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

52 replies

Outdooradventureissues · Yesterday 08:33

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?

OP posts:

Velumental · Today 05:43

Fidgety31 · Yesterday 08:57

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 .

Is it dramatic? To allow a child to access a school trip? Were tLking about a parent taking 1 day off work to facilitate travel for a child with additional needs? Seems more dramatic to object to jt

Velumental · Today 05:44

Brickiscool · Yesterday 10:08

So if his attendance is brilliant otherwise, then this unauthorised absence won't effect you in any way. It will only effect the school. And if they are that worried about it then the onus is on them to make a reasonable adjustments.

Just write in and say. After son's last trip in which he was very sick on the bus and you stated I must volunteer on the next trip to clean him up. I have instead opted to avoid him being sick at all which is unpleasant for everyone else travelling on the coach and we will travel by public transport and meet you there at x o'clock. I think this solution is better for my son and everyone else who would otherwise be travelling with him .

I'd probably email it to the trip organisers and CC the head and governors.

It's a bigger issue though, way something happens to him on the trip, the school has marked him absent, hard to argue the teacher was responsible for his wellbeing

Flip

1 2 3