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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Just interested in Mumsnetters opinions about a conversation heard in DS's school

72 replies

Bowddee · 27/09/2008 22:14

My DS's TA was standing at the classroom door, ticking off the kids as they went in as they seemed to be making sure all parents had signed consent forms for school trips.

One little lad goes in...

TA - ahh, we haven't had a consent form from you.

Dad - no, we don't want X taken on school trips.

TA - oh yes, we need to talk about that. We can't allow children to stay in school when we're out on trips.

Dad - That won't be a problem, we can keep him home on those days.

TA - That would be an unauthorised absence.

2 things struck me as odd-

I feel sorry for the poor little lad being left out of trips.

Can the school really give no alternative?

I'm just interested to know what other people think.

OP posts:

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fryalot · 27/09/2008 22:15

oh the poor little mite!

don't know the answer to your question, but I agree, tis odd

cornsilk · 27/09/2008 22:15

He should be allowed to go to school surely

theinsider · 27/09/2008 22:16

Are parents expected to pay for these school trips? Maybe the parents can't afford it but in that case surely they would be optional therefore not attending would not be unathorised absence.

purpleturtle · 27/09/2008 22:18

Cornsilk - if the class is out on a trip, there's no teacher or TA for him. He'd have to go into another class, which might put them over quota.

SlartyBartFast · 27/09/2008 22:18

you nosey bowdee

perhaps they are against them, refuse to pay,
have principles...
good for them,

fryalot · 27/09/2008 22:19

theinsider - most schools, if not all, have a fund so that nobody misses out on trips due to cost.

In fact, I think that trips don't officially cost anyone, but parents are asked to make a donation. They are, of course, given the exact cost of the expected donation, but if they don't pay, then their child still gets to go.

paddingtonbear1 · 27/09/2008 22:19

am surprised if the school won't offer an alternative, ie staying in school somehow. School trips aren't compulsory are they?

TigerFeet · 27/09/2008 22:20

Why on earth don't they want him to go I wonder? Very odd, unless of couse he has a medical condition that would be difficult to control outside of school or similar.

The school ought to make alternative provision though. I remember beign unable to attend a school trip once, I'd been ill and wasn't considered recovered enough to go. I sat in the year above's classroom and read books all day. Not too difficult for the school to organise I'd have thought. It does seem unfair that even though the trip can't be compulsory that the child will end up with an AA if he doesn't go.

Tommy · 27/09/2008 22:21

in our school, don't know about others, he would be taken into another class. Wouldn't be over "the quota" as not in that class officially.

Miserable parents not letting him go on school trips though.

cornsilk · 27/09/2008 22:21

In the last school I worked in chn that didn't go on trips stayed in school. Parents don't have to agree to trips after all.

aGalChangedHerName · 27/09/2008 22:21

Why would you not want your dc taken on school trips?

tingting · 27/09/2008 22:21

its the parents choice whether they want their child on a trip or not, if they so no the school cant just railroad them into going on it, id tell him to tell the school to sod off and take the little mite out for a rocking day, unauthorised abscence my backside, like seriously what are they gonna do about it!

Bowddee · 27/09/2008 22:22

We are asked for a voluntary contribution and that covers trips, people coming in, the swimming lessons and stuff like that. So trips don't cost more.

OP posts:

SlartyBartFast · 27/09/2008 22:23

i have known 2 parents, one boy used a wheelchair and mum realised the trip was totally inappropriate for him, took him to a theme park on the day of the trip.
the otehr trip was to a church, and the family are anti the church, so offered to keep him at home for the day.

kid · 27/09/2008 22:25

How old is the child, perhaps they are just worried incase something happens to him if he is young.
My DCs school send kids to another class if they are not attending a trip for whatever reason.
They have work to take with them to the class but do not get any support as the teacher is busy with her own class.

Maybe the school should find out why the child isn't allowed on trips, perhaps they can work something out so the child doesn't miss out.

bran · 27/09/2008 22:26

I think the unauthorised absence thing sounds dodgey, all the parents would have to to do would be to bring him to school on the day of the trip to avoid that. If the school then send him home because he's not going on the trip that's hardly an absence is it?

Perhaps the TA hasn't come across pupils not going on trips before, perhaps the class teacher or head teacher will have a different policy.

TigerFeet · 27/09/2008 22:26

But why wouldn't you want your child to go on trips? That baffles me tbh.

I'm all for parental choice, and schools supporting those choices etc etc, but I am at a loss to understand why anyone wouldn't want their child to go on a school trip. I loved those days out when I was a kid.

chapstickchick · 27/09/2008 22:27

maybe they cant afford to send him on the school trips? some of these trips are very expensive,i once paid£17 for ds1 to go to a museum ......i found out later the museum was free entry so i thought the coach would have been the expense.....fter joining the pta the bus was 'donated' for 4 trips a year by a parent at school who owned the company!!! the children did get a 'free' ice cream tho

LynetteScavo · 27/09/2008 22:27

They will tick "unorthorised absence" in the register, or where ever - big deal.

Maybe the parents have a coach phobia or somehting? Or maybe the never use cars/buses or something.

I'm so nosey, what did the parent look like?

It's a shame the child will miss out, especially when so much of the work the children will be doing will be based on the trip.

saint2shoes · 27/09/2008 22:29

with out knowing either the child and parents, I would not be able to give an opinion. they might have a very good reason for not wanting him to go.

ingles2 · 27/09/2008 22:30

I didn't want my 2 ds's to go on a school trip. it was going to be 6 hours on the coach, 1.5 hours in a museum we've already been to god know how many times with 1/2 hour for lunch. That'll be £30 quid then for 6 hours travel and no time in a museum. Got a strongly worded letter from the head.. who did not offer any alternative.
I think it's wrong really, if a dc is not going on a trip and it's not obligatory (no trip is btw), they should be catered for in school.

purpleturtle · 27/09/2008 22:30

My kids went on a whole school trip last term - one of the few children who didn't go on the trip was the headteacher's son.

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theinsider · 27/09/2008 22:30

If it's not about money then I wonder what the reason is. Shame he'll miss out.

Is there anything else we can base some more judging on?

bran · 27/09/2008 22:30

What happened about the trip in the end ingles2?

Janni · 27/09/2008 22:31

OK - you are so going to have to get to know the dad and get to the bottom of this one

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