School Trip

patchwork_cat

Bit of a rant really. DD has an activity week at school which we have paid for - it is an absolutely excellent idea and I really support it. They have 2 days of school based days and art day and a science day then 1 day at a local activity centre abseiling etc. Then 2 days out 1 at Chester Zoo and 1 at Alton Towers.

Today is Chester Zoo day, well it would be only my DD's coasch went to Alton Towers! The teachers didn't notice until 10 minutes from Alton Towers after nearly 3 hours on the road going south instead of west!! :cool:

They are now also going to stop for lunch (probably govt rules regarding rest breaks) and so the kids will get 3 hours at Chester Zoo whilst all 5 other coaches get 6 hours there. School have said it isn't their problem it is the coach... which it is, but what on earth where the teachers doing for 3 hours not noticing they were on the wrong motorway?

Have asked school to look into what on earth were the teachers doing, but they are accepting no responsibility and blaming the coach company.Would you complain formally to school?

Guess that means £50 shelled out in the summer holidays on another trip to Chester Zoo to make up to one VERY disappointed 12 year old.

SammiD

In the teachers defence most motorways all look the same! As passengers they probably weren't paying much attention to what motorway they were getting on.

patchwork_cat

Just phoned my DD and whilst on the phone the teacher started anouncing that she would put a DVD on and got the kids all going - guess what she hadn't got a DVD! So she said oh we will do a general knowledge quiz -- well I do hope there are no GEography questions, because the teacher will get them wrong.

To top it all after nearly 4 hours my DD is starting to feel quite sick.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I wouldn't have a go at the school, but I would expect them to secure a full refund of all monies in respect of the coach fee.

patchwork_cat

SammiD wrote: »

In the teachers defence most motorways all look the same! As passengers they probably weren't paying much attention to what motorway they were getting on.

Are you a driver Sammi? As a driver I am always driving even when a passenger - move over Mrs Bucket! 2 hours on the M1 is quite different to the M62. I do think the school is partly culpable.

Millie's_Mum

I would be furious too.

I understand the School saying that its down to the coach company but the school ought to be pursuing some sort of recompense on behalf of you all.

If its just happened today the school probably haven't made any decisions about what they are going to do about it, I'd wait and see to the end of the week and then if nothing seems to be happening I would formally complain, its very unfair for the children involved and as you say there must have been some other adults on the coach who would surely have realised they were going the wrong way, Which region of the country are you in? From where I am you would go in completely different directions and it would be fairly obvious they were going the wrong way, at 12 I'm surprised none of the kids noticed.

patchwork_cat

Yes fair enough Millie's mum I am knee jerking, I know yes I need to give them a chance. Yes completely different directions, TBH I said to OH I thought my DD would probably have noticed before the teacher, I will ask her if she thought it was odd the way they were going - we are very close to you.

SammiD

Yes I am a driver, and have been for many years.
The teachers were probably more interested in keeping an eye on the coach load of pupils rather than keeping an eye on the road. A coach company is hired cos the school trusts the coach company to get them to where they want to go safely and on time. The coach company have messed up, not the school.
I agree with Jojo that the school should defo be looking to the coach company for some kind of compensation or reimbursement, but I dont think its fair to blame the teachers. They were doing their job - watching the kids. The driver was doing his - driving ... albeit in the wrong direction!

lucylucky

The school should be looking to get the cost of the trip back from the coach company and refund all parents their money - IMHO

Curlywurli

I've been on lots of trips with the children. If I'd been there before I'd know that I was going in the right or wrong direction, if I hadn't been- well I wouldn't have a clue. As someone said parents trust us to look after their children and we have to trust coach companies to get us there. I never read the road signs, I'm normally turning around the other way, making sure that they're not undoing their seatbelts and not sitting with their legs in the aisle.

System

didnt the coaches travel in convoy ? didnt anyone notice one was missing ?