In thinking people should have a certain amount of trust in the school

[Dancergirl]

Scenario 1: school organises a 2-night camping trip for Year 4 children at a well-established and long-running site. Cue to some parents to ask a million questions about safety, security, going to the toilet in the night, why the tents have 2 zips, one at the front one at the back (she told her dd to sleep in the middle of the tent away from possible predators), why don't the teachers sleep in the tents with them etc.

Scenario 2: school trip planned for Years 3/4 that involves a motoway journey on a coach. Cue for parents to question safety on the journey mainly about seat-belt use. School sends letter home to parents reassuring them about seat-belts.

Now am I missing something here? I assume that when my child goes on a school trip, all the necessary risk assessment have been done. I trust the school with my child therefore I trust the school to look after my child on a trip. It just wouldn't cross my mind to ask these questions.

Am I being naive or under-protective?

Yes, fair enough, but it is the parents child. OK?

Dancergirl it was mainly safety concerns such as letting a parent helper have 5 reception kids then not all walking together but giving the parent total responsibility - would've been fine somewhere quiet but this was more often than not getting on and off tubes in London. One of the dads went off to buy a paper and just left the kids in the middle of the station while he popped into WH Smith's - teacher nowhere to be seen as she was with her group of kids.

Taking kids to the park at midday on a day that was so blisteringly hot it was ridiculous, no access to water apart from kids taking their own small water bottles, lots of them had no hats and it was 36 degrees, park didn't have sufficient shade either!

It was more that as they couldn't get the basics right ( even in school) I certainly didn't trust that they would out of school. Ds had already had a head injury while in school that not one of the teachers had noticed( ds said he fell and then went into the play house to cry) - his bruise was so big it took over 2 weeks to go. Didn't instill any sort of confidence in them!

We moved ds to another school as we also moved house and his next school was lovely and I had great trust in them and never went on another school trip again!

That's terrible valium....hopefully that school is in a minority.

Yes I understand that it's children's safety which is at stake and of course you want to be sensible. But I do think it's a shame that the FIRST thing some parents think of when faced with a school trip is the safety aspect. Not what a wonderful opportunity, they'll have fun etc but what could possibly go wrong.

And yet other risks we don't think twice about. Thousands of children are killed and injured in car accidents every day but we choose to drive our children without a second thought (other than a suitable car seat that is).

I just think you have to get things in perspective.

I used to teach in Cornwall Dancergirl, at a school where a girl was murdered on a school trip abroad; and I always question safety and access arrangements to buildings, even though ds is now 15; and that's after having taken kids away both in UK and abroad, so I know what school trips are like.

At ds's current school his Year 6 teacher rolled her eyes when I asked questions and queried why I was asking. When I pointed out that I was aware of what could happen on school trips (this child being murdered), and wanted to know if the hostel was single use, or at least keypad controlled access, she then had the grace to look ashamed and give me the info I wanted.

Yes, school trips are a great opportunity to have fun and learn, but they do come accompanied by certain risks, and I for one, am only too aware of them.I am glad that parents ask questions, as if we don't, who will?

My DD is in Y2 and - thank god - hasn't gone on any major school trips. I hate the fact that she is out of school even on small trips tbh, though I wouldn't stop her doing one.

My mum - ex-headteacher - is all 'it's fine, very safe' when it comes to school trips but she is also really cavalier about safety and often wrong about simple health issues (recommends putting butter on burns, put E45 on DD1's nappy rash, lets kids stand up in car and poke heads through sunroom when off-road etc etc). Like the poster whose mum was a deputy head, I am less than convinced about teachers' common sense!

I am really careful not to freak DD out with my anxiety but i would definitely be checking out the arrangements with the school. There have been quite a few coach trip accidents in which school children have been injured/died so I think asking about seatbelts is very reasonable.