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UK Terror Threat CRITICAL School Trips

91 replies

Webaz999 · 24/05/2017 22:04

My daughter has a school trip coming up
in a few weeks for 4 days in London. My daughter is only 10 and I am really anxious about her going. I was worried after the Westminster attack in March and I did contact the school just after that attack, the headteacher did make me and my husband feel like a pair of drama queens and said that no other parents had contacted him about it and the trip was still going ahead. Obviously now following the shocking attack in Manchester I am even more anxious, I saw today on sky news that police have advised that all tours/events around Westminster are cancelled with immediate effect, however on my daughters school facebook page the headteacher has again said in a post today that he has contacted the Police and has been advised that the trip can still go ahead. The headteacher has said that he wouldn't do anything to put our children in danger, i know he wouldn't but it is not him im worried about!! I really do not want my daughter to go now and I know people say don't let the terrorists win but I am just not willing to take that risk with my daughter. I feel for her though as I seem to be the only parent who is not letting her child go. I personally think it is very irresponsible for schools to take children into central London at this present time with a threat level at Severe or Critical. It puts parents under extreme anxiety, most parents I know are only letting their children go because they don't want them being the only ones not going so it's like peer pressure! I would be interested to hear your thoughts?

OP posts:
captainproton · 24/05/2017 22:49

My husband witnessed an IRA bomb explosion. He is very much in fear right now. We as a family are no longer going to our nearest mall until further notice. It has been in plots that have been foiled. He won't allow us to spend too long in crowds.

I am not going to argue with him as the threat level is now imminent and the army are on the streets. Personally it wouldn't stop me but I can appreciate his fear and they are not irrational.

Oh yes we can all get hit by a bus, or choke on our lunch but there is something pretty horrific at thought of having your babies being blown apart by a terrorist.

Maybe in time we may change our stance. But groups of kids in high vis on school trips look like easy targets, maximum brutality.

Do what you feel is best for you and your family.

msgrinch · 24/05/2017 22:52

I take it you don't let your child/ren travel in cars then? Or walk down stairs? Or cross roads?

HelsinkiLights · 24/05/2017 22:56

I'd rather feel a bit silly or stupid over not letting DC go on certain trips than devasted when I've made made the wrong decision.

Overrunwithlego · 24/05/2017 22:58

The problem with humans is that we are crap at assessing risk - even the saying "I just wouldn't take the risk" makes it clear that we think there is a completely risk free alternative, which is bonkers.

And whilst in the state of heightened emotion that we are currently in, we say "tell that to the 22 grieving families in Manchester" again really, logically that makes no sense. One because of the insinuation - intended or otherwise - that the victims were willfully engaging in 'risky' behaviour. Secondly because - as others point out - you wouldn't say that about the 100+ families whose children die in road traffic accidents a year, or the 2000+ whose children are seriously injured.

Posters have referenced the tube and not wanting school trips to "take the risk". There are 4 million trips on the tube every day. Nearly 1.5 billion annually. How many of those have ever been caught up in a terrorist attack? And I say that as someone who did lose a friend in the London bombings. The chances of it happening to him, of both him and a suicidal but job being in that place, at that time, on the day were minuscule. It's shit. Gut wrechingly shit. But you have to keep it in perspective.

DebiNewberry · 24/05/2017 23:02

Good post Lego

Webaz999 · 24/05/2017 23:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

iamAlexandr · 24/05/2017 23:31

That's definitely a good post Lego

Nickynackynoodle · 24/05/2017 23:42

Hear hear lego.

ginsparkles · 24/05/2017 23:44

My rational brain would say all those things Lego said. But somethings aren't rational. I wouldn't be sending her at the moment. We all have our own levels of acceptable risk, this is too high risk for me personally.

ifcatscouldtalk · 24/05/2017 23:59

I have the logical part of my brain telling me to carry on as before. We are very commuter town here and are regularly in london. The anxiety im feeling however is very unsettling. I have a similar decision op and tbh all the statistics arent making me feel any more level headed currently.

HarrietVane99 · 25/05/2017 00:08

I was also hoping the police would advise against school trips into central London or any other high profile places for the moment

What advice should they give to schools that are actually in central London, or near high profile places?

PickAChew · 25/05/2017 00:14

I'm with hopelessly.

my nearest big city isn't historically any sort of target. That said, it's at least 90 minutes away by public transport, so when tensions are hig, I avoid it on a school day, just in case something triggers a panic and I find myself stuck, unable to travel the 20 miles home in time for school chucking out.

I would visit with the boys, though, simply because I'm able to say, OK, instead of going home now (because we can't because the roads are closed) let's catch a bus to the seaside (wrong direction, but we can work it out from there).... My greatest memories of when the IRA was active was having to change travel plans on the hop quite frequently because there had been an alert or intelligence received and that's what has stuck with me. I'm expecting a lot of emergency evacuations and road closures in the next few months.

PickAChew · 25/05/2017 00:16

Harriet I'm sure your local police would like to be able to concentrate on keeping you safe and not hundreds of visitors as well.

HarrietVane99 · 25/05/2017 00:59

Harriet I'm sure your local police would like to be able to concentrate on keeping you safe and not hundreds of visitors as well.

I live in a place that does have hundreds of visitors. There are two major events coming up in the next few weeks, which crowds of people from this country and abroad are expected to attend. There's no suggestion that they should be cancelled, so the police can concentrate on keeping us safe. And while I do get fed up with the crowds sometimes when these things are on, I absolutely don't think they should be cancelled because of any threat.

Mind you, I did see a couple of police officers chatting to some tourists (French, I think) near one of the main tourist attractions this afternoon. Perhaps they were telling them to go home so they could concentrate on keeping me safe.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 25/05/2017 06:33

Excellent post, lego. Especially the point about how poor humans tend to be at risk assessment.

secretsignal · 25/05/2017 06:44

V unfair if the head to belittle your concerns. Our primary had a trip to London planned, it was cancelled and they went to the Yorkshire Dales instead! It's only one trip, if you're not comfortable don't let her go.

stonecircle · 25/05/2017 06:45

Really excellent post Lego

PedantHere · 25/05/2017 06:46

The threat level had been at "severe" for over two years before it was raised to "critical".

errorofjudgement · 25/05/2017 06:47

I agree with everything Lego said. Very eