Cancelled school trip

Moto2

You'd get fined for taking them out in term time

whitesatin

It doesn't take much to get another teacher bashing thread going, does it?

It is a good idea, though, to ask for volunteers to stand in for teachers who don't want to do school trips for any reason.

Don't all rush at once, lol.

Moto2

I did loads when mine were at school, mainly adventure stuff in the Lakes and Wales.
A lot of that has now stopped because of some fear or other.

whitesatin

Moto2 wrote: »

I did loads when mine were at school, mainly adventure stuff in the Lakes and Wales.
A lot of that has now stopped because of some fear or other.

Not to mention the number of people ready to sue should anything go wrong......

I too went on many school trips with my own children, way back when....when teachers were allowed to get on with their jobs without having to watch their backs all the time. There just isn't the same culture these days, I am afraid. Risks assessments on the risk assessments etc. etc. It soon takes the edge off providing such trips, I am sure.

It wouldn't be something I would like to undertake these days.

darrens_here

I believe london is on high statee of emergency, and has been for some time.... would the school cancel trip there?

Its a difficult situation.

If the school cancel, they are hung out to dry. But they need to make a decision quick as arranging trips / alternates takes time.

If they go ahead, and some of the teachers pull out, they cant go - and have no altenative arrangement.

If they go ahead, everyone goes and something happens (god forbid) then there would be an outcry !

If they go ahead, and nothing happens, at the leats it will have parents worrying until the little ones return.


I tend to agree with what the school has done in terms of cancelling it, HOWEVER, the alternate option isnt that great. Why not look at Jersey, or belgium, etc .... just a thought to avoid people loosing money.

Poppie68

All British schools have been told school trips booked for the next few weeks are to be cancelled and as France is now likely to extend the state of emergency for at least another 3 months cancellations are also to extend until further notice. This school in question have obviously tried their best to provide a replacement trip at short notice.
Blaming teachers, schools and local authorities is ridiculous when they have no choice in the matter.... I also doubt any insurance company would touch them if they insisted on taking this trip given the circumstances.

missbiggles1

pollypenny wrote: »

To you and all those who are criticising the school: while you may well visit Paris yourselves, would you take 60 young people, for whom you are responsible?

From my experience, it would be a Y7 or 8 trip?

I certainly would and I speak as someone who used to take a group of college students aboad every year, so speak from experience. Admittedly my students were 5/6 years older but I was normally the only member of staff (or adult) in charge of the trip, so I think that balances out.

I think this school's actions have been deplorable on every level and have sent a terrible message to the children involved - they should be ashamed of themselves.

callum9999

Poppie68 wrote: »

All British schools have been told school trips booked for the next few weeks are to be cancelled and as France is now likely to extend the state of emergency for at least another 3 months cancellations are also to extend until further notice. This school in question have obviously tried their best to provide a replacement trip at short notice.
Blaming teachers, schools and local authorities is ridiculous when they have no choice in the matter.... I also doubt any insurance company would touch them if they insisted on taking this trip given the circumstances.

There's no automatic "state of emergency = no trip" - if it becomes the new normal (it is after all an administrative thing and not something that would remotely affect a school trip) then I see no reason why trips couldn't take place once this settles down.

I highly doubt they've "tried their best". As this only happened days ago I'd imagine it went something along the lines of them calling PGL and PGL saying they can go to an English camp instead - February is hardly peak time for UK outdoor holidays after all.

That relies on your unsubstantiated claim that they have "no choice", though it's blatantly obvious that no one here specifically hates teachers. The exact same criticism would be levelled at whoever made the decision should it not be the school. The school already has insurance, if the company "wouldn't touch them" then the insurerer would have to pay any cancellation costs so this can't be an insurance issue either (yet anyway) - not that it makes the blindest bit of sense for an insurerer not to cover them, they're still covering everyone else...

callum9999

whitesatin wrote: »

Not to mention the number of people ready to sue should anything go wrong......

I too went on many school trips with my own children, way back when....when teachers were allowed to get on with their jobs without having to watch their backs all the time. There just isn't the same culture these days, I am afraid. Risks assessments on the risk assessments etc. etc. It soon takes the edge off providing such trips, I am sure.

It wouldn't be something I would like to undertake these days.

Is this not something regularly debunked as a myth? Everyone thinks everyone else is always on the verge of suing for something trivial but they rarely do in reality.

Risk assessment isn't as onerous as people claim either. They're incredibly comprehensive, but it's fairly standard and almost template. Especially on a PGL trip - they specialise in school trips.

System

Poppie68 wrote: »

All British schools have been told school trips booked for the next few weeks are to be cancelled and as France is now likely to extend the state of emergency for at least another 3 months cancellations are also to extend until further notice. This school in question have obviously tried their best to provide a replacement trip at short notice.
Blaming teachers, schools and local authorities is ridiculous when they have no choice in the matter.... I also doubt any insurance company would touch them if they insisted on taking this trip given the circumstances.

Do you have a reference for that?

The only bits I can find are

British schools have been told to cancel trips to France where a national state of emergency remains in force.

The French government wants all visits by foreign schools to be scrapped until at least next week as ministers struggle to contain the fall-out of the Paris attacks.

....

As part of the state of emergency, the French Ministry of Education has cancelled all school trips within France by French schools until this Sunday.

and

British schools planning to take groups to France between now and Sunday have been advised not to do so.

The Foreign Office issued the guidance in line with that of the French Ministry of Education.

It said: ‘As part of the national state of emergency, the French Ministry of Education has cancelled all school trips within France by French schools until Sunday.

‘This includes excursions to cultural sites (theatres, museums, etc) and travel by school groups on public transport. These cancellations don’t specifically include foreign school parties, but the French Ministry of Education has advised foreign school groups to avoid travelling to France until after 22 November

Neither of which support your claim

And the actual FCO advice

• Latest update: Summary - the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends that British schools planning to take groups to France between now and 22 November follow the French Ministry of Education’s advice not to travel; the French Ministry of Education has advised that school trips already under way in France may continue as originally planned

On Friday 13 November, a number of terrorist incidents took place in Paris resulting in widespread casualties. You should be vigilant in public places, follow the advice of the local authorities and subscribe to email alerts for updates to this travel advice. French authorities have heightened security measures so allow time in your travel plans for any disruption this may cause. Systematic border control checks have been implemented at all entry points into France. A national state of emergency has been declared for 3 months. Public gatherings, flying drones and the use of fireworks in the Ile de France region (Paris and surrounding area) are prohibited.
As part of the national state of emergency, the French Ministry of Education has cancelled all school trips within France by French schools until Sunday 22 November. This includes excursions to cultural sites (theatres, museums, etc) and travel by school groups on public transport. These cancellations don’t specifically include foreign school parties, but the French Ministry of Education has advised foreign school groups to avoid travelling to France until after 22 November.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends that British schools planning to take groups to France between now and 22 November follow the French Ministry of Education’s advice not to travel. The French Ministry of Education has advised that school trips already under way in France may continue as originally planned.