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AIBU?

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Original poster

To feel confused about this schools trip to Disney in term time being ok

37 replies

Dowser · 17/06/2015 07:45

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3126314/Five-11-year-old-boys-names-pulled-hat-teachers-decide-WOULDN-T-dream-Disneyland-trip.html

And it not being ok for a family to take their children to Disney/ holiday in term time.

Can someone explain the difference to me because all I see is blurred lines.

This story is about 5 boys who were unable to go on the trip as the places were oversubscribed and names were pulled out of a hat and these five were the unlucky ones who could not go.

OP posts:
lem73 · 17/06/2015 07:47

I don't see how this trip is justified either. No educational value whatsoever. I feel sorry for those boys though.

ginghambunny · 17/06/2015 07:51

Don't see any educational value in it either but what the school did was really, really rotten. Poor kids

Stealthpolarbear · 17/06/2015 07:54

It's french I suppose. And they're sight seeing too

Icimoi · 17/06/2015 07:55

Educational or not, it does seem staggeringly inefficient of the school. Surely they could simply have organised a minibus for the remaining 5?

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 17/06/2015 07:59

I dont understand why they didnt do "first to pay deposits get a place"

DeidreChambersWhatACoincidence · 17/06/2015 08:00

I agree completely. And leaving out 5 like that is horrible.

I wonder what the school would say if the families of the boys left out said they wanted to take them out of school for a family trip to Disney Hmm

lampygirl · 17/06/2015 08:01

It probably isn't all that straightforward to take more than they planned for. Staff ratios/insurance/travel/accommodation etc.

I was on the receiving end of missing out on the school ski trip one year on a draw like this. It is nothing new. My parents took me away the same time instead.

I do think if the school is running a term time trip you should be able to go away the same week without the whole fine malarkey.

MythicalKings · 17/06/2015 08:01

I imagine the trip came as a package, organised by a travel firm and there would not be enough accommodation for the extras. The parents were told this could happen when the trip was announced and they've known since November.

leccybill · 17/06/2015 08:04

We took a group of kids to Disney, the trip straddled half term so missed 2 school days.

It was a reward trip with criteria such as 95% attendance, card signed by all subject teachers to confirm good effort and behaviour.
Would never dream of doing names out of a hat, far too unfair.

prepperpig · 17/06/2015 08:04

I know I'll get flamed for this but probably because the teachers concerned quite fancied it.

DH's friend is married to a teacher. She organised a trip to china for the children (because they fancied a trip to china) and a trip to borneo (because they faced a trip to borneo). Next is the west coast of america. Each time he goes along too even though he's not a teacher and has no connection with the school in any way.

They're very frank about the fact that its how they are getting to see the world. One time they went to the grand prix - great educational value there.

Shakirasma · 17/06/2015 08:04

The number issue aside, this in not a trip to Disney, it's a trip to Paris with a 2 day pass to Disney. I can't see in the article now long the visit is for, but assuming it's for 5 or 6 days I think it is an educational visit and cannot be compared to term time family holidays.

Trips to France in the last years of primary school have been going on for decades. I went on one nearly 30 years ago. it was a very educational experience but we he fun days out too.

TheFairyCaravan · 17/06/2015 08:06

There's already a thread here.

Aeroflotgirl · 17/06/2015 08:06

I agree, it's an awful thing to do, if they couldent take everyone, then the trip should not have happened. I bet the school would not allow it, if the boys parents clubbed together and took them to Disneyland during term time, double standards.

Idontseeanydragons · 17/06/2015 08:08

Pulling named out of a hat is a horrible thing to do - why didn't they just do first come first served?
As for Disney - our school does this on the MFL trip to France. 2 days in Paris, one day at Disneyland Paris. I quite like the idea to be honest, it's an extra treat for them.

