To wonder who funds a teacher's school trip

[iwasjustwonderingreally]

My daughter went skiing with her school in February half term.

Four teachers accompanied them.

Do teachers pay for themselves, or a contribution, (I appreciate they are working though), or is the cost to the pupil inflated to cover the cost of the teachers?

But what has the teachers behaviour got to do with who pays?

They are there to chaperone the kids. If they can’t do that because they are drunk that’s what you complain about.

Are you saying it’s ok for them to drink if they paid for themselves then?

In half term as well!

At my DD's secondary the teachers her the days that they have been away off straight after a trip.

They should get double time for it. Can you imagine the hell ?

@FiveForAPound

In half term as well!

At my DD's secondary the teachers her the days that they have been away off straight after a trip.

What school is this? I've never heard of it happening, no state school could afford it.

So Eddie Stobart truck drivers go to and through interesting and picturesque places. Sadly as they have 40ft of truck with them they are limited in what they can do there. They can’t relax and sit around like they might if they went with their family.
Do you expect them to pay for the privilege?

Some on here think only the nace children go on trips - I took them all. The nace ones can cause just as many problems, keep you up just as late.

I never got time off in lieu. One of my children is a also teacher - when she gets back she is expected to be in first thing the next day - her children are given the morning off because they’re tired.

@Backtomyoldname - that's been my experience. The students are given the day off if it's been a late return, not so staff.
The OP says it's not about whether the staff get a "free" trip, but the whole situation of drunk staff and negligence in 2022 sounds unlikely to me.

It is a state school, although an academy. They can afford it because they do it.

@FiveForAPound

It is a state school, although an academy. They can afford it because they do it.

Well, I work in an Academy - because of covid we've had a lot of staff absence and struggle to get enough supply teachers just to cover classes. Day trips and courses have all been cancelled. Covering and funding such lieu days is very unusual, I would suggest.

@Responsiveroo

If your teenager came back And said she’d been I’ll But “all” the teachers had been tipsy and one especially drunk

And you trusted your teen, she they weren’t prone to exaggerating (no idea about this one!)
Would you not pursue a complaint? Or at least approach the school and ask for a pretty frank disuxssion?

The problem here is that its not even the OP's child that was ill.

I'm not even sure if she has said that their child was on the trip.

Or why she is even thinking about putting her name to the complaint.

@FrippEnos well technically, IF all the teachers were tipsy and one really drunk, and unable to care appropriately for the children, any parent with a child on that school trip has the right to complain, not just the one with the ill child.

Neverreturntoathread

A colleague of mine does the same.
It's interesting that the only person that goes on the trip that they organise every year is them. The other teachers only go once.

@DoctorSnortles

I hate this sort of thread.

I no longer do residential or foreign trips because of the sort of attitudes expressed on this thread. If you don’t like teachers taking your child on a trip then don’t bloody sign up for it. It’s hard work (before, during and after)and nothing but a load of can-carrying and fifteen tonnes of grief if even the slightest thing goes wrong (‘My child left a sock in Barcelona. What are you going to do about it?’)The sense of responsibility, 24 hours a day over many days, often in a place you are unfamiliar with yourself, whilst trying to keep teenagers from getting drunk/having sex/having terrifying accidents/not sneaking out of the hotel etc is very wearing. Our MAT policy (rightly) forbids staff from drinking alcohol on trips, so you can’t even console yourself with a sip of warm Sancerre out of a hotel room coffee cup. It’s hardly a week of decadent indulgence. I’ve spent many, many hours sitting in hotel room corridors until 3 a.m. to ensure everyone is where they should be, then up and banging on doors to get everyone ready to go for an early start at 6 a.m.

It’s a young teacher’s game, that.

Too right. I am not doing New York trip any more as it was just too much hassle. I got blamed for every sock lost / teeth not brushed / too much spent on sweets and I only took sixth formers.

As for the one free space per ten students that is not enough to cover all staffing needs. For example if I take 20 kids to New York I need three staff not two - in case a member of staff falls sick or a student falls sick. Head has been pushing for 4 staff on trip and it has to be two male staff and two female. Then the trip can not take place during term time so staff are giving up their leave which then puts them under more pressure to complete marking/planning/being with their own families during what is left of the break.

If you want to complain about them drinking then do so.

If you want to know how their places were funded then ask.

