Is this usual for a secondary school outing?

[Janesput]

Walking back from the pool today, pupils from the local secondary were walking there. Probably 30 of them with one adult.

Perfectly well behaved and it's a very short walk, less than half a mile, the the teacher was leading them and wouldn't have known what was going on at the back.

By that age is it assumed they don't need much supervision for a walk in the local vicinity?

I know the children are perfectly capable of walking to the pool unsupervised, but I was surprised at a school taking the "risk" when they have responsibility.

Hmmm... I would have thought teacher should be at the back for visibility of the group - apart from crossing roads. I work with 2-5 year olds though!

You haven't said what age?

'Secondary school' doesn't tell us much.

Perhaps if they were in a competition or something, all keen and committed. But if it was just a P. E class then you would think some people may skulk off...maybe it's not like our local school. I assume they know the kids and they are trustworthy.

What risk do you think there was? One of kids getting run over by bus? One of them being abducted? One of them running off?

I was surprised there was no back marker. I sonetimes lead adult walks and even then like to have someone a the back so I know I've got everyone

All of those. Just someone getting distracted and separated from the group.

I doubt they were Y11 (GCSEs round the corner) or older (sixth form unlikely), so you would assume Y10 is below. Behaviour can get worse (certainly in terms of rebelling against school/ teachers) not better with age from 11-15 so I'm not sure how relevant the age is.

To be clear I'm not saying I think the children were being put at risk, only that I wouldn't want to be the teacher in charge if one if them did wander off.

They are secondary school kids, they should no how to walk half a mile. Its not primary school where everyone needs to hold hands.

Not swimming but at secondary school our sports pitches were not on the main school campus site and we just made our own way there and back. The local schools here still seem to do the same, I often pass kids on their way to/from PE.

Some secondary schools have split sites and the students are expected to get themselves from one site to the other with no supervision.

Bloody hell, no wonder children have such bad anxiety when grown adults flap about their safety whilst walking with a teacher. Most secondary school children go out with their friends after school, without an adult, the shock horror.

Did you read anything I wrote? Who's flapping about the children's safety? I was concerned about the impact on the school and the teacher if they lost one, even temporarily, and surprised they'd take that risk.

Yes but only the OP knows.

My DD's school have a swimming lesson offering in PE, and the children take themselves there and back. About half a mile across town. Teacher doesn't go as it's not the full PE class that do it.

Yes it is totally normal.

many schools have eg football grounds or hockey pitches a short way from the main site and students generally make their own way there, with maybe one adult.

schools with split sites - so some lessons on one site and one on the other - usually have no supervision between the sites.

my DD’s secondary school was split site in a town centre and the students were totally free flow.

if a student doesn’t turn up at a lesson then staff generally go looking for them but at secondary age it tends to be vaping in the toilets rather than actually got lost.

Very usual here in Ireland, see it all the time and with primary school kids too.
Swimming lessons start at 8/9 yrs so barring an additional need children should be able to
go from A to B safely.

I work in a school but we have to use a bus for lessons. Very obvious whose parents don’t promote independence at home. Please let your kids shower and dress themselves asap.

DC secondary was like this, you’d often see kids walking from one site to another in the middle of the day.

But even if they did, presumably they can find their way back to school and catch up with the others?

Good god this is insane. Kids walking back to school call the police 🫠

At age 11 I was getting a bus into the local center to look around the shops. My friends and I walked 2 miles each way to school without adult supervision and somehow made it. I read on Mumsnet of children of 14 who have never been on public transport or made a purchase in a shop alone. No wonder there are so many young people with stress and mental health problems when they have never been given an opportunity to develop independence or work things out for themselves.

Secondary age - 11 or 17?

We used to walk to and from school on our own at that age. They're likely to be teenagers.

Surely no worse than getting to school by themselves, no teacher to supervise that. The teacher may well have just been walking with some of the kids rather than being there to make sure they got there.

No, but also no teacher with responsibility for them during that time.

It was only a question. I didn't know if it was normal. I wouldn't want to be the teacher who returned with fewer children than I took out, is all.