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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
YoniFoolsAndHorses · 26/09/2013 22:00

How lovely :-)

I do the same in my job in a school, as does DH who is a Head Master of a public school. Wow, what lucky children to see typical families and their interactions and to see a male member of staff in a pastoral role. How good this will be for the boys and they are forming impressions of what good family/work/life balance is.

I run a school ski trip and pay the full cost for my child to come along to. She's a damn good skier and ultra mature and she just joins in and gets on with it. To be honest, the fact it felt like a massive "family holiday" is a major selling point to the next trip. Funnily enough, the students seem to appreciate that.

So yes, I do think YABU.

everydayaschoolday · 26/09/2013 22:01

I remember my school overseas ski trip as a teenager. Teacher was great and worked v v hard to arrange everything, organise all our gear and ensure we had a good mix of ski-school stuff and apris-ski. His wife and kids came along, and his wife helped out immensely and was a real asset. I cannot commend teachers highly enough for providing trips, and I think it's great that his wife supported him.

Maryz · 26/09/2013 22:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SilverApples · 26/09/2013 22:01

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

I miss my cupboard. It had stock in it, and a kettle and no computers and a little light and if you shut the door no-one knew you were there

YoniFoolsAndHorses · 26/09/2013 22:02

Yes, and my dog comes to work with me too. She sits under my desk and then when I go for lunch she is tied up outside the dining room. The students all cuddle her, and she laps
up the attention.

crazyspaniel · 26/09/2013 22:02

Teachers must get paid a lot more than I thought if they can afford to pay for their wife and two children to accompany them to places like South Africa.
I agree, it's shocking, and the school is undermining its very raison d'etre. One of the reasons to send your child to private school is to prove that you are in a income bracket, and enjoy a lifestyle, that is superior to that of the average person. When it becomes clear that the staff are able to participate in the same kind of trip that you have been able to afford for your children, it kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? I think you should write to the headteacher and demand to know just how much this upstart teacher is being paid - after all, it's you that's paying his salary.

Hulababy · 26/09/2013 22:04

LynetteScavo - DH came with me on a school trip - in a state school!

Hulababy · 26/09/2013 22:07

Better than what DH has just reminded me of his school trip memories:

Went on a one night residential and the teachers went, but also a school dinner lady. Turned out one of the teachers was having an affair with said dinner lady!!! Think it would have been far more professional and appropriate had the teacher taken his wife and children instead of his mistress tbh.

morethanpotatoprints · 26/09/2013 22:07

SilverApples

You have just given me the most awful flashback.... not your fault.
My teachers cupboard had a lock on it, which she used often to lock me in when I struggled with Maths and English.
I cried for ages, I was 7 years old, y3.

Give teachers holidays, not cupboards. Grin

catinboots · 26/09/2013 22:08

Double-ARF

I take 3 dogs to work with me every day. I work in education. FE.

FourEyesGood · 26/09/2013 22:10

crazyspaniel - Grin

Oh, and OP: YABU.

BellaVita · 26/09/2013 22:15

Yabu!

MrsMongoose · 26/09/2013 22:16

When I was 13, my form tutor brought her 14 year old son to school on days his school was closed and ours open. He mucked right in with us, made some nice cakes in food tech.

He was fit too, we loved having him in. Same when the PE teacher brought his toddler, she was so cute. I expect kids often feel this way about staff's kids.

tyaca · 26/09/2013 22:16

what crazy spaniel said. that comment about pay was dirty and nasty OP.

ExitPursuedByADragon · 26/09/2013 22:17

Aaaaassrgh

catinboots · 26/09/2013 22:18

Hi Bella!

BellaVita · 26/09/2013 22:19

Hey cat Grin

Hulababy · 26/09/2013 22:20

MrsMongoose - my DD comes in for half to a full day every so often too. She 11y now. I work with y2. We give her specific tasks to do with groups of children - such as a specific game, to support with some task - or give her admin type stuff to do like sticking in work to exercise books, etc. DD loves it and works really hard all day to be fair to her - she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. And the Y2s absolutely love it when she comes in. They all want to be in her group and they work really hard for her - great to see the way the "older child" motivates lots of little ones.

ImperialBlether · 26/09/2013 22:22

OP, you come across as a very sour and mean spirited person.

JakeBullet · 26/09/2013 22:28

YABU

Get over yourself.

pourmeanotherglass · 26/09/2013 22:32

DD has just got back from year 6 camp, where one of the adults was the teachers 22 year old daughter. She helped with DDs group, and they absolutely loved her! She was clearly good with this age group and a real asset to the group. Saved taking another teacher out of the school for a week. A lot of years ago, when I went to year 6 camp, the teacher's wife and baby came, and we all loved having them there.

whois · 26/09/2013 22:39

What's your problem OP? Did your thirteen year old need help wiping her nose and he wasn't to hand? No? Then no problem.

thebody · 26/09/2013 22:41

the sort if people who always moan about teachers and trips are the same people who do fuck all for the school. just criticise.

not posting again about my dds experience as have done too many times but thank god for teachers I say.

bad form and mean spirited op.

whois · 26/09/2013 22:41

FYI my teacher bought her husband and kid along on school ski trips. Daughter was the same age as me and bunked in with the children. Husband was. A member of staff (was a teacher at another school). I thought it was great.

BoffinMum · 26/09/2013 23:04

My English teacher used to bring her rather butch girlfriend on school trips. This was the 1980s when it was still illegal for blokes to have gay relationships under the age of 21, so the whole gay thing was a bit new to schools. It was most interesting for us nosy teenage girls. Grin

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