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Original poster

School Trip to Paris

113 replies

Verbena37 · 13/01/2015 10:37

Hi.
In a couple of weeks, my year 8 child is off to a Euro Disney with school for a couple of days and on one day, they are off into Paris City to visit a few places, eat out etc.
With all of the recent trouble in Paris, would you send your child? It's not really Disney I'm concerned about.....and I'm not worrying about any more shootings really I don't think. It's more the worry about more mass demos and protests and what that may entail. With 10000 troops with weapons being sent into Paris etc and the implications if something kicked off whilst they were there.
I just feel slightly uneasy about them going. Any thoughts?

OP posts:
Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 17:28

Is that a UK school or French school?

OP posts:
Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 17:28

Bonsoir- sorry .... I think I may have not read the bit where you said your dd was also going.
So her school have stopped the trip?

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 17:26

When I re-read the emails sent by DD's school, they seem to be following police HQ instructions. Presumably the police wouldn't distinguish between threats posed to groups of schoolchildren from other countries anyway and all the sites are currently heavily guarded either by the police or by armed troops.

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 17:22

It's not super clear: DD's school tells that they are following the instructions of the Mairie de Paris.

I definitely think your school's tour operator and insurer need to be consulted.

FWIW - you would have to be off your head to let foreign schoolchildren loose in Paris right now!

Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 17:18

Sorry, dept. of Ed.....not zed Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 17:17

Thanks Bonsoir....found it and read it. So it's actually the French dept. of zed that's given the suspension but that all the rules are a bit confusing.

I tried googling for the UK but nothing seems to give suspension of school trip info. I will try and find out who the travel op is for their trip.

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 17:06

The article is called:

Plan Vigipirate: les organisateurs de sorties scolaires directement impactes

Sorry I cannot link - I'm on my phone.

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 17:01

If you google www.tourmag.com Vigipirate there is quite a useful article that quotes several tour operators - the article is in French but I imagine your DD's French teacher can manage it!

Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 16:59

Yes. Sadly not as well as I used to but should be able to translate it. Smile

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 16:57

Do you speak/read French?

Original poster
Verbena37 · 15/01/2015 16:52

Thanks Blu and Bonsoir.....do either of you have links for articles that say no incoming school trips to Paris?

OP posts:
Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 16:01

I've just seen that the law is for French schoolchildren.

Maybe it's up to foreigners to assess the risk to their own DC?

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 15:55

It's not in "certain areas" - so that for starters is inaccurate.

Blu · 15/01/2015 15:34

I see that Paris schools in certain areas are banned from playing out or taking children on trips, but there is nothing on the foreign office website here beyond an acknowledgement of the high security risk and 'be vigilant'.

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 14:06

An article I just read in the Tour Operate trade press says that no incoming school trips to either Paris or Ile de France (ie including Disney) are allowed at the moment.

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 13:48

You should ask the school to ask its tour operator to keep you all updated on the security situation.

Bonsoir · 15/01/2015 13:42

They aren't going to be allowed out in Paris. School group outings are illegal at present and will be until at least the end of February.

VivaLeBeaver · 14/01/2015 17:51

Dads school are letting them go off in groups on their own in Paris. She did this last year in Berlin.

A teacher stays at a central meeting point all the time. Kids have to stay in small groups. They're given the teachers mobile number.

Hulababy · 14/01/2015 17:48

Groups of 4 are better, if you can encourage your DD with that. That means if a child hurts themselves, etc one can stay with them, and the other two can go together to get a teacher for help.

SignoraLiviaBurlando · 14/01/2015 17:43

DC have been on many school trip abroad- one of them went to Myanmar last summer - always same school rule re groups of three. Makes sense - anything else too unwieldy.

42bunnytails1 · 14/01/2015 09:29

Totally standard practice. Pupils must stay in groups of 2/3 is written into the conditions for every trip at DDs school.

Not that head in the clouds DD1 always manages it, but they haven't lost her yet.

Original poster
Verbena37 · 14/01/2015 09:00

Good points Blu. As long as they are with staff in central Paris, I'm fine with Disney. Yes, I hadn't thought about Disney staff being everywhere :)

OP posts:
Blu · 14/01/2015 07:48

Most schools manage secondary trips like that. They will be given instructions such as contact nearest park staff (there is always one close) and / or a member of staff will remain at a known meeting pointy.

What if your 12 / 13 yo has an asthma attack or is ill on the way to school or out in the park with friends? At this age they are out independently more and making their own way to school anyway.

Including in Central London: it's normal for 12 / 13 yo to go into town.

It's natural for us to worry, it's the burden we carry as parents! All will be fine.

Eastpoint · 14/01/2015 07:40

One of the reasons for trips like this is to develop independence, they will be fine in groups of 3. I think trying to negotiate rides in a group of 60 would be impossible.

traviata · 14/01/2015 00:19

don't they mostly have phones? so being in small groups would be ok.

my DC's school did this (groups of at least 3) at Thorpe Park, it was fine. They also did it in Central London, which was unexpected.