School trips

totallybored

As the ferry was in the sea would a UK rating of a film apply or a French one? I have no idea how ratings work in France but could it potentially be different.

As someone else mentioned having a coach load of primary children in a cinema would be preferable to have them wandering around a ferry from a safety point.

flora48

Whilst having every regard for the safety of other people's children I just wonder how many parents forgo a glass of wine whilst on holiday, or even at home, especially when the kids are in bed.

I, for one, would not volunteer to take pupils on trip abroad or a residential in this country. School trips are always stressful, overburdened with paperwork, tiring and very time consuming in the planning.

I have led my fair share of trips in the past, both from schools and youth organisations and have always taken the responsibility very seriously. The thing that really got to me was when having taken kids camping all weekend some parents can't even turn up on time to collect them.

Would I do this in today's climate of criticism and compensation...no!!

And for the record I do not drink.

maman

I agree with the poster who said that teachers having a drink isn't that much different from parents doing the same for a bit of down time. This may sound hypocritical but in the teachers' position I'd have had a drink but out of sight of the children so not on the ferry but 'after hours'. So on a residential while I might have had a drink (and crisps and chocolate;)) with colleagues in my own accommodation when the children were in bed I'd still be sober enough to respond if anyone needed me. Not much different to a parent having a drink downstairs while kids are in bed and then one of them calling out for a drink or a tummy ache.


Teachers are considered to be 'in loco parentis' but it would seem that some parents expect them to behave very differently from the average parent.

pollypenny

Our Head considered that it was important for pupils to see that adults could have a drink without going mad.

For some pupils that was an unusual experience.

whodathunkit

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

I doubt very much more teachers than necessary were sent with a school trip. I have never heard of teachers working shifts on a school trip. Other than the ones who sit up over night to keep what on camping.


If they are on a break, they will be back on duty within a very short space on time, the alcohol will be in the system still, rendering it unacceptable.


I have suggested OP contact the school and raise their concerns. I still stick by it

I'm not sure what you mean in this bit - are you saying teachers are expected keep watch all night when taking a camping trip? Surely you can't mean this?

emsywoo123

whodathunkit wrote: »

I'm not sure what you mean in this bit - are you saying teachers are expected keep watch all night when taking a camping trip? Surely you can't mean this?

This is what happens on our school's camping trips.....

Carl31

Spendless wrote: »

They've both been 12A. I took my eldest to see both and he was only 14 earlier this year, which is how I know they aren't a 15.

I answered on the other thread about 12A films, an under 12 can watch them as long as they are accompanied by an adult. When the film goes to dvd format it becomes 12, so that a child can't buy and watch the film alone.

oh ok, i looked it up on IMDB quickly and it said 15, maybe its wrong

georgie262

At the school I work at drinking is not allowed at all on school trips. This is a relatively new rule though brought in aby a new head about 2 years ago. It led to a very strange situation when teacher took a group of sixth formers abroad for a football competition and some students where drinking with their dinner but the teachers were not.

securityguy

"At the school I work at drinking is not allowed at all on school trips."

Staff are also, of course, entitled to tell the school to get stuffed when the call goes out for volunteers.

The alcohol issue is simply puritanism: it's highly unlikely, and in the case of a trip to France almost unimaginable, that a teacher would either have a vehicle they can drive or be licensed or insured to do so with a child in it. And although there will be exceptions, the vast majority of trips to France, especially those involving Year 6 children, are to staffed centres whose employees are also present. The idea that having a glass of wine with dinner places children at risk is simply unhinged. Seeing that adults can drink responsibly is not a bad thing, unless you're some sort of obsessive (or unless you have evidence that teachers have been drunk in front of children).

Mumsnet is full of parents ventilating about school trips. It boils down to them not wanting their precious darlings to be away from them, and looking for "dangers" that "justify" their largely irrational fears.

kathrynha

Never been on a school residential as an adult, but I am a Guide leader, so have experience of taking other peoples children away.

On Guide camps there is sometimes alcohol at night time once the girls are in bed, but there are always at least 2 leaders that don't drink anything, and the others have only a little.
Admittedly we are volunteers, not paid staff like on a school trip, but I'm sure the staff don't get paid extra for the trip, despite the fact their normal working day has been expanded to 24 hours.

If the girls saw the rather giddy behaviour of the leaders at times on camp, they might assume lots of alcohol has been consumed (and potentially incorrectly report it back to parents), but it is just adults having a laugh.

The film would definitely be more of an issue for me. I know when we have been on long coach trips we would never show anything that any of the group were too young for, and we make parents aware that a selection of PG's will be shown, and only had one parent wanting to check the list of possible films.