Thoughts on 9 year old going abroad on school trip ?

You seem paranoid- please turn off Fox News and talk to a therapist.

Walking alone to school - does it not depend on the route?

Trunk roads, or quiet secluded areas where there are not many people around, would be a worry for me.

And, children don't all develop at the same rate. One size does not fit all.

One of my grandsons went on his first foreign trip without his parents at age 4 - to South Africa (with a close family friend), and was quite happy to leave them behind - but now, at age 15 doesn't really like to travel anywhere without them!

Way too young to be going abroad.

I haven’t read all 9 pages of comments so don’t know if this has already been suggested, but you could ask the school for a copy of the risk assessment that they would have done for this trip. Then you can see the adult to child ratio and all the other things that you are worrying about. You can bet your bottom dollar that if you’ve thought of all the risks then so have they.

icanhandthemback oh that’s awful, poor girl.

We had a family of three children and they all had psychological problems.

The girl in particular, was a nervous wreck. She had multiple phobias. She was absolutely hysterical once due to a photo of a crocodile in a SATS paper.
I had to be one to one with her when we went to Twycross Zoo.

We were all convinced that their issues were because they were ingesting so much cannabis through secondary smoking.

Otherwise, they were really well loved and looked after.

On my first school trip as a teacher, we had a child who had to be returned home as she was suffering drug withdrawal symptoms; she was 11. It was kept very hush, hush as you would expect, Fannycornforth so I get what you are saying about parents.

FannyCornforth

Witzend I’ll tell you a secret.
Someone had a tattoo on a school trip to Paris, when they were 14.
Her mother was livid

Oh FannyCornforth do tell 😉

Drina01

..re the park - it’s been reported.
Perhaps my solution …. Get a ticket on the same flight and book into the same hotel 😎

By the sound of this school, if you did that you would be barred from even picking her up at 4pm! My experience was odd. One son went skiing aged 10, cried every night and wasn't allowed to phone home. He hated every minute in the snow. The second one did the same trip the next year and loved it. If they won't disclose the teacher/pupil ratio, that's a red flag. I really don't think having 9 yr olds practice walking alone just so they are OK with it is abysmal. Between bad driving and flashers, roads aren't safe nowadays. Not surprising you don't send kids out to play any more.

Agree. I would not be at all happy for my 9 year old granddaughter to go overseas on a school trip. Too many variables that can go wrong and then it’s too late.

sat her

FannyCornforth

Oh, and the Sick Bucket on the coach! 😱

My very first flight was when I was about 19, it was a bumpy ride due to a storm. The young girl next to me, who was about 11, vomited on and off all the way there. Her parents had very cleverly sat here in the row behind them so were sitting in front of us, seemingly oblivious as I helped her, soothed her, found more sick bags etc.

Any excuse . I've been retired quite a while and would love to see respect and acknowledgement that teachers do do a good job. No wonder there is misbehaviour in school when attitudes prevalent in some posters here are relayed to their grandchildren.
Yes school trips are lots of prep, reports,hard work, long hours .Some are now less prevalent because of all the paperwork etc involved .I can tell you that the thank you notes and letters meant a lot.I know I wasn't happy having to wait over an hour for one student to be collected on return from a trip abroad.

Oh, and the Sick Bucket on the coach! 😱

Icanhandthemback we’d avoid getting the parents involved at all costs!

The ‘good’ parents would have been horrified at some of the things that went on; while the parents who were most keen to come had to be watched like a hawk.

They’d be on all the rides and sneaking off for a fag at every available opportunity.

I also remember always being on gift shop duty (an absolute nightmare with the Y2s) while my fellow teacher spent the entire time browsing for gifts for himself, his girlfriend and their kids 🙄

Happy memories!😃

FannyCornforth

The usual, ignorant, teacher bashing nonsense 🙄

Yes. I came back exhausted each time from school trips where you were up at the crack of gnadgers, late to bed because you were on duty sorting out devilry or filling out the log of everything that happened plus having to join in on all of the events. One of those trips I was 7 months pregnant and it nearly killed me.

Very often, schools look for volunteers to join them...perhaps the naysayers could get vetted and try it out for themselves so they can see just how exhausting it can be.

Nannan2

Well then, Icanhandthemback- maybe its time for the teachers to start putting their foot down and saying NO to these trips then, is'nt it? It cant be all bad or no teachers would volunteer, or agree, to go would they?! I suppose your GN name says it all really.....😐🙄

Exactly what is that supposed to mean regarding my user name?

In certain teaching establishments these trips are expected of you as a teacher and you don't climb the greasy ladder if you say no. I should imagine such trips abroad are more akin with Public School that State but even in State Schools saying "no" to a trip was a big black mark. It takes everybody to take a stand and that rarely happens.

Drina My little GD went on a school trip to London last week, to see the Golden Hind ship and then a walk along the embankment and have their packed lunch there. She is only 4yrs and a right little monkey, runs off if you don't watch her like a hawk. My D was very, very worried and so was I. She went and actually arrived back home safe and happy and very tired.

My other GD is 8yrs [on Monday] and I could not imagine for a second her going abroad on a school trip, think her mum would have a heart attack just at reading the school note about it and so would I.

Witzend I’ll tell you a secret.
Someone had a tattoo on a school trip to Paris, when they were 14.
Her mother was livid

You’d have to pay me an awful lot to accompany a school trip.
A friend’s dd was a geography teacher, so often accompanied field trips, sometimes abroad.

There were always issues - the (teen) kids smuggling alcohol in and getting drunk among others, but the worst she had to deal with was one of the little sods nicking something from an airport shop shortly before they were due to board the flight home - and being caught! It took a lot of pleading with the local police to let him go - would have been a complete nightmare otherwise.

Needless to say there were major consequences once he was home.

Thank you. I really miss my old school. Our lovely head retired and everything changed.
It doesn’t really exist anymore

Well then, you too would be appreciated FannyCornforth for the often extra work back at the Fort (covering duties etc).

I bet that you were a wonderful Head Joseann 💕

Chocolatelovinggran yes, people really don’t appreciate how incredibly hard most teachers work.
They wouldn’t believe it.

Joseann I’m one of the rare ones who didn’t really enjoy any trips (apart from those which involved animals or museums).
A colleague once said ‘you don’t enjoy the fun stuff, do you’
When I started having problems with my legs, it gave me a good get out clause.
I’d prefer to stay at school and do the ‘boring’ stuff 😃

I wish these arguments wouldn't always centre around teachers' pay and number of hours worked. Most teachers participating in these trips are doing it for the childrens' benefit, and actually ENJOY it.

There are some "free" teacher places offered by the holiday company, but the cost is obviously included in the children's places.

I always recognised the value of teachers accompanying trips, especially abroad. I gave them a day or two off in lieu, offered their own children a free place on the trip, bought them all a bottle in the duty free on the way home and thanked them profusely in front of the parents on speech day. but then, as a Headteacher, I'm a saint as someone said earlier!

Ouch FC and growstuff, I agree: so glad to have retired! My son in law spent last weekend camping away from his family ( again) to enable his students to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh award. He did this after school on Friday and returned to his teaching duties on Monday. No pay and his petrol food etc self funded. Sigh..