DisappointedOne · 17/06/2015 08:16

I suspect these parents are only bothered because their boys are the "victims". They couldn't care less about kids being left out so long as it's not their boys. Hmm

DeidreChambersWhatACoincidence · 17/06/2015 08:17

The number issue aside, this in not a trip to Disney, it's a trip to Paris with a 2 day pass to Disney. I can't see in the article now long the visit is for, but assuming it's for 5 or 6 days I think it is an educational visit and cannot be compared to term time family holidays.

Confused I disagree. The same spin could theoretically apply to a family holiday.

soapboxqueen · 17/06/2015 08:21

I do question some trips organised by schools. Particularly the ones abroad.

However comparing it to term time holidays by parents is false. Schools do not control the law on this matter. This was imposed by government.

TwinkieTwinkle · 17/06/2015 08:54

I usually hate a dm sad face but those are totally justified, poor kids :( what a crappy thing for the school to do. As for the trip, hypocritical to say the least. I'm in Scotland so they're not as strict but I know the English schools are strict. 'Do as I say and not as I do' going on here

Tinuviel · 17/06/2015 10:55

For a primary school trip, it should have been organised to take all but maybe they didn't think as many would actually want to go.

However, 'first come, first served is not fair either because kids who come from poorer homes might need longer to get the money together. When I started teaching, we always did names out of a hat when a trip was over-subscribed. I can't actually think of a fairer way of doing it. (The kids didn't see us do it; they were just told who was going and the rest got a refund.) In the end, we could only take a certain number on a coach and there weren't enough to warrant a second coach, so it would have massively bumped the price up.

The issue with going to Disneyland is separate. Again the school I worked at restarted a year 8 trip to France and the day in Disneyland was a 'carrot' to encourage kids to go (school in deprived area of North England) as attitudes to were quite negative; and it worked - trip was full. The next step was to add a French theme park with the intention of dropping Disneyland once the trip had a positive vibe about it and kids wanted to go.

Prepperpig, there is a massive advantage to the school in another adult volunteering to go - it means they don't have to pay for supply to cover a member of staff. For a while it used to be 2 teachers, the Head and a member of the admin team. Then a teacher brought their partner (who was a retired teacher.) It makes the trip more affordable for the kids as supply has to be included in the costs.

Welshmaenad · 17/06/2015 10:59

How is going to France with the school intrinsically more educational than going to france with parents?

Icimoi · 17/06/2015 11:04

I disagree with the perception that these things are teachers' jollies, unless the children are exceptionally well behaved. In effect they're on duty 24 hours a day and have to be ready to deal with any emergency, and the thought of following a bunch of children round Disneyland would definitely not be my idea of fun.

grannytomine · 17/06/2015 11:06

When my kids were at primary there was always a trip to France at the end of year six. The year my DD went there were too many for the coach so there was a meeting and we were given options. Trip cancelled, names out of a hat or everyone paid £x extra to have an extra coach. We paid the extra and then sold spare seats so some parents/grandparents travelled to France with them and then did there own thing. The extra cost ended up being less than expected as we sold all the seats. None of us wanted to leave kids out. I think an extra member of the PTA went to make the ratio OK.

formidable · 17/06/2015 11:06

It was a reward trip with criteria such as 95% attendance

Oh so the sick kids couldn't go then? That's fair Hmm

Whathaveilost · 17/06/2015 11:10

It was a reward trip with criteria such as 95% attendance

Oh so the sick kids couldn't go then? That's fair

My DS has 100% attendance at school and is being treated to a day out and even he thinks it is wrong.
I don't think they should be rewarded for doing something they are supposed to be doing anyway.

Thancred · 17/06/2015 11:14

Our school doesn't count sick days in the attendance criteria. DS had two hospital appointments last term, school had copies of the appointment cards and he missed the full day both times due to the appointment time, he also had three days sick after he vomited (at school) and was excluded for 48 hours after. So five days absence over the term. He still got a 100% attendance certificate because they were authorised absences.

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