To think school trip to science museum tomorrow is not a great idea ! After Westminster.

[OopsDearyMe]

My daughters school have a trip arranged for tomorrow to the science museum in London. I know I'm gonna look like a bubble wrapper, but I'm not sure why but I'm not comfortable with the idea of a school taking a group of 100 kids to a known landmark and possible terror target , just a few days after what has just happened.

I know the threat is more likely to be for political places , but look at the bataclan (sp) and beach attacks. I know we should be standing firm and not be cowed, bu my daughter is profoundly deaf on one side and as a result gets lost easily and struggles in busy places. Should something happen even nearby, I'm not sure she would be able to react quickly etc.

I'm also annoyed because the statement sent out, was quite insensitive about what happened and was full of feeble reasons as to why they could not cancel (it would cost them to re book the coaches, the terror threat has not been raised and they have plenty of staff).

I used to work in the West End, when 7/7 happened and still went to work, so I'm no snowflake....

Dorothy I was being just a little bit sarcastic.

Oh yes, I realise that, Mousse. I was just picking up the point about risk.

Mcchicken I flew in the March... security was hugely stepped up, hand held scanners, body searching everyone, including women's underworld bras. But somehow my friend went through unchecked!

underwired not underworld ffs!

We should just all just cancel our plans and stay in. No one needs to go to work, it's far to risky.

Yes, and we'll just ignore all the facts which say you're more likely to have an accident at home than anywhere else. Every year there are 6000 deaths after an accident at home. That's more than 16 a day. Every day. "Every year over 62 children under 14 die as a result of an accident in the home". More than 1 every week.

But yeah, terrorism is the big bad bogeyman, not dodgy electrics, chip pan fires, falling down the stairs, drowing in ponds, drinking bleach, falling out of an upstairs window, hanging on blind cords....

Little lion
Yeah we were totally ripped apart. When we went the following year my mum came too. Her luggage was broken open without her even being there as she was classed as a risk as the only one flying with her surname ( lone traveller ) obviously we looked dodgy😉. Yet on a connecting flight an American guy was taking his hunting guns with him. ( not in hand luggage ) but this was ok ........

Also I worked in central London during the IRA era. Bomb scares were sometimes a daily occurrence but you just got on with it. If I didn't go into work because of fear of terrorism I wouldn't have been popular. It was just the norm. However if your in that environment your used to it. If your not I think it makes you more fearful especially when your children are involved.

I'm about to enter one of London's biggest shopping centres. Wish me and my credit card luck.

Great post Gasp

The very fact that a PP child who had previously worried about terrorism risks in London was in London when this attack occurred and is fine is another indication of how low the risk is. Millions of people were in London when the attack occurred. In fact, lots more people were on the bridge than the 40 who were injured - on the pavements and in vehicles or on bikes. So even if you were actually on Westminster Bridge at the time of the attack you were more likely not to be injured. Of course none of that is any consolation to the victims or their families. Statistical risk is an irrelevance to them. But we need to get it in proportion.

OP, do you let your daughter travel by plane? A close relative of mine died in a plane crash with over 100 other people. Has that changed your mind? Will you now not let her on a plane because your estimation of the risk has changed?

I went to London once, am I at risk?

She's far more likely statistically to get killed/injured on the way to school or in the coach on the way there....

yabu
but to worry is understandable.
I still would send dc, they will have a great time. tbh I would be more worried about a dc getting lost on public transport.

If it helps put your mind at ease, I work at one of the big museums and our security and anti-terrorism measures are second to none. I obviously can't go into detail but you would be amazed if you knew what goes on behind the scenes in terms of monitoring the crowd. Things you'd never even think of. People think the bag checks on entrance and visible security guards are all there is, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.

My museum was actually on the target list of the 7/7 bombers but they decided not to after a recce because our security is so tight. Our video footage of that recce was later played in court (trial of people accused of being 7/7 co-conspirators).

Your kids will be much safer inside the Science Museum than anywhere else, ditto on London Underground.

One of my DC was in London at the time of the attack (safely ensconced in a theatre) and one went up in the evening to see a film at the POW cinema.

DH and I went up yesterday evening to the theatre. (David Tenant was fab!)

It didn't even occur to me to be worried. Maybe there's a bit missing from my brain.

"(David Tenant was fab!)"

Wasn't he though?

"I have assessed the situation and feel it is not safe at the minute"

Oh, so you're in the anti terrorism team? Why didn't you say? Presume there'll be amnnouncements to that effect for the rest of us soon?

I would def let her go. I was in South Ken this morning, business as usual. Security around there is always very impressive anyway with the museums, French consulate and Lycee Francais

You weren't there last night, too, were you Toastie? That would be too coincidental.

I loved the way the music from the opera was used in the play. So menacing.

And DT was just marvellously louche.

Well, OP, if we don't all carry on as normal, terrorists will be thrilled to know that they have achieved something by their horrendous actions - that some people are prepared to curtail their lives, hide away in their homes, reduce normal activity etc. I sure as hell won't give them that satisfaction.

to me my gut feeling is 'this is a risk too far that I'm not comfortable with' there is nothing wrong with that. I have assessed the situation and feel it is not safe at the minute.

And yet, Sudocreamface, your assessment that it was not safe due to terrorism for a child to go into London today has prove to be 100% wrong.

At what point do you decide that it might be safe? Next week, next month, next year? And do you factor into that assessment the fact that actually, the more time goes on the greater the risk because terrorists will hope that police alertness has dropped? Does that mean you will never go to London again? But then, how do you know that there isn't a similar risk in every other town? How far are you going to let this voluntary self-imprisonment continue?

And how far does your risk assessment take into account the effects on your children of having their education limited and growing up equally imprisoned by your fears?

Never mind, as someone said upthread, the vast numbers of children who actually live in London and are not being imprisoned in their houses by their parents but instead going about their daily business on buses, tubes, trains, pavements.

It's actually a lot less likely to happen now than before. Also if it helps, a lot of South Ken is pedestrianised so unlikely to be susceptible to the same thing.

It's not a risk. Your child is more likely to be hit by a car.

To be fair, I think the school should cancel just because you will NOT be the only parent concerned about this. I would be! What an awful situation, if you don't let the child go, they miss out but if anything ever happened... Not worth thinking about. Can't you go too?

Even for future trips now you have me thinking..... I don't like it not one bit