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

[Blueflowers2011]

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?

YABU What will the teachers have done to prepare for the trip? They will have previously visited the proposed trip route. They will have brainstormed all potential risks and their course of action in case of this happening. They will have written all that down and briefed all the adults on the trip before hand. They will be obsessively counting the children. They will be worrying the night before about all the same things that you are. Don't deny your child the opportunity to go on a fun and educational trip because of your own hang ups

Funny thread! Some serious over-thinking going on. I get that London can be a bit scary and daunting if you don't live here but really, it’s fine. School trips into London are fun and exciting for 5 year olds. Unless you have a particular reason why your particular child may not cope (SEN maybe?), or you are concerned that your child’s school doesn’t take safety seriously enough, then you are being really over protective and denying them of a chance of a fun day out with their friends.

However, I do think it’s a bit shit that they’re going to Hamleys… Why not Museum of Childhood? That’s a much better place to look at toys, and much more school trip friendly I would expect…

YANBU If you're not happy with it go with your gut or like previously suggested see if you can be a helper

Have taken hundreds of children on tubes(not all at the same time). The greatest hazard on there was us, our school was a singing school, the kids knew hundreds of songs, and would burst into song without provocation. A belated sorry to grumpy commuters who hated us and a big thanks the those that smiled and said they enjoyed the concerts.

The worst things that happened was a child who accidentally walked into a buskers guitar case in the Science Museum walkway , the busker got mouthy, so had to be dealt with (and reported) and the time a tube station was closed unexpectedly and we had to walk down the road to another one , but TFL called ahead and warned them we were on our way.

If you're that worried and it's the first school trip can you or a family member not go a long as a helper to help relieve your worries

OP I completely understand your concerns. I know many many children do live in London but you don't and therefore, it makes sense that you are worried about what could happen, especially in the current climate and with your child not being used to trains/the tube etc. However, you've got to put it in perspective and think about the actual real chance of something happening compared to the value of the trip. It might be that they're only going to a shop but they will learn about transport, they will have a completely new experience of travelling and they will do follow up work. It's easier said than done - my son is 6 and going on Beaver camp in November and I am shitting it (mind in overdrive about things that could happen - actually being a horrible person and half hoping he gets a sickness bug and can't go!), but I know that he will get loads out of it and if I don't let him go, I probably never will because I'll know I can avoid it.
The school will have risk assessed to the hilt, nothing will happen, you child will have a great time and yes, you will be worried all day, but it will be for the best - probably for you not just your child.

I work and live in London. I've only seen young children on the tube outside rush hour when actually it's reasonably quiet.

As for getting left on train/platform I've seen this happen a couple of times (not to kids on school trips) and both times someone alerted a TfL staff member and the child was quickly reunited with their parents/carers. Incredibly unlikely to happen though.

Not a chance would I let any of mine go st that age - no need to go to a world capital city to see a SHOP. Don't they have them much much closer. Talk to teacher - someone is being plain bonkers.

I really must tell my DCs that they are living in the wrong place and some parents simply wouldn't allow it, living in London and travelling around it and going places and everything.

My daughter went on the tube to the science museum with nursery when she was 3. My only objection to the trip would be hamleys (which is not a 20 min walk from Oxford Circus) as i would rather they did something less materialistic unless it is to an event there?

Also I frequently see school trips getting on tube and TFL looks after them extremely well.

No one has explained what the London fear is about. Apart from the thing about escalators. Why would we bring up kids to be afraid of cities?

And also - if a London parent posted here saying they didn't want to let their child go on a school trip to the countryside (they might slip in mud, or be chased by a cow, or be hit by a car zooming round a country lane, or anything!), there'd be an outcry.

So many responses on this thread are baffling. It'll be fine and the kids will have a brilliant, exciting day.

Brave teachers taking them Hamley's. It's my idea of hell. Children like it though

I do agree that the Museum of Childhood would have been a better choice as it has toys from all different eras and some amazing dolls' houses.

Obviously yes, shudder at Hamleys. So many better options.

I would let him go. Why should he miss out? As others have said it will have been thoroughly risk assessed. Let him have his adventure! Such a shame not to.

Museum of childhood even closer to a tube station as well!

I do agree that the Museum of Childhood would have been a better choice as it has toys from all different eras and some amazing dolls' houses.

Depends which direction they're coming from, though. If from the west, Bethnal Green would be a much longer tube journey.

Besides, the objective might be specifically to see how a shop works, not a museum.

I've just Googled Hamleys school visits. It looks as if they host a lot of school parties. The visits are planned and structured with dedicated staff members as guides, not just aimless wandering around the store. The objectives seem to be to get the children thinking and talking about materials, design and marketing. Education in how to be a more discerning consumer, in fact.

Museum of Childhood isn't big and gets booked up with school trips very rapidly - like most London museums you have to book months in advance!

Hamleys like Tescos and other stores runs educational sessions - probably covers cost of manufacture and overheads vs retail pricing, different job roles in a store like Hamleys, considering packaging, why toys are made out of different materials, designing your own toy and packaging to persuade people to buy it. They won't be going just to gawp at toys!

Ok fair enough. I did think it would be a bit odd if they were just traipsing round looking at toys.

I've just Googled Hamleys school visits. It looks as if they host a lot of school parties. The visits are planned and structured with dedicated staff members as guides, not just aimless wandering around the store. The objectives seem to be to get the children thinking and talking about materials, design and marketing. Education in how to be a more discerning consumer, in fact.

That sounds interesting. It is a rather nice building with good window displays and the staff are always very enthusiastic. If they give goody bags to school parties, that would be even better. I'm easily bought.

I'm just scarred by too many hot and crowded visits with small children who were dying to go and having my arm twisted as in: 'I'm sure lovely Auntie Limited won't mind taking you if you ask nicely. You don't mind, do you Auntie Limited?'

Lovely Auntie Limited discovered that the best way to stop this was to turn up looking like death and smelling of stale alcohol.

One of my favourite school trips was to the main postal sorting office in the nearest big town when I was seven. We went by bus that was just under two hours' round trip. We piled on and the teachers - there were just two for about 25 of us, no risk assessments in the 70s - bought the tickets which came out of the machine in a great long ribbon that there was a clamour to hold.

I think the purpose was to teach us about the history of mail distribution which of course, was invented by the British amongst a number of other things, including concentration camps

The only things I can remember about it were this trip and my fervent wish to find a Penny Black and be rich, rich, rich.

The best thing was that we were allowed to keep all the elastic bands we could find at the sorting office.

Tesco host school visits? I bet the kids are jumping with excitement about that! We went on some fecking awful school trips including a housing estate in Bracknell and a sewage works. Hamleys would have been great.

Ds2 went to on a trip to Tesco with Beavers. They each got a free bunch of bananas to take home