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Original poster

12yr old bought a bb gun on school trip!

36 replies

ashamahay · 25/05/2016 23:17

Am I right to be fuming that my 12yr old was left unsupervised in a market place long enough to buy a bb gun! I knows they done wrong and I am not excusing my childs behaviour, I asked him what they were thinking and they said loads of other children on the trip bought them. What shocks me is this was on a day trip to france and on the return to the coach the teacher had asked the children if they had anything that they felt they shouldn't have and a few kids handed in bb guns. The teacher did not supervise them around the open market and who knows how many kids bought weapons, there were also knives readily available my child tells me. I'm really concerned that there was no supervision to prevent this from happening, and why, after having evidence that weapons had been purchased did the teacher not check all students thoroughly, they went through french customs with these weapons! I was not at the school to collect my child but I have not been contacted by the school to warn that the children may have purchased weapons. So my question is what do I do now? I know my child has to shoulder alot of the blame but I am very concerned at the lack of supervision and the failure to warn parents of the possibility that they have purchased a weapon. There could well be yr 7s wondering the halls tomorrow with bb guns and knives. Advice please.

OP posts:
teacher54321 · 26/05/2016 06:51

Teenagers are devious. And if I've read your OP correctly, your son bought one and hid it from the teachers.

And you think this is the teacher's fault...

They should know better, it should be added to the risk assessment for next year and those who bought one should be punished-day exclusion possibly.

I think it's highly unlikely they will be roaming round the corridors vigilante style.

Blu · 26/05/2016 06:49

I'm not sure all 12 year old boys think of BB guns as 'weapons', because that's not how they intend to use them.

What sort of knives ?

FuzzyWizard · 26/05/2016 06:43

I'm assuming that the teachers thought all of the BB guns had been handed over to them. I think it's likely that a child said to one of the "that group bought BB guns" and as far as they were concerned they'd all been handed over. I'm quite shocked by how widespread it seems to have been.

Baconyum · 26/05/2016 06:32

Sorry I agree not schools fault, but a parenting issue, did your son really think this was ok?

Original poster
ashamahay · 26/05/2016 06:29

I think my main issue is the fact the kids were allowed to leave the coach and go home without all parents being told about it and being asked to search the kids before they hAve had time tO hide these from parents. I'm concerned there may be many taken back into school to show off.

OP posts:
Snowberry86 · 26/05/2016 06:20

Not schools fault- however they should have warned them before.

We do France trips with school regularly and always want the children about buying inappropriate items at the market. They are allowed to go off on their own for an hour in the market square so have limited supervision.

MajesticSeaFlapFlap · 26/05/2016 06:17

Children of that age should be able to be trusted ti be without supervision for some of the trip. They are not toddlers, they know they are not supposed to buy that stuff. Personal responsibility and all that.
Id of excluded the lot and expected the parents to bollock them too.

SlinkyVagabond · 26/05/2016 06:13

I imagine a trip if 50 kids? Part of that would be free time in small groups, with remote supervision, in some areas, IE the market. That would be in risk assessment and itinerary.If i had been on the trip I would then have examined everyone's shopping, but it was the teachers call. On return I'd report and slt decide sanctions. Our school they would be excluded from any further trips ever. (Ski trip- fireworks in our case)

FuzzyWizard · 26/05/2016 06:09

They should have been given exclusions IMO. Some Headteachers are too unwilling to exclude when there are multiple children involved in serious incidents. On secondary school trips it is normal for kids to have a bit of free time for shopping etc. I'm not sure the school did anything wrong in terms of supervision although I think they have made a mistake by not excluding all of the children who bought weapons.

SaltyMyDear · 26/05/2016 06:00

Y7s should have known better. I don't think it's the schools fault.

If you complain I expect they'll cancel this trip for future years (and possibly future trips for this year).

mummytime · 26/05/2016 04:55

At my DCs school the children would have been excluded for a while after that, and banned from future trips. Before any trip overseas all students have to sign an agreement which sets out the behaviour expected on the trip, which includes: no alcohol, no tobacco/products, and no weapons. If you break the agreement then you have to suffer the consequences.

So it does sound like a lack of risk assessment and planning. Teacher's cannot supervise every child on a trip in a busy market, however by ensuring every child knows what is expected and the consequences, they are less likely to have issues.