To pull out of this school trip (teacher)?

[dybb]

School trip to mainland Europe in December. I am one of 4 staff accompanying about 25 14-15 year olds. It is always a struggle to find female staff members to go on these kind of trips.

Trip is 5 days, quite full-on with travel and activities for staff and students. Lots of walking and city transport. 2 hour flights both ways.

I will be 36 weeks pregnant the day we are due to fly back. Technically the airline allows travel up to the end of the 36th week with a Drs note. No complications so far but I’m only 16w at this point and aware that could change.

AIBU to pull out of the trip?

YABU - go
YANBU - don’t go

It would be ridiculous to go. I'm actually surprised the school would allow it.

The school will not let you go. At 36 weeks you will fail a school risk assessment! Let trip leader know so they can work on finding a replacement option.

So if you give birth earlier than that which can happen, the whole school trip will be capsized as you will be in a foreign country. Does insurance cover it etc? Let another member of staff go who may want the chance but can't because you are going. A time comes in life when we need to think of those around us and the effect our actions have on them, this includes your colleagues, yourself and most of all the unborn child. I would definitely pull out now and let someone else deal with the fall out.

Very much doubt that school will want you. Will their insurance cover neonatal care if you go into labour early? You may need a private travel doctor to write you a fit to fly note.

I wasn’t even allowed to take my class on a local area walk at 26 weeks without extra members of staff being there in case anything happened to me - basically we had to make sure we would still be working to the correct ratio if there were any issues involving me.

OP has come back folks ! Congratulations OP BTW

I came on to say the same as everyone else. I was also on maternity leave by this stage with illness.

You'll be absolutely exhausted when you're doing nothing - no way would I be able to do that trip at that stage of pregnancy.

I had my first at 36 weeks - with no notice. So on that basis. No don’t go!

Of course you shouldn't go. You'd potentially be a liability, as if you got ill, staff resources may have to be directed towards you, eg if you needed driving to hospital etc.
Babies are unpredictable! I went 2 weeks over with my first and second child but the third arrived 5 weeks early.

I had a very easy pregnancy untill 34 weeks. Then I had to hospital stay due to complications and I was induced at 36 weeks due to a risk to my life if Id waited longer. Don't do it

So glad you aren’t going to go! I gave birth at 36+2 and 36+5 - you are making the right decision!

Indeed. I was on a primary school day trip (as a governor) in June and one of the staff was/is pregnant - she's due to give birth in October, so not as pregnant as the OP will be on the trip.

Our teacher struggled massively with the walking around York - she couldn't keep up even with the slowest children.

I'm glad - and will add that as a former headteacher, once you'd told me you were pregnant, my risk assessment would've meant I wouldn't have wanted you to go!

I've had a few colleagues pull out of trips as they found out they were pregnant, including one who was trip leader. They were all much earlier in their pregnancies but didn't want the discomfort of travelling and the huge responsibility of a trip. I think it would be a perfectly normal thing for you to say no and you are giving plenty of notice. If there's any issue you should speak to your union rep but genuinely I think any reasonable head would want you pull out.

Maybe she wasnt pregnant at the time

Has the school devised a plan in case you start premature labour?

Of course you don't go. And you tell them with time to get a replacement for you.

I don’t think they’re be letting you go anyway - the risk assessment alone! I was on maternity starting at 36 weeks both times as a teacher - quite physically demanding special needs teaching and I was done!

That’s a really helpful comment. If only the OP had a Time Machine.

Have you ever thought of going into the diplomatic corps?

That’s crazy if your school wants you to do that trip! So risky and so much harder to find someone else to do it last minute. Plenty of new staff in September they can get to go. Just say no

Maybe it was planned months ago - I know our school’s trips are