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

[Dowser]

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.

Is this primary or secondary where attendance is rewarded?

Yeah, let's ban all school trips coz if parents can't take their kids out in term time then neither should schools.

The Head and LA set the attendance criteria, not me.
We struggle to get above 90% whole school attendance every year, despite an attendance team of 6 doing every single thing they can.
More than 5% unauthorised cannot go on trips. Sickness absence is authorised with medical evidence.

They should have had parents pay more for an extra coach, instead of leaving 5 out, that is not on!

Why do people keep saying only 5 children in the year were left out. There could have be 100 in the year not going it's just they're were only 5 bit going that wanted to.

At our school this year only 8 year 6s aren't going on residential. Last year it was 30. Differences like that have a big impact on planning and cost and in our case even location.

It was made very clear when the trip was organised if everyone wanted to go there wouldn't be enough space.

Excuse the typos. Feeding baby and trying to use phone!

I still don't see the educational relevance of Disney . And it wouldn't bother me either except all you hear from school is how attendance is so crucial due to the curriculum being so crammed and that not a moment must be missed.

Also sickness absence with medical evidence? How do you provide medical evidence for a simple case of d&v or sore throat?

I understand it is a week long trip with one day at Disney.

I can see it as much more educational than a holiday depending on the parents. I imagine they will see the sights, there has been talk about a boat trip and they will also go to museums.

Yes a lot of parents would do all of those with their children, it can also be a lot cheaper - link to a company that does trips with a trip to Disney, a disco and a river cruise all costing less than £35 per head.

www.nstgroup.co.uk/tour/paris/

I think they can do equally as much with parents. In our recent trip to Edinburgh with my grandson we had a walk along princes st where there were excellent views of the castle and Scott memorial. Saturday we went to the zoo where he got to experience the pandas as well as countless other animals and the excellent dinosaur exhibition. Later we went to see Jurassic world and then went back to the hotel to watch the planes landing about 300 feet from our bedroom window every minute ( maybe more,not good with small distances) but fantastic all the same. Especially when one was revving up on the runway with another one approaching and wanting the same space. There must have been split seconds between that take off and landing as we spoke about the stress air traffic controllers ( we could see the tower) were under. As we were practically screaming 'go! ) to the one onthe runway. Also wondered why we weren't carried off under suspicion of being a terrorist....hmmmm! Never realised you could get so close to planes!

On the sundaymorning we went tothe excellent mr woods fossil shop ( passing the statue of greyfriars bobby ) where there were fossilised mammoth ribs, shark teeth and whale vertebra. Amazing.

Then off to the royal yacht Britannia at leith. A piece of living history if ever there was one.
He got to see how the space the royal family occupied compared to the underlings and a snapshot of what life was like Tobe born royal.

He also got to handle some Scottish currency.

On the way home we swung over to holy island across the causeway. He was fascinated at how just a few hours earlier it had been under water.
I took his photo beside the statue of St Aidan and we spoke about early Christianity on the island. He had already seen the shrine and tomb of st cuthbert at Durham cathedral.
He had a brilliant time and I don't know how a school could have done any better with two to one attention to handle his questions.

I don't think parents/ grandparents are given enough credit for what we teach our kids

I've been on lots of school trips.

We always assumed, until otherwise informed, that all the children would go.

It would never be planned so that some would have to be excluded.

It's either educational or it's not. and if it is, then all children should be able to benefit.

Over 30 years ago my primary school did the same with a school holiday to Weston-super-mare. I was one of the first to bring back my form the next day. A few more children applied than there were places. We all had to sit in the hall while they picked about 40 names out of a hat and a couple of reserves. I remember sitting there crossing my fingers very tightly and praying to be chosen. I wasnt. The trip was in term time. I had to go to school while all my friends were on holiday. When they came back they were understandably very excited and all had to write projects about the trip. They seemed to talk about it for weeks. It was all so painful for an 11 year old girl who was so desperate to go on holiday with her friends. I have never forgotten how I felt and think that if a school cannot take all the children who apply for a holiday away, then it is fairer to try for something else or not to go.