To think this is madness?

[dododotheconga]

My youngest dd- aged 6 is going on a school trip next week. No coaches are involved and the trip will be largely outdoors. We are in a local lockdown area currently due to high and increasing rates of Covid. I know of no other schools running trips at this current time and have seriously thought about not letting her go. However, the fact is the following day she would be back at school and mixing with children who had been on the trip so I'm not sure what we would gain, other than upsetting her.
AIBU to think that the school is crazy to be doing this at this time and putting children and their parents in an impossible situation?

It doesn't sound that safe , but I guess it'll be risk assessed and they will have to wear masks?

No masks and no Coronavirus risk assessment (just a standard trips one). I know this because I've asked to see it.

What's the trip, a walk to a nature reserve? Trying to picture what on earth they could be doing?

So they will be walking somewhere or driven by parents, be mainly outdoors with their classmates?
How is this more risky than being in a class together?

If no coaches are involved, they are walking to somewhere. And it is largely outdoors. So walking to the woods which has a hall for education / eating and some loos. Sounds fine, better than being sat Inna classroom!

Depends what and where the trip is

Parents drop off as it's near to the school. The activities are all outdoor ones- climbing, canoeing etc. The risk is that there will be lots of additional adults involved who are not normally involved in the school at a time where most schools aren't allowing adults in.

Due to the nature of the tasks there will be sharing of equipment and very unlikely to be social distancing between adults and them.

So an outdoor activity centre then? I wouldn’t worry. There is minimum risk of infection outside in the open air.

If it's outdoors the risk of infection is much less than being in unventilated / air conditioned rooms together.

This article explains, see especially the but about covid being spread on a coach to a religious festival, but not at the festival itself.

english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-06-17/an-analysis-of-three-covid-19-outbreaks-how-they-happened-and-how-they-can-be-avoided.html

My dd (8) has been going weekly to an outdoors activity place with her class- on a mini coach. It hadn’t occurred to me to worry about it because of Covid. It’s better than being cooped up in a classroom.

It sounds completely fine to me.

Honestly, I'm really glad to read these replies. My instinct is to be unhappy about it because I know that the norm in most schools at the moment is to be very very careful and this seems way less than careful. She will go on the trip and I will hope that it doesn't lead to having a household off school/work awaiting test results....

So long as the equipment is sanitised between schools I don't see the problem. The children will be in close contact in school anyway. If anything it's better that they're outside!

Let them have a little bit of normality and something to look forward to.

The other adults won’t be getting close to the children, they will utilise the teachers if they need any close contact as teachers will already be mixing.
Canoing - the instructors will be in thier own canoes/kayaks and the teachers will be in with the kids.
Climbing - the instructor will be belaying at the bottom of the wall
Bushcraft/orienteering - again no need for the instructors to be in the children/teachers space

It’s outside so much lower risk of transmission, I’m sure that in between using equipment plenty of hand gel will be used and the equipment will probably be wiped down in between groups.

You say you asked for risk assessment - was that the schools? If you are really worried ring then outdoor centre and ask for theirs - that will include things specific to the activities etc

It sounds great fun, she’ll finally feel like life is getting back to normal, please let her go and enjoy herself, they deserve normality and fun

I'd also be completely fine with this too, sounds like a lot of fun.

I think she'd be a lot less likely to catch Covid on this trip than in the classroom.

*It’s outside so much lower risk of transmission, I’m sure that in between using equipment plenty of hand gel will be used and the equipment will probably be wiped down in between groups.

You say you asked for risk assessment - was that the schools? If you are really worried ring then outdoor centre and ask for theirs - that will include things specific to the activities etc*

We asked both. The centre said the school had it and to ask them. The school has only got the standard RA. I'd like to agree that equipment will "probably" be wiped down but without a RA this is not a guarantee. The children haven't been asked to take hand gel or masks. She will go because she'll be back at school the next day either way but honestly, I'd rather the trip wasn't happening. The school has huge grounds and there's a million things the children could be doing without mixing additional adults in with them- not least catching up on the months of learning missed when they didn't set a single piece of work....

It’s no different to talking your DD to a playground which 100s of children have touched.

As long as she washes her hands after and doesn’t suck her thumb/bite nails/eat before hand washing she will be fine.

@dododotheconga

*It’s outside so much lower risk of transmission, I’m sure that in between using equipment plenty of hand gel will be used and the equipment will probably be wiped down in between groups.

You say you asked for risk assessment - was that the schools? If you are really worried ring then outdoor centre and ask for theirs - that will include things specific to the activities etc*

We asked both. The centre said the school had it and to ask them. The school has only got the standard RA. I'd like to agree that equipment will "probably" be wiped down but without a RA this is not a guarantee. The children haven't been asked to take hand gel or masks. She will go because she'll be back at school the next day either way but honestly, I'd rather the trip wasn't happening. The school has huge grounds and there's a million things the children could be doing without mixing additional adults in with them- not least catching up on the months of learning missed when they didn't set a single piece of work....

...but the school doesn't have climbing or canoeing.

It sounds like a brilliant day for them.

It sounds fab. Please sop worry. I'm a teacher (secondary) and do much of what we are doing looks good on paper and is 'hygenie theatre' but I'm sure doesn't make the slightest difference to transmission rates as children WILL just bundle together at the slightest opportunity. This trip is probably less risky than being in an enclosed classroom all day.

Don't worry, not sop worry!

As long as she washes her hands after and doesn’t suck her thumb/bite nails/eat before hand washing she will be fine

Indeed, though sadly I won't be there to check that's happened.
She will go and she'll love it I have no doubt. I just hope everything ok at the end of it.

I sounds like a great way for her to spend the day. I'm envious.