Ds (10) and school trip to outdoor centre ASD travel

[Outdooradventureissues]

DS is 10 and has a day trip next Tuesday to an outdoor centre / forest school type place. The class is travelling by coach.
DS has ASD and extremely severe travel sickness and is unable to take medication for this.

We can easily get a train / walk (takes a bit longer but he would then arrive feeling ok for the day and activities). I would collect him afterwards. We suggested this and have been told no - that if we do that and he’s not in registration that AM it’s an unauthorised mark. That he goes by coach or comes in registers then we take him by train / walk. We would need to leave at 8 am to get him there for the 930 start. If he goes in to school for 850 as they insist we will then be very late for the start of the activities and they do a safety brief first. Can they do this - surely they have to authorise?

What does he normally do for school trips? It does seem a bit ridiculous but I guess once one person does it they’d have others doing it too and the school starts from registration.

Dd has really bad travel sickness too, but fortunately is able to take Kwells, which help her a lot, though are not foolproof. It's a shame he can't do that. Perhaps just send him on the bus but make sure he has what he needs for if he feels sick, such as a bag, wipes, spare tshirt if really needed etc. How long is the journey? Hopefully he will feel better after a little while of being off the bus and in the fresh air.

So would you have to take a day off work to take him on a school trip ? All seems a bit dramatic ?

It doesn’t sound like a long journey so I’d make him go on the bus - see how he gets on . He’s got to learn to manage at some point .

I would suggest to school that they find a way to accommodate a reasonable adjustment based on disability. That said, the registration bit is tricky because it's a safeguarding issue that they actually need to see him, so has broad implications.

I'd either put it in writing that we are happy to take him directly there and acknowledge their point that it will go down as unauthorised, but challenge that there is a medical need and you are seeking a reasonable adjustment. Or I'd just crack on and get him there in time for registration if you can't be bothered with the battle.

I wouldn't just send him on the coach. If he is sick, in front of others, this could make him distressed and have a longer term associative impact on future school trips in a child with asd.

My autistic dd has emetophobia and coach travel is already an anxiety inducing thing for her. She's currently on a reduced timetable anyway (long story) and didn't manage to attend a Bletchley Park trip before the break. We've agreed we'll take her separately. Hopefully she'll get back to being able to attend trips with other classmates again in the future, but now is not the right time.

You only have the 3 options OP - he goes on the coach, is sick and probably doesn't enjoy the day; you take him and he gets marked absent; or you take him to school first, then take him to the activity and he's late. You need to choose whichever one is best for you.

What matters are the absence codes they use under regulation 10(3) of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. If your child travels directly to a school organised educational event, then code V must be used (which is not unauthorised absence).

Write to the school advising that your son has severe travel sickness, travelling by car is necessary to enable them to participate in this school organised activity, attending by car will ensure they will arrive on time, attending school first would make them late for the activity and miss the safety briefing, the latter is an avoidable consequence of their registration requirements and yo trust they will take this into consideration and your son's attendance will be marked using the correct code, as set out in the Regulations (above).

What conversation has happened already, have you explained all of the above and they've said no? Have you asked them what suggestions they would make instead?

What has happened on previous trips, this can't be the first he's taken part in if he's 10?

Has he tried different travel sickness medication or been to the doctors for help, it must surely be very limiting if he's so severely travel sick?

Of the options given, I would choose the one that isn't going to make my child sick. Have you asked the school what will happen about the safety briefing given that their proposed solution will make him an hour late?
He has a disability so he is entitled to reasonable adjustments, and no they don't have to allow the whole class to do the same. Reasonable adjustments are about meeting the needs of individuals and not changing the rules for everyone so that one person can be included.

They’d rather he was late to the trip !

I agree with pp that you have three options and need to choose the one you think will work best. It's unreasonable to expect the school to waive registration as this is a requirement for all schools.

For other trips he’s just been really ill and not enjoyed them so we made the decision after the last one to not do coach travel again. We tired various different travel sickness medications but they all made him either fast asleep or so spaced out and talking rubbish

We thought they could just mark him in when he’s at the outdoor centre with them but instead he will get a whole morning unauthorised

It doesn't work like that

Yes unfortunately he would because he isn't there for registration which will happen at school before they travel.

Unfortunately they can't just mark him present when they arrive at the trip as he will have missed registration.

They've said no to this though, so you need to accept that. Schools have policies and procedures around registration - it's not as simple as just expecting them to make an exception for him.

Does it matter if he has one morning as an unauthorised absence? It should make no difference to his school record in the scheme of things.

But school could easily authorise this.
They have to make reasonable adjustments and this is reasonable.

True I guess it’ll just be one unauthorised mark. He’s otherwise got perfect attendance so it will just have to be one of those things

I think this is an entirely reasonable and defensible position. In which case, you either need to accept unauthorised (or challenge the code used, if possible, as a pp has said) or get him there for registration and drive him yourself.

It sounds as if they are willing for him to join the activities if you travel separately but he will also be marked as absent on their register?

If I have understood that correctly then I would just take him myself and let them mark it as an unauthorised absence. Who cares? They do because of their attendance targets, it doesn’t have any impact on you or your son, surely if this is an unusual event?

I think you’re right it’ll just have to be unauthorised which in that grand scheme of things isn’t terrible as it’s only the one. I’m just surprised how rigid they are being especially after the last trip where they told me if he goes on a coach again I have to volunteer as he needed cleaning up / changing and was distressed.

If his attendance is fine I genuinely don't understand why you're so worried about one unauthorised absence?

I think it has just been the way they spoke to me last week about it and it’s been irritating me on and off. They were really rude just as they were the last time he did go on a trip with them as they didn’t like the cleaning up / him being drowsy etc etc I feel like I can’t win with them it’s constant criticism

You are overthinking. It is ok for your child to have an "unauthorised" mark in the register for this situation. Nothing bad will happen, you will not get fined. The school is legally not allowed to say "yes that's ok" to your plan, but that doesn't mean it's not ok. Take him to the activity centre leaving at 8am.

This is so obviously a reasonable adjustment. It doesn't have any impact on anyone except for you and your son.

There's a problem that means he can't join in with 100% of the school trip as planned, you and he are taking the extra time to make sure that he's there for the bit that matters and they can't put the mark in the register a bit late?

They could if they wanted to. Just let him have the unauthorised absence and don't tell him about it. Your plan is fine and you are a good parent to facilitate this for him.