To offer to help on DS school trip even though I have younger children

[geogteach]

DS teachers sent a letter asking for parents to help on a walk in the local area to look at traffic. Apparently I am not a suitable candidate because I plan to bring DS2 in his buggy. I think this is really unfair on DS1 as I am always excluded from offering help as he has a younger brother and sister. My argument was that is just as easy for 2 kids to hold a pushchair as to hold my hands - I do it everyday. If the kids aren't up to it then in my opinion they'd be no safer holding my hand (they are 6). I have a lot of experience with trips so am aware of the need to risk assess etc but I really feel strongly that the main looser here is DS1 (and other kids whose parents can't help because of younger siblings)

I suspect there are probably insurance issues. A friend of mine went on the pre-school trip to enable her son to go, and she had to get her mother up to look after her baby. Baby wouldn't have been covered.

YABU.
The school will need parents whose first concern is for the school children, therefore those who have younger children with them will not be suitable.

But if you take a younger sibling firstly you have that child as your priority not the ones "allocated" to you and secondly you would muck up the adult to child ratio.

They do have to actually hold your hands - not onto a buggy - as ds2 has done somnething similar. Ours was over 2 sessions so I went to the first one and left ds3 with a friend and she will do the second while I have her ds.

You're not a suitable candidate because the ratio of children to adults would be judged insufficient. They're thinking of the safety needs of the whole class and there are almost certainly guidelines in place that they're keen to follow. They're not being unfair. The only reasonable way round it is to have your younger children looked after so you can go on the trip with your eldest.

YABU, there have to strict adult to child ratios and if your other children go then it causes problems with the ratio, you would probably be expected to care for more than 2 children anyway. You would need to be focussed solely on the school children in your care and you can't do that if you priority is your younger children.