The two are not connected.

Don't expect any teachers in that school to be willing to run another overseas trip ever.

[quote ldontWanna]@FrippEnos well technically, IF all the teachers were tipsy and one really drunk, and unable to care appropriately for the children, any parent with a child on that school trip has the right to complain, not just the one with the ill child.[/quote]
The problem is that it is IF all the teachers.

I'm all up for a discussion but it seems like the parent of the child that is ill wants a pile on.

That sounds dreadful @Countdown2023 and @DoctorSnortles who would want to work under such conditions?! I don't blame you at all for not wanting to go on the trips anymore.

Well, I work in an Academy - because of covid we've had a lot of staff absence and struggle to get enough supply teachers just to cover classes. Day trips and courses have all been cancelled. Covering and funding such lieu days is very unusual, I would suggest.
I don't know what you want me to say.

The MAT at DD's secondary is very supportive and they have a high staff retention. Every member of staff also gets one 'Christmas shopping day' a year which they can take whenever they want.

I agree that getting supply is incredibly difficult at the moment.

Well that will be the last school trip in that school, who is goi g to give up their annual leave to then be called negligent and a drUnk?

@Vanderpump

Well that will be the last school trip in that school, who is goi g to give up their annual leave to then be called negligent and a drUnk?

Probably for the best though, if the staff can’t go on a residential without getting drunk.

I do a summer choir trip that normally overlaps the end of term and goes into the summer holiday. The kids are 14-18 and the vast majority are lovely. However, it is bloody hard work.

The last foreign one was to S Germany. One parent of a y9 lad said he couldn't be trusted so I had to look after his passport and EHIC. We did a lot of border crossings between Germany & Switzerland & Austria so I had to take it out each day. We have to make sure everyone knows which uniform we are taking out for the day. One kid never had black shoes - always used to wander around barefoot so someone had to take her out to buy some. Then there are the food allergies and making sure they get fed first so others don't take all their food. On the last trip we were split across 2 flights. Mine was delayed so when we arrived, the only food available was McDonalds. Most kids were really happy to wolf that down, but of course there were a couple of little darlings who had never had a Maccy Ds before...

On my 1st ever trip as an NQT to Scotland, we had a disco on the last night. One kid spent all his pocket money on bottles of cola and skittles then ended up fitting at night. The Head of Year went to hospital with him (ringing his mum first who went ballistic at US for allowing him to eat/drink crap) and the rest of us had to clear the place, pack the coach & sort everything out. It wasn't fun.

We organise our choir trips ourselves. Adults don't have to pay, but we do put a shift in. Like @Daffodilz, I have stayed in the Youth Hostel in Nuremberg. The rooms are TINY and the curtains only cover half the window. When we were there, some non-choir kids were inter-railing and thought they would meet up with us. Some of the worst girls decided to try sneaking out to meet them to go clubbing - one of the miscreants was a governor's child. They forgot that we were also teens once. However, for the 3 people that ended up sorting it out, the next day is a killer on hardly any sleep.

On the flip side, I have been to some amazing places. My older daughter spent her 18th birthday in Venice and got to sing in St Mark's with us, which was just amazing. Most parents thank us, but there are a few who moan that we are earlier/later than the original letter said. Heathrow in July is not ideal. We then have to find our coaches and travel at least 3 hours to get back here. With the best will in the world it's not easy.

OP cut teachers some slack. It's been a really tough 2 years. If you're that bothered, take your own kid skiing and stop moaning about adults who give up their free time to ensure yours gets a treat.

Free adult places are given for a certain amount of kids.

Same with things like theatre trips.

it's only the well behaved kids that get to go

Alas, this is not the case.

In my normal teaching job, I am free of other people's kids by about 430 pm.

On a residential, it's more like 4am. Then 7am wake up. OK, it's not every night- they get more tired as the trip goes on. But there is no down time at all. It's relentless. Days without being able to swear.

It could be worse OP I went on a school trip to France when I was 14 & some of the pupils were pissed! The joys of being able to buy beer in cafes at 12yo I did not spend most of my spending money on biere & frites we thought we were so grown up

I don't do overnight trips any more. Nightmare to organise, exhausting to run and a lot of my own time doing something I don't want to. There is not a cat in hell's chance I would do an overseas trip.

The travel company gives 1 teacher place for every 8 pupils or so