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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not let five-year-old child go on school trip into central London

307 replies

Blueflowers2011 · 10/10/2016 20:18

as title says, Year 1 (age 5 mostly) are going on a trip into London, which consists of 30 children and supervising adults travelling on 1 rail train, interchange to 1 underground tube train then a 20 min walk when they get to the other side to visit a shop.

A couple of parents are now saying they are not allowing their child to go which is also confirming my thoughts initially, which btw is mostly due to anything happening in London in general.

I have worked in London all my life and it's bad enough travelling on the tube everyday as an adult, let alone a 5 yr old child. Many parents also feel it's an unneccassary trip at this age just to visit a shop and how it works.

I encourage most things and experiences for my children but just feel this one is a bit too much for a 5 yr old. Am I worrying too much or should I just let them go?

OP posts:
SleepFreeZone · 10/10/2016 21:46

I wouldn't be happy. Not so much about bombings, although that might cross my mind, but more that DS is a bloody liability and bolter abs I would be terrified they might lose him 😁

RabbitsNap01 · 10/10/2016 21:46

no, of course not but doing something like a self defense class if you worry about random nutters in the street attacking your dc (as I do) can help.

SansasEscape · 10/10/2016 21:47

Place marking just to see what shop it it Smile

Memoires · 10/10/2016 21:51

There's a big difference between children who live in London going on the tube, or children who don't live in London going on the tube with their parents, and childen who don't live in London going on the tube with the school when they're only 5 years old. Some of them will love it, and possibly become over-confident, some of them will become more and more stressed. Both types of child will require much greater supervision as the day continues.

My dd was travelling on the tube from less than 2 years old, but we lived in grtr London and I took her up to central London several times a month.

sparechange · 10/10/2016 21:55

hippo
Millions of people use the tube every single day and I've not heard of a single incident of someone being accidentally knocked onto the tracks. Deliberate jumps occasionally but you get those everywhere

bangingmyheadoffabrickwall · 10/10/2016 22:04

What is the ratio? OP

I teach Y1s. You will be very surprised at how sensible 5 and 6 year olds are in unfamiliar surroundings. I have taken 80 key stage one children into a city (by bus though - no train routes sadly but would have fit in well with our transport topic) and not had any issues.

I would speak to the HT about this and discuss your worries with him or her. A lot of effort goes into risk assessments these days and I am sure any concern you have would probably have already been addressed in their risk assessments.

Lorelei76 · 10/10/2016 22:08

I'm a bit stunned at all that palaver to visit a shop misses point of thread

Dontpanicpyke · 10/10/2016 22:08

Nope I wouldn't let mine go either and that's my perogative. Others can decide for themselves.

OhTheRoses · 10/10/2016 22:09

Which shop? My DC grew up in London and survived unscathed. London's actually very safe.

I do understand it might seem scary though x

Strawberry90 · 10/10/2016 22:13

YANBU I wouldn't want mine to go

OneOfTheGrundys · 10/10/2016 22:18

I've taken school trips on the tube (90 4-5yos to London aquarium) and its massively stressful. I've been a parent helper as well on a couple and its the getting them all on and off that is the hard part. Some hadn't really used escalators before and were scared for example. Or don't hold their partners hand etc.

I can see why you'd worry a bit but the likelihood of anything bad happening is small. Whereas missing the trip will definitely mean missing out on a very fun, memorable experience. It may be 'just' a shop but it's a trip with classmates and that's what counts.

unlucky83 · 10/10/2016 22:19

I've helped out on several school trips - ones in London mainly older children (8-9yo) and yes we did take them to St James park on public transport - they had a picnic and fed the ducks...which was the bit I remember best - we went to the national portrait gallery too -I think I was so stressed about them behaving themselves there that I have blanked it from my mind Smile.
As others have said the child:adult ratio will be appropriate for the trip and age group of the children...and also for the specific children who are on the trip. It will be risk assessed to a high degree.
There will be a leader adult then middle ones for a certain number of pairs then one at the tail end - making sure there are no stragglers. There will be endless head counts at every stage.
IME children behave better in a group as they copy each others behaviour and they mostly want to please their teacher.
The children may well be paired up by the teacher - who knows the children. They will put the most sensible with the least sensible ones, avoid putting two who will egg each other on or fall out together and the ones with tricky behaviour will be right next to a teacher/helper. They might give the most difficult ones a 'job' something to do that distracts them from misbehaving.

