ratio of adults to children for school outings?

[pabla]

Does anyone know what the official rules are on this? My daughter is due to start swimming lessons at school after half term, at the local public pool. The local paper this week was headlining that this pool has recently had several incidents of schoolchildren being flashed at in the communal changing area and the guy has yet to be caught. I don't necessarily want to to deny her permission to take part in the lessons but I want to find out what the official guidelines are before I make enquiries at the school about their proposed level of supervision. Also, should they do a risk assessment for this sort of activity?

Have a look here .

Thanks for the info Freckle. I asked the Head how many adults go with the class - generally only the class teacher goes. In my view this is not good enough, given the lay out of the changing rooms. Obviously in the pool there are swimmimg instructors and lifeguards but not in the changing rooms. I suggested she ask for parents to volunteer to help out (which they do for school trips and even walks through the nearby wood) but she didn't seem too keen on this.

I'm thinking of writing to the governors on this - any views if this a reasonable course of action or am I being over- concerned?

BTW she only found out about the flasher from the local paper too - the company running the leisure centre hadn' bothered to write to her.

we always sent class teacher plus a classroom assistant or other meber of staff/parent. We never let a class leave the school without 2 adults, for lots of reasons, even when the pool was within walking distance. But sometimes it was 2 women, and the boys had to get changed in the boys changing room, and we couldn't go in, so it wasn't always a brilliant set up.

Don't you think the kids will look after eachother in the changing rooms? Presumably the flasher is in the male changing room, so perhaps a male teacher should go along then?

Fairymum, the changing area is communal to both sexes, with cubicles of various sizes but none large enough to fit in even half the class. So kids have to go in twos or threes in the cubicles. The flasher has even opened the door of a cubicle and exposed himself to the kids inside (presumably they had not bolted the door or were about to leave the cubicle.) It seems to be girls he is targeting.

My daughter is in year three and many are summer babies so just turned seven. I have never had cause to warn her of these sorts of situations before - maybe it is time now but I wish I could preserve her innocence a little longer...

I actually spoke to someone in the H&S at the county council this morning who said the guidelines they issue are 1 adult to six kids up to and including age 7 and one adult to 10 kids for age eight and up. This tallies with the NUT guidelines Freckle posted and explains why many schools in this area wait until year 4 to start swimming lessons (less adults required). So I definitely will be taking this further. It just doesn't make sense that they abide by the ratios for all other trips and not for swimming lessons.

Pabla - definitely raise this. I wouldn't feel comfortable with this at all. Could you volunteer yourself to help out?

I wonder if they don't like the idea of helpers because they can't be checked (since children will be undressed) - I know it sounds like lunacy but..

It wouldn't be easy for me to volunteer as I have a three year old and 7 month old also and no family nearby but I would probably be prepared to drag them along with me if nothing is resolved by the time they start the lessons - don't want dd to be only child not going.

I will suggest the parent helper thing again - I think it was due to space on the coach rather than police checks - and if they use parents already cleared to help out in the school this should not be an issue should it?

No probably not Pabla - the only difference would be that the children would be undressing. Just wondered.

Can see how you'd struggle but I'd not be happy about my child going in a big group with only one teacher. Not with a flasher about.