To not go on the residential?

The trip should not be offered until staffing has been finalised. The school may feel pressured by parents if it has run this trip for several years, but that is for the headteacher to manage. If that pressure is being passed onto OP, then I’d be questioning if I even wanted to work there.

Bottom line is if the trip can’t be staffed safely it can’t run.

If not enough staff are available to volunteer, then changes need to be made to what is planned, such as going for fewer nights, choosing a venue closer to the school so some staff could swap over on the middle day, or simply no trip.

OP needs to be clear they can’t (not won’t) attend the trip so there is no thinking they may change their mind. The likely next option would then be to see if a teacher in another year group is willing to attend and OP be directed to cover their class on their working days as their usual class won’t be in school, but it’s for the headteacher and trip leader to find the staff, not OP.

HR professional here. 25 years+ in education.
If you want to 'get on' in your career then you need to step up and do this. These extra curricular activities only happen with goodwill of staff and are of su h great benefit to kids. Hopefully you will get this time back when kids are ill or you have some other emergency.

I think it's absolutely fine whatever you decide. The only thing I think yabu about is getting cross at parents for 'nit understanding " I genuinely don't understand what difference you think that would make. Parents aren't in charge of your remuneration package and you can't really blame them for not being outraged on your behalf.

I am shocked no one has been grateful but that seems like a different issue, rather than one that should drive your decision either way. Our parent class at least bought wine for every teacher who accompanied ours, and we were full.of thanks. Ditto after the school show. That wasn't intended to be recompense though - just a gesture. I don't think you can hold parents responsible for your remuneration package.

And i do genuinely know what it's like because i have come across every single one of the "you have no idea" issues in my voluntary role. For which i don't get paid for any of the hours I'm there, but I'm not seething with resentment against the parents who send their kids on camp. No one has a gun to my head. Nor would a bottle of wine thank you it make a big difference to my decision whether to continue or not, nice though that would be. If it's not something you're willing to do, don't do it. It's the anger I don't really get.

It's voluntary and in every school I've ever worked in they have plenty of volunteers. If you can't or don't want to go, don't go.

I don't think this is the career for you @Youthiswastedontheyoung not because of this residential trip. But you clearly resent the job.

And to be honest I don't take for granted what the teachers do. I have the utmost respect for them! Equally I wouldn't be upset if residentials where cancelled either. They are expensive and unless your child doesn't want to go, then it's expected of you to pay and send them which is a huge cost and involves buying allsorts on top. I've had to pay for 3 this year!

As lovely as they are. They aren't necessary, especially if the adults going with them resent it so much!

All the parents furiously barracking for the right of a residential come what may - who in their right mind thinks it’s a good idea to have anyone supervise their children after working for, say, 48 hours straight? (Yes, I am counting the hours when I am in bed, since I am on call and get very little sleep in reality).

Is your child not important or special enough to be looked after by a fully rested functioning person who has proper breaks? How adequate do you think any supervision can possibly be aftef 2/3/4 days without a break? Serious question.

It is often a real benefit to such children to pick more local, shorter residentials as they can eg attend just for one or more days, or just a singke overnight. The 3.5 hour distant 5 day version is much less accessible.

I think cost is a big issue for many families, particularly with senior schools organising trips that literally cost thousands. Imagine being a parent struggling to feed the family and your excited child coming home with details of a trip to the Amazon at a bargain £2,500.

What if a teacher accepted a job with a certain year group, then moved to one that did a residential? Is every teacher meant not to take a job just in case they may teach a year group that does one and they won't be prepared to do it?

@littleroad you are 100% correct in what you say. As a former teacher who has done residentials, unless you have this experience you can't compare it to any other "work trip".

Three of my children wanted to go and one didn't. Do you really think I targeted one child to stop them going. Children can have opinions of their own you know. I can categorically say that my "reluctant" child did not benefit the most from going on a residential, she was traumatised by what happened. The reason she went was because the Head trotted out the "children who are reluctant to go benefit the most" rubbish. One of my biggest regrets is listening to him. Without a doubt her mental health was damaged by the trip.

It is also those children who are reluctant to go who benefit the most - and it's usually the parents who are reluctant rather than the children but claim its the child, and then it transfers onto the child. We have had at least 10 mums come onto the school bus crying or banging on the window crying or running after the bus shouting their childs name, children were fine until they saw their mum crying and then get upset.

They build self confidence, resilience and independence, and a break from social media, and are so helpful for those with mental health issues, which are massively on the rise.

We have children with a variety of additional needs, physical medical and emotional, and they benefit hugely, they are often consciously or subconsciously held back by concerned parents (different group to the over emotional ones above), and just need a chance to be a child outside their very protective parents watchful eye.

I only recall 1 child who was truly homesick after having taken 100's away, and that was when they found a very emotional note from mum in their bag.

When I was teaching it was not compulsory. The class teacher is obviously the best person to go, as they know the kids.
But I went once and the class teacher covered my class. She couldn't be away overnight.

(Y6 residentials are not the only model. I have encountered Y4; Y5 and Y6 residentials, and a full 5 days is increasingly rare for cost reasons.)

It is quite possible that OP did not know which year group she would be in at the point when she interviewed for and was offered the job. In most primaries, only 1 year group - 1/7 of the school - go on residential. Especially if there are several staff changes, new staff may be interviewed and appointed for eg ‘KS2 class teacher’, and only later are the exact class allocations worked out, taking into account the specific skills and backgrounds of newly appointed staff as well as existing ones.

General teaching contracts do not specify the need to attend residentials, and OP may simply have been unlucky in being allocated to a year group that, in this school, has one.

You're a year 6 teacher right? Surely you know that a residential is pretty much ubiquitous.

It's irrelevant what parents expect; this is to do with the expectations of the school, and what you knew about the job when you accepted it. If the extra duties were made clear to you, then you should abide by what you agreed to do.

You obviously have zero idea of what it entails being a teacher on a residential if you are equating what you do to this.

I say this as an ex teacher who worked before teaching in industry and I lucky to now be in a job where I get time in lieu for working weekends if I got abroad.

Did you know you were expected to volunteer when you took the job?

Yes, I'm a school governor and strongly believe that we have a duty of care for staff. Having worked as a TA with challenging 1-1 children I know what it's like to not always feel safe.
Teachers and school staff are under huge pressure nowadays and their welfare must be prioritised and I believe that it should include strong boundaries on work life balance as well, including expectations on extra-curricular activities.

Every teacher I know fully understands that they will run at least one unpaid extra curricular club using their expertise in a hobby/special interest (ski holidays, bike maintenance, cookery etc), they accept that playground/lunchtime/homework club duty is require even if it falls during lunch hours.

No @CautiousLurker Teachers cannot be directed to work during their lunch hour AT ALL. They can only be directed to run a club if this is included in the directed time set out at the beginning of the year. This is a maximum of 1,265 hours per academic year, aorwad over 195 days. It cannot include overnight trips - these are a massive favour!