Child unwell on school trip

I think the teacher should have taken him back to his hotel room to make sure he was safe and near a bed/toilet, and maybe got him a glass of water.

I was recently unwell with a stomach bug and only left my bed to go to the bathroom and dh was bringing me lucozade to drink so the replies saying he's 16 and should have been fine are a bit harsh. Of all the places to start vomiting, in the middle of disneyland would be awful.

What? Why can't he just text his mates, find out where they are and go there?

A 16yr old shouldn't need a teacher to come and hold their hand.

Yes that's normal. They are 16 and capable of going round the park..no-one would look for him unless he didn't make a rendezvous which may be a few hours later.

And I appreciate he is unwell but depending on how bad and what he said it may be reasonable to say I will be there in 30 minutes or similar.
Ultimately the teacher is not going to be able to do much and he's already at the toilets.

Which park is it?

I have teenagers and I am pretty sure all of them would get in touch with me in this situation if they’d already tried the teacher with luck. To have a stomach bug while away from home isn’t fun at any age. My kids wouldn’t really expect me to be able to help as such but they might call for some moral support. They’re all perfectly capable kids but they also know I do care about how they’re getting on.

Teachers could afford to go to Disneyland without needing a free school trip. They’ve given up part of their holiday to take these pupils.

I think I’d want the teachers side of this story before getting stroppy.

I would get both sides of the story before I took this as fact.

I spent a LOT of time queueing on trips to Alton Towers and I often couldn't leave the queue either - because I was supporting a disabled learner.

If it did happen exactly as your ds said, then yes, that's poor and I'd be speaking to the school, but if it was something like "I can't come right now, I'm in a queue with X, he's already waited an hour and this is one of the accessible rides, shall I ring Miss Y or do you think you'll be OK?" which then got relayed as "She's in a queue and won't come!" then I wouldn't.

Definitely more info needed.

This.

I bet, if we heard from others (incl staff and other pupils) on the trip, there would be quite a different side to this whole story.

The teachers are not getting a jolly to Disneyland. It’s hard work being responsible for children. I’d question the school for prioritising Disneyland before GCSE’s (or any year tbh - where’s the educational value?!) because it’s not “just two days” - children are always exhausted for a day or two when they get back.

I would be SO unimpressed if that was the school trip offered to my children.

At 16 the teachers are only really there so there's a responsible adult in an emergency/to coordinate things with travel/accomodation.

Lots of 16 year olds go on holiday with friends. When i was in year 11 i went to Greece with friends, no parents!

Your DS would probably be mortified by your references to "children".

Sorry spelling errors...

I can't get my head round this either

Tell him to go to the medical centre. Then get him to give you the number if the teachers what's app and you contact her and tell her where he is. It in poor show. I have taken trips all i"over the world and wouldn't have left a child on their own, no matter their age.

So just take himself off? Wouldn't teachers get a bit stressed if kids just disappeared? Would he have his passport or EHIC card?

Have to agree with this.

That's ridiculous. They of course should be available to a sick student.

Every school trip I've had experience of, teachers would be. As mentioned by a teacher upthread.

As someone who chaperones children as part of a dance school. I have been involved in a couple of trips abroad with the school including Disneyland Paris where we were performing.
At aged 16 they go off and do their own thing. It's expected that if they get lost they go to the information centre or medical centre then ring the appropriate number as all of us are with younger pupils.
They were expected to arrive at the changing rooms etc on time to get ready to perform and also to meet at the bus ready for leaving.
It's drilled into them that they should stay together in a group and not to leave anyone.
I was chaperoning the under 16s.

If he's managed to contact you...what about his friends that are there? Has something happened and they have had a fall out.

Is it just that the teacher can't come right away? And is contacting another teacher? I can understand if the teacher has spoken with him....assured he was ok...then said I'll be with you when I can assuming she cannot leave the children under 16 in a queue alone.

They're giving up their own holiday. These trips don't take place in term time.

They run IF teachers volunteer - which often means that they incur costs such as their own childcare, on top of losing down time, time with their own families...

None of that means we shouldn't look after the kids as responsibly as we do in term time, but if I'm honest, it's not easy to persuade colleagues to give up their holidays to look after a horde of teens for free.

'It's actually the teachers' job' isn't helpful in this respect. They don't have to do it.

I love residential trips! But if I run one, it certainly isn't a jolly.

Glad the teachers are enjoying themselves, small perks for a hellish job.

You've made you mind up then.

If he is in that awful situation where he can’t leave the bathroom then, no he can’t.

OP, I agree that if someone on the trip is unwell and under 18, then a teacher should be keeping an eye on them. And I am not normally one for infantilising anyone.

I hope your son feels better ASAP and can get back to the hotel.

Totally agree with you and if it wasn’t so outing I would tell all the doubters where my local school is taking a group of 40 this time next year. All ages between 12-17 years old on a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in something!! It would be too much for them to take in 😂

On school trips there is always a set return point for students and they also have the teachers' numbers these days. However I'm talking about age group 12 to 13. At age 16 I would expect a friend to accompany or go alone back to the meeting place or call and be advised to do so. Teachers take it in turns to go for a break/help other students so maybe the one he called wasn't at the MP at that time and passed the message on? That seems like the logical explanation, she may well have been in a queue because she wasn't the one on duty at MP at that time. X

If anyone should be embarrassed, it’s the school for failing one of their pupils to the point he’s had to phone a relative out of the country as he didn’t know what else to do.
Actually the OPs first post indicated that her DS contacted her first and it was she who actually made contact with the teacher in the first instance. Only later did her son text her to say that the teacher wasn't leaving the queue. I still don't know why he didn't call the given number first or contact some of his friends? And I'd still like to know where her DS is now and what is happening? Presumably not still sitting on a bench waiting?

I'm a teacher who has done lots of trips abroad (including DLP and Parc Asterix) and our procedures (like many others have said) is to have staff at checkpoints plus a mobile to contact. We don't "crack on with work" though, just find a shady spot to have a coffee.

I'd definitely come and find a kid who was alone and ill, and it is absolutely worth following up on this. Not saying your DS is lying at all but just check the teachers side of things as well in case something's got lost in communication.