footwear. They should also have had maps and compasses, and a risk assessment of their route should have been carried out beforehand.

He said: "I thought we had passed the stage of groups going out ill-equipped, without knowing the area, not carrying a compass. It is incredible it’s still happening."

The teacher was also criticised by Judith Gillespie, of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, who said the incident was "as shocking as it gets".

The teacher at the centre of the row refused to comment yesterday, but one of the girls said: "At the time we were a bit worried when we were lost in the mist, but it cleared up and we were fine. I don’t see what the fuss is all about."

Rabbi Benyomin Dunner, the head of the 130-pupil Beth Jacob Seminary in Hackney, apologised to parents and said the school would be holding an immediate inquiry. He also praised the rescue team.

He said: "This has been a very difficult time for all of us at Beth Jacob. On this occasion, our normal procedures governing school trips were not in place."

Shimon Cohen, a spokesman for the school, said the incident had been a "catalogue of errors". Asked if the teacher was likely to be disciplined, he said: "We will hold an inquiry and what happens will happen."

Constable Keith Hunter, of Northern Constabulary at Aviemore, said the teacher had been spoken to.

He added: "She was given advice about the dangerous position in which she put herself and the girls in her charge."

Morris MacLeod, the duty sergeant at Aviemore police station, also warned that the outcome might not have been as favourable.

"What they did was rather irresponsible," he said. "Their clothing wasn’t suitable for what they were doing and it was too big a party. To take a group up the hill like that, you really have to have a good ratio between the adults and children, and one to 39 simply isn’t."

Teacher led girls to danger on peaks