(I always used to take the rear - get the awkward stragglers... or the ones who are falling behind because they are tired...)
More recently I ended up as a 'needed' helper on a trip with my then preschool DD - that was really tricky - as someone with 'experience' I was put at the rear and was holding hands with one 'tricky' child (who might run off) and one tired child who wanted to be carried Hmm...DD was not impressed.

ShelaghTurner · 10/10/2016 22:26

I've lived and worked in London all my life so not worried about going into London at all. But my little 4.5yo who's never been on a tube and only once on a train....ugh....I wouldn't have the heart to stop her going but I would worry myself stupid till they got back. I worked in a top London attraction for years and saw too many children get lost because they weren't properly supervised so that wouldn't help my anxiety. But I don't think I'd stop her...

Macarena1990 · 10/10/2016 22:43

We live in London but the school trip policy in DS and DD's school states no public transport until they are in year 3.

GrumpyInsomniac · 10/10/2016 22:53

I live in Central London and DS has been going on school trips around the capital since Reception. He's now 10, and seems to have made it through primary unscathed by school trips. What do you think will happen to your DC?

Liiinoo · 10/10/2016 22:59

Shelagh. You saw many children get lost. Did you ever see a situation where they weren't happily reunited with their parents/carer? I assume not or you would have mentioned it. And presumably they got lost when travelling with family as well as larger groups.

As a SAHM I assisted on many school trips. The ratio of adults to children is very high and every trip be risk assessed. Teachers and schools are not going to risk the safety of their pupils. (I don't think I was ever responsible for more than 4 children and often it was 2/3.)

OP - I understand your anxiety. 5 is very young but Imthinkmany possible tiredness is outweighed but the absolute pleasure and sense of adventure children get from school trips. Even the most mundane experience is hugely enhanced by the novelty and excitement of experiencing it with their classmates. A 15 minute walk to the local library becomes an eagerly anticipated event. And the trip will be the basis for lots of ongoing classroom work - it would be a shame for your DC to miss out on any of that. Feel the fear and do it anyway!

milkysmum · 10/10/2016 23:00

Can't believe I just read this whole thread to find out what shop and we still don't know! 😂

ferriswheel · 10/10/2016 23:00

I haven't had time to read the whole thread but NO WAY would I agree to this.

NeedABanner · 10/10/2016 23:00

shelagh I bet 99.99% of the lost children were with parents/grandparents etc & not with a school group 😁

For me it would depend on how confident I was that the school/teacher would keep them safe (all are not created equal). Last years teacher, no problem, she could have done it single handedly whilst remaining calm & enjoying it. This years teacher I worry about the class hamster. I'd go on the trip & if I couldn't, I wouldn't let a 5 yo go.

Seems like a bonkers trip though for such small children.

edwinbear · 10/10/2016 23:02

I live in London and dc's nursery took them on a trip into central London, to the Science Museum on the tube, when they were 2/3 (which was bloody brave of them I thought), they had a marvellous time and all came back in one piece.

DD is now in reception and I helped out on a school trip into central London on Friday, again all was well. YABU, school know what they are doing.

Meadows76 · 10/10/2016 23:05

saw too many children get lost because they weren't properly supervised. Ok, so let's assume these kids WILL be properly supervised

KeepItToYourselfPlease · 10/10/2016 23:08

It's the time of the academic year that would bother me. Six weeks into term is very early for a Reception trip. I say this as a Reception teacher.

My kids are just about finding their feet at this point in the term - some of the summer born would still have been 3 just 6 or 7 weeks earlier!

Liiinoo · 10/10/2016 23:10

Keepit. But they aren't reception, they are Y1.

mashpot · 10/10/2016 23:10

Some of the responses to this are hilarious. A trip to a shop sounds like a bit of a waste of a trip into central London (without any further info) but honestly, children a lot younger than 5 travel around on the tube in central London every day. Nursery took DS's nursery class into town on the bus to the acquarium when he was 3 - I was just chuffed he was getting a nice day out!

KeepItToYourselfPlease · 10/10/2016 23:12

Sorry! Totally skim read it, and picked up on some of the other posts about Reception children.

I stand corrected! Grin