school trips

[dulwichgirl2]

I'm pondering this as a friend's daughter went to China last year at 10 and I thought that very young to be so far away. At what age would you let your son or daughter join a week long school trip abroad? I'm intrigued....

[suniil]

daughter is in Year 6, she never been to school trips! Yesterday the class had head teacher briefing on tour which will happen next month. Hearing she is not going he just said "what a shame!". (6)

[dulwichgirl2]

I am loth to criticise the head's statement but I do feel it is not the right response for a number of reasons, I am afraid!

[trevone64]

18 years if it was that far!!!

[tiddles]

both of my children had the most amazing time on their year six school trips, however there were a couple of kids who did not want to go and so they were not forced. I think if your children are really anxious then it is not fair to push them - they will go when they are good and ready. However if it is the parents who dont' want to let their children go for whatever reason, then I think that is unfair and they are doing their child a disservice. I should add that if it is due to financial reasons then fair enough - they are getting quite pricey nowadays - altho most schools do have a system for accommodating financial hardship.

[suniil]

Yes, In our case it was my decision but discussed with daughter before.

tiddles Wrote:

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> if it is the parents who dont' want to let their

> children go for whatever reason, then I think that

> is unfair and they are doing their child a

> disservice.

[womanofdulwich]

I think a lot of schools do it in year 6. Some children don't like it- but I think you usually know about it years in advance and can build up to it with sleepovers etc.

A very small number of children don't want to go, but as a parent I can't think of a single reason to say no! ?

[Pasta]

I'm with trevone64, 18 years old! I can't even bear france in year 6!

[dulwichgirl2]

Womanofdulwich, I think my friend feared for basic things like the lo's safety. Obviously at ten, she cannot really fend for herself and you do hear of awful things. That was her concern. Statistically, and logically, of course, bad things are not likely to happen but the maternal instinct does not necessarily run on numbers. (Mine doesn't anyway..)

[prickle]

Really interesting to hear about people's take on yr 6 trips. I thought they were more or less compulsory. Having said that I would not dream of telling my kids not to go. Its a really important bonding experience and a rites of passage. 10 or 11 is not such a young age, time for them to become a little more independent, ready for secondary school.

A little different if the child doesn't want to go, but I would take this a signal that all isn't right with him/her and the school. Would then try to do my utmost to ensure that all is sorted so that they can go and have a great time!

As to catastrophic things happening on trips, may be we should take what we hear on the media with a little sense of proportion.

ETA A trip to China is quite another matter. Not in terms of safety or interest, but simply the cost of it!

Edited to correct spelling :-$

[womanofdulwich]

Certainly it is seen as a rites of passage thing in year 6. Especially if it is an activities holiday at say Arathusa.

When children are at senior school it is often trips to France, and a trip that is uk based is much better as an introduction. Children that want to go really blossom. I wonder if its a bit of a strange message to give your child- if they are the only one held back for this reason. All the ones I know that don't go are either because they have been naughty or too homesick/clingy. But then it happened at my school 30 years ago too- we went to L0ndon from South Wales for 4 days- wow- we got to watch plnaes landing at Heathrow for a morning - wow!! We got lost on Hampton Court maze- wow- met a real French person- wow! ( it was mind blowing to us).

[dulwichgirl2]

The counter argument of course is that thirty years ago the world was a safer place.

I would certainly be asking in depth about the arrangements in terms of adult ratios, sleeping floors, balconies, locks, first aiders on the trip, practise of drills etc., before agreeing. Having children has shown me that the majority of the time they behave predictably and as per instrcutions but not always.

Edited to remove basic schoolgirl error - practice and practise

[Sanne Panne]

Bit of a cliche maybe but was the world a safer place 30 years ago or are we just more aware of (and obsess more over) the dangers now? Weren't the more likely dangers (car accidents, abuse) the same back then and are we just more informed about the freak stuff (abduction, school shootings) via the media?

Not that the answer makes the world a safer place and I'm certainly among the mildly obsessive wrt safety but I sometimes wonder if the good old times were really so much better in that respect.

[gebbjane]

I'm with you sanne panne - I don't think there are any more dangers now than there were back then. I even think it could be safer now, surely the amount of risk assessments the school would gave done in terms of adult ratios, first aiders, locks etc....were these things even done back 30 years ago or when I went on my school trip age 11, 28 years ago?

[dulwichgirl2]

We know more about them to be sure but there is an underlying increase in crime too. There are more people with mental health issues out and about without any support owing to govt cutbacks. There are more cars around than 30 years ago. There are, at its most terrifying, more organised paedophile rings around owing to computers disseminating information faster. There are fewer adults looking out for children - people now tend to focus on their own families. Seldom do you hear a non parent tellig off another child and almost never would an adult discipline a child who is not their own nowadays. All of this does lead to children being more at risk. Of course the school assessments are done but I fear largely box ticking exercises which have replaced common sense and caring.

So if the world is more dangerous but probably not as much as is made out, are we overreacting? I don't know.

[sillywoman]

Yes ;)

[suniil]

28 years ago, there was no Internet or Facebook!

gebbjane Wrote:

were these things even done back 30 years

> ago or when I went on my school trip age 11, 28

> years ago?

[prickle]

So this is the question, if organised school trips are not safe enough, when do you allow your children to go away without you for the first time?

[suniil]

Can't say directly on Public forum, but in few days time daughter goes away for National Youth Choir of GB residential course of 5 days.

prickle Wrote:

> when do you allow your

> children to go away without you for the first

> time?

[prickle]

What is NYCGB? And why is it safer than a school trip?

[suniil]

Edited the above post FYI,

prickle Wrote:

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> What is NYCGB? And why is it safer than a school

> trip?