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AIBU?

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Original poster

Teacher's family accompanying school trip

268 replies

Trifle · 26/09/2013 19:25

DS1 (age 13) went on a school trip today to the zoo. One of the 6 teachers accompanying the 104 children on the trip took his wife and two young children.

Does anyone know what the legal ratio of teachers to children is for this age?

I think it is highly unprofessional to do this as the teacher spent the majority of time with his family and not supervising the children.

If the ratio is 1:17 then he should have been acting as a teacher first and foremost. If it is 1:20 then, fine, but really, a day off at the zoo just because a school trip happens to be going somewhere fun for his kids.

I'm pretty peeved at this as I had to pay for the trip and wonder if I am paying for his family too.

What would you do ?

OP posts:
mummydarkling · 26/09/2013 21:19

dog in the mangerism- did you want to go to the zoo too? My 13 yo would die if I went on a trip with him!

mrsjay · 26/09/2013 21:21

I think you are right maryz Grin when dds went to a theme park a teacher took her young son with her and tbh i dont think the teachers went round with them just had meeting points and they were 13/14

heartisaspade · 26/09/2013 21:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

phantomnamechanger · 26/09/2013 21:23

genuine question OP - if there are empty seats on the coach/excess tickets to a venue which they have not sold, what do you want them to do? make a loss, so they say "we wont do THAT again" or try to flog the spares and save money that will be spent elsewhere for the good of the kids in the school?
or are you just narked cos YOU did not get a cheap day out?

BoffinMum · 26/09/2013 21:25

Strictly speaking there isn't a legal ratio for trips. Teachers just do a health and safety assessment.

FWIW I think you are very odd minding this. It's pretty normal, and actually quite sweet IMO.

Maryz · 26/09/2013 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

phantomnamechanger · 26/09/2013 21:25

this reminds me of the thread bitching about a brown owl whose DD always got to go to the trip/day out/camp, when other girls were selected out of a hat if oversubscribed. the brown owl should apparently have left her own DD at home to accompany other peoples cherubs on the jollies, and been grateful for the opportunity too! Hmm

phantomnamechanger · 26/09/2013 21:26

x-posts LOL

Bue · 26/09/2013 21:27

yes phantom that was a good one!

BoffinMum · 26/09/2013 21:28

I even TAUGHT at DD's school for a bit.
Shocking, isn't it. Wink

Maryz · 26/09/2013 21:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Morloth · 26/09/2013 21:30

I would have thought she was there to up the adult ratio so the trip can go ahead. Or to buy tickets so that the school can go ahead with numbers.

I would be just fine with the teachers are my DS's school doing this.

jamdonut · 26/09/2013 21:30

I don't really understand why it is bothering you so much.

When my daughter was doing one of her DofE expeditions one of the teachers brought her younger children to sleep at the campsite.But admittedly that is not done as school time,it is voluntary.

Everyone has some perk in their job,whatever they do.

mrsjay · 26/09/2013 21:35

I remember the brownie thread , dh used to be a do e leader we went to log cabins it was fab Grin while they all went in tents

maras2 · 26/09/2013 21:37

No idea about ethics of this but I'd say perks of the job.

jo164 · 26/09/2013 21:40

Most school trip companies offer a reduced rate for the partner and children of the organiser - generally not free. For example some of the ski trips I have recently investigated offer 50% reduction for the partner and 10% off each child. Believe it or not school trips are really not what most of us would choose to be doing in our school holidays, but we put them on for the benefit of the children. If we can take our family, and spend a little time with them during the trip what is the problem? Most teachers would not dare flout health and safety rules particularly on residential trips - and most schools would take a higher number of staff than is recommended to cover all eventualities. Maybe no other teacher wanted to give up 2 weeks of their holiday time to go on cricket tour? Perhaps it wouldn't have happened at all if his wife hadn't agreed to go? If you don't want to subsidise the teacher organising the trip for your child, then don't let them go.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 26/09/2013 21:40

I went on an exchange trip with dh and ds once. DH spent his days with his pupils and I erm wellbtopped up mybtan only joining DH in the evenings when he was no longer in charge of pupils and we would eat with other teachers,hosts and families. Was a fab trip.
So shoot me op.

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 26/09/2013 21:45

One of my earliest memories is of going on my Dad's class trip to Flamingo Land when I was about 3 or 4. My Mam and sister went too, she was just a baby, and we were the spoiled, petted, and adored "new toys" for a coachload of 15 year olds, boys and girls Grin
Of course that was in the early 1970s when people were less PC and more laid back and relaxed about stuff Confused

Hulababy · 26/09/2013 21:46

These are 13y at an enclosed zoo, yes? Did they not just go round in their own in friendship groups? So basically teacher was there mainly to accompany on journey, to be on hand for emergencies and requests and to "check in with" every so often, yes?

TBH really can't see an issue.

As for SA. There are rules in place. YOU as a parent can't be asked to fund other people's travel costs, bar the official accompanying adults in some cases. Though many companies who organise these kind of trips throw in free adult places for every x number of students.

So he will have funded his own family going with them. It won't have cost you more.

And you know - maybe she has a job too, you know to help him with paying and all that. I was a teacher, not a HLTA and pn an even lower wage - but DH earns far more - so yes even as a "teacher" I can afford to go to distant shores when I want to.

And as they have two young children she will be responsible for them and won't count towards the required supervising adults.

You do know the easy solution to all this though don't you? don't send him on the trips - don't pay at all, keep him at school or at home. They you won't need to be annoyed at the teacher giving up his own time (presumbly even the zoo trip included his lunch times and break times, and SA included his evenings, maybe his weekends, maybe even his holidays.)

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 26/09/2013 21:50

It was all so much easier years ago when teachers just lived in a cupboard in school.....

Hulababy · 26/09/2013 21:51

Actually in my first teaching job I took DH along with me on one trip - to the Millennium Dome. Was a full day, left home about 5am, home nearly midnight. Took over 1000 pupils on several coaches. He went for free too - counted as a supervising adult, though was partnered with me - so yes, spend all day with him and we loosely supervised the group - they were similar age - checking in at intervals etc.

Mind you - was last trip he ever did with me. He vowed never again - he was shattered, lol!

LynetteScavo · 26/09/2013 21:52

There were no girls, it's a boys school, a private one too

Ha! I was going to say this is the kind of lovely thing that goes on at private school, which would never happen at a state school.

It's the kind of thing thing that may actually convince me that I want my DC to go to an independent school. I also really like the idea of the HT taking his dog to work with him - again that would never happen in a state school.

catinboots · 26/09/2013 21:52

ARF

curlew · 26/09/2013 21:56

"the HT taking his dog to work with him - again that would never happen in a state school."

Did in ours. The year 5 teacher used to bring her dog in on Fridays and if if her class had been good they went and played with her on the field.

Rudejude7 · 26/09/2013 21:58

Sorry to disagree with most of you MNers but even if his wife was CRB checked, which I doubt she was , YANBU.