School trips

Say_who?

I don't want to make a big deal about anything but I'm curious as to what people think about something. Basically my daughter went on a school trip to France recently and came home saying that the teachers had been drinking alcohol and she'd been encouraged to watch the hunger games on the ferry back (she's in year 6).

I mentioned this on another thread about a school trip and the feed back was along the lines of be grateful the teachers are prepared to give up their time to staff the trip.

I have a lot of respect for teachers in general, my husband works in education and my sister is a teacher. I know how hard they work but I can't help but feel they shouldn't be drinking when in charge of other peoples children.

I was talking to some other parents about the trip today and they were horrified. What does mse think?

74jax

I'm guessing it wasn't all the teachers? It maybe that they had over the necessary amount of adults to children?

I know my DDs trips tended to have governors and members of the PTA to help cover, could this be the case maybe?

Carl31

If the kids were in bed for the night, then I don't see the problem, I imagine they were just having a beer or glass of wine in the evening, I doubt they were getting plastered during the day while with the the kids

re the movie. Isn't it a kids film?

edit - no, the original hunger games is a 15 rated movie, hence I think there should be concern about that

daisiegg

I work in a secondary school so it is maybe slightly different but I know when colleagues go on residential trips, sometimes some of them will have a drink. It will be very strictly planned for and they will take it in turns to be 'off duty' to an extent. So, if say there are five adults on the trip there may be evenings when two of them have a glass of wine with dinner, but the other three don't and they will be the ones who would 'take charge' if a crisis happened or something. They will swap around. They'd never have more than one small drink with a meal, though.

Can't comment on the Hunger Games as I haven't seen it except to say that I am pretty sure the vast majority of our Y7 girls have already seen/read it before getting to secondary school. Also I'd question what she means by 'encouraged' to watch it. That could mean anything. It could also be entirely untrue!

74jax

Also regarding the film, I think it's a PG? But I would guess it would be easier tocontrol lots of kids if they were all confined together, ie watching a film .

building_with_lego

I think that there's a difference between having a glass of wine with lunch on the ferry and knocking back tequila all night.

I saw your post on the other thread and wondered about the context- these are teachers on their way home after a (presumably successful) trip, with all children still alive and uninjured after a lovely time away. If they decided to relax a little with a wine with a meal that really is a very different situation to them drinking to get drunk while raving the night away.

I'm not sure what to say about the Hunger Games- perhaps that is the sort of thing which would/ should be run past the parents if the teachers had known about it. (My eldest is in Y5 and we are notified about PG films, with the option to withdraw the child if we wish to.)

moomoomama27

It depends......was it a glass of wine with a meal, or were they drinking a lot just for the heck of it?

I think I would be concerned if it were the latter. It really goes against safeguarding rules, and the teachers in question should know better! This is assuming it was not in their free time ( I.e after the children had been out to bed/ going to bed).

I would always err on the side of caution when a child tells me anything. They do tend to over exaggerate, and what could have, in reality, been a glass of wine with dinner ( encouraged from a young age in France), suddenly turns I to, in a child's view, as an almighty p!ss up!!

fin7

When my daughter was in year six and went to France she actually got a member of staff to buy a bottle of French cider to bring home as a gift!

I was mortified to be honest, she'd only told the staff that mum loves cider! I have a glass of cider about once in a month!

Counting_Pennies_2

I think you should speak to the school and ask them for the rules for school trips.


To me drinking alcohol and showing children movies that are of a rating higher than their age is unacceptable and should be raised as an issue for future trips.


We have a dvd club once a term at school and the children are not allowed to watch a movie of a rating higher than their age.


That after all is what the ratings are for.


Alcohol impairs reaction and that is why people are advised not to drink and drive. I think looking after a gaggle of children is equal to the concentration required for driving a car, so I also think it unacceptable.


Teachers are good to give their time to trips, but that does not mean they can ignore rules that are in place for a good reason.


Ask to see the school's policy, then right a letter to the school copying in the governors. If other parents agree with you, try writing a letter for you all to sign
The school should have

ViolaLass

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

I think you should speak to the school and ask them for the rules for school trips.


To me drinking alcohol and showing children movies that are of a rating higher than their age is unacceptable and should be raised as an issue for future trips.


Alcohol impairs reaction and that is why people are advised not to drink and drive. I think looking after a gaggle of children is equal to the concentration required for driving a car, so I also think it unacceptable.

But you don't know that the teachers spotted having a drink were on duty at that point. As other posters have pointed out, it's entirely possible that they were enjoying some time off (while other teachers were in charge).

pinkshoes

Teachers drink in school trips, usually when the kids have gone to bed, But... There is always two members of staff who do not drink anything, who are responsible should they be needed.