Another what would you do...

skattykatty

A former secondary school teacher here. I believe it IS a safeguarding issue. I don't care if the school was just a road away from the train station. When we take on the responsibility of accompanying people's children on trips, it is accepted that we will be with those children every step of the way up to the point at which as parent has said it is okay for that child to go on alone. This is not only for the child's safety and wellbeing, you understand, it is also to cover ourselves!

IF the child was on the list, had clearly paid the £7 to be on the list for the trip, why the teacher couldn't cough up £2 there and then and then sort it out later is beyond me. At the end of the day, however badly the letter was worded - you paid for the trip, he was on the teacher's list for the trip, the fact that the teacher didn't take him because of £2 oversight (as you'd clearly paid up for travel) is ridiculous.

Yes, by all means support your child to develop skills that will enable him to manage these situations, but at 11 he is still a child and it was the adult's responsibility to sort it out, whether the child was born on 31st August or 1st September makes no difference. If it was HIS teacher, how come she doesn't know him well enough to understand that the situation may be confusing for him? Am actually quite angry about this!!!

Edited to say: if a child says I have to go home or I can't go on the trip anymore, as a teacher, I would CHECK this out with the parent. You don't just let a child walk off like that. Phew...will now try and calm down.

bylromarha

skattykatty wrote: »

A former secondary school teacher here. I believe it IS a safeguarding issue. I don't care if the school was just a road away from the train station. When we take on the responsibility of accompanying people's children on trips, it is accepted that we will be with those children every step of the way up to the point at which as parent has said it is okay for that child to go on alone. This is not only for the child's safety and wellbeing, you understand, it is also to cover ourselves!

IF the child was on the list, had clearly paid the £7 to be on the list for the trip, why the teacher couldn't cough up £2 there and then and then sort it out later is beyond me. At the end of the day, however badly the letter was worded - you paid for the trip, he was on the teacher's list for the trip, the fact that the teacher didn't take him because of £2 oversight (as you'd clearly paid up for travel) is ridiculous.

Yes, by all means support your child to develop skills that will enable him to manage these situations, but at 11 he is still a child and it was the adult's responsibility to sort it out, whether the child was born on 31st August or 1st September makes no difference. If it was HIS teacher, how come she doesn't know him well enough to understand that the situation may be confusing for him? Am actually quite angry about this!!!

Edited to say: if a child says I have to go home or I can't go on the trip anymore, as a teacher, I would CHECK this out with the parent. You don't just let a child walk off like that. Phew...will now try and calm down.

Calm down - you sound worse than I was last night!

The teacher taking the trip was unknown to my son - he thinks it was the head of department but couldn't remember her name as she hadn't taught him before.

skattykatty

Hahahahaha!

I remember how excited I would be to take kids out on trips, for them to experience stuff, but at the same time how anxious I would be to keep them safe. So I suppose what happened to your son just stuns me. And a head of department? Goodness.

It's great you found your rational self in order to communicate with the school. I would, at some point be curious to learn what they did with the £9 you did pay for the trip; how come they seem to have no idea of who paid for what (that's something one would chase up and be clear about way before the day of the trip); and their safeguarding/risk assessment processes.

peachyprice

bylromarha wrote: »

Maybe it is time to get him a basic mobile? - he has one. As stated before, he isn't allowed it in school or to and from school. We believe it's important to show him we follow the rules.

Really? You know the school can't stop him using a phone to and from school don't you? They can only insist it is put away and off in school.

I think it's time you let him put the phone in his school bag. What's the point of him having one otherwise?

bylromarha

peachyprice wrote: »

Really? You know the school can't stop him using a phone to and from school don't you? They can only insist it is put away and off in school.

I think it's time you let him put the phone in his school bag. What's the point of him having one otherwise?

They are clear. No phones at all in the school day. Full stop. "No negotiation. These are our rules and we expect you as parents to support us in them." - head teacher on new parents evening back in June.

We don't want to give parental permission for him to see it's okay to pick and choose the school rules you obey.

FBaby

I don't know that she sent him off - it could be that he said I can't go on the trip any more, I have to go home or something like that.

And maybe added 'will you be ok?' and he answered yes.

If he already experienced walking home before, then surely this wasn't a big deal for him. I would be shocked if an 11 yo expressed anxiety and the teacher present did nothing, but faced with an 11yo showing confidence with walking what seems to be a short distance, I don't find it neglectful at all.

You don't just let a child walk off like that. Phew...will now try and calm down.

They do every day after school. The difference here is that they were due to go on a trip afterwards. The teacher clearly used her judgement and decided that he was ok to go back on his own which he had done months before in a more difficult situation.

skattykatty

FBaby - you're right.

What's weird here is, if you're going out on a trip the teacher would have a register of all the children on the trip. This means that OP's son's name was on the list. With this in mind, she could have used her judgement to cough up £2 and sort that out later.

Mojisola

bylromarha wrote: »

Honestly, the letter had the full attention of 2 adults for at least 10 minutes as we talked about how much money they wanted. It was unclear.

I would forget about 'not bothering the school' in this kind of situation.

It's unlikely that you were the only parents not to understand the letter. If the school isn't told that their communications aren't clear, they won't know to change the wording.

CRANKY40

I was in my son's school yesterday waiting to speak to one of the teachers and as I was standing there one of the teachers appeared with a list of children who hadn't turned up for clubs so that the office could start calling the parents to let them know their children hadn't turned up.

If your child wasn't going on the trip somebody should have let you know rather than letting him wonder off. If anything had happened to him it would have been some time before you even realised that he was missing as you thought he was safe in a different town with a teacher. If school insists that the children don't carry a phone in order to inform you of a change of plan then it's the schools responsibility to keep you informed.

skattykatty

Thanks Cranky - you clarified what I've been waffling about!