Question for Any Teachers please

[Joanne UK]

I know that there are a few Teachers on here and so hopefully one of you can shed some light on this please - hopefully telling me that it is rubbish!

My daughter is currently in Yr 2 and is in a lovely, well-behaved class. however, the other Yr 2 class have 3 boys who are extremely badly behaved, they have all been assesed by the psychologist and there is nothing actually "wrong" with them, they just have no discipline whatsoever. This year the school trip was supposed to be to Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews but it was cancelled as it was considered too high risk to take these boys along. Their mothers were asked to go so that the children could have one on one but they all refused - any problems with these children is all the teacher's fault! Another trip was arranged - a low risk trip to an organic farm.

I have been told today by someone who reckons they have got this information from a Deputy Head at another school that this will stay with our year group right throughout Primary School and that consequently they will not be able to go on any trips considered high risk including PGL.

I would have thought that each trip should be considered as and when it comes up - does anyone know?

 

[Danauk]

This is just how we do things in my school. If the trip is directly to do with the childs education then every child has to have the opportunity to go. However, should a child (as I have had many times) be unable to go due to their behaviour their parents are asked to attend or they do not go. If the trip for example is a residential like PGL it is not considered a trip which is directly related to their current educational topics then they are simply not given the opportunity to go. We base all our trips on the situation in the class at the time.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

This is just how we do things in my school. If the trip is directly to do with the childs education then every child has to have the opportunity to go. However, should a child (as I have had many times) be unable to go due to their behaviour their parents are asked to attend or they do not go. If the trip for example is a residential like PGL it is not considered a trip which is directly related to their current educational topics then they are simply not given the opportunity to go. We base all our trips on the situation in the class at the time.

Exactly the same in my school.

I would suggest you have an informal chat with the headteacher and let them know your feelings, I think that is perfectly acceptable for you to do so, it's what I would recommend to any of my parents. Sometimes I really have to bite my tongue - especially with one particular boy who gets away with everything 'because of his background'

Good luck and I hope your DD gets some good trips in next year.

 

[Cyrano]

Good luck Joanne. There are times when the inclusive policy disadvantages children who are well behaved

 

[Mrs Hobbes]

If a school trip is arranged then every child has to be able to participate in the trip. Every trip has to have a risk assessment carried out prior to the trip along with piles of other paperwork. If the trip is too risky for these children and the parents refuse to go then the trip can not go ahead. Imagine if the school have highlighted the risks on the risk assessment and then carried on with the trip and something happened as a consequence, the teacher and the the headteacher would be out of a job! However if the school went ahead with the trip but refused to take the children due to the risks in question they could be sued by the parents for discrimination. It is much easier to organise a trip without risks.

From a teachers point of view I applaud the head teacher for thinking of the teachers. It is stressful enough taking well behaved children with no SEN on a low risk school trip without having to add additional worries to it. I personally hate being the lead teacher on any school trip, it doesn't take for much to happen before you could find yourself out of a job Imagine you are seeing the children off the bus and one happens to step back into the road and gets knocked over - it can happen in a flash

I took my class on a school trip to a local wildlife park a few years ago, towards the end of the day we let the children play on the adventure playground to let off some steam before the coach ride home. Another school was there and one of their children fell off the monkey bars and broke their arm. I was so relieved that it wasn't one of my pupils - can you imagine explaining that to the parents

 

[Joanne UK]

If a school trip is arranged then every child has to be able to participate in the trip. Every trip has to have a risk assessment carried out prior to the trip along with piles of other paperwork. If the trip is too risky for these children and the parents refuse to go then the trip can not go ahead. Imagine if the school have highlighted the risks on the risk assessment and then carried on with the trip and something happened as a consequence, the teacher and the the headteacher would be out of a job! However if the school went ahead with the trip but refused to take the children due to the risks in question they could be sued by the parents for discrimination. It is much easier to organise a trip without risks

Other children in other years have been held back from trips though because of their behaviour. Our HM seems happy to exclude one from each year group but because there are 3 in ours he will cancel trips rather than exclude multiple children. Seems unfair to me that 57 children miss out because of the behaviour of 3 children and the attitude of their parents.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

Oh it makes you mad. It scares me to death that these parents don't seem to want to take responsibility for their children's behaviour. In a few years time these kids will be parents and they will have no good example of responsibility. I know I'm hard on my kids and its easy to sit back and let them get on with it but I know I'm not being responsible if I do that. Seems it doesn't pay to be a well behaved child these days they get no recognition. I hope the trip to the farm is a lovely day for the children Buckingham Palace although lovely seems a bit high brow for yr 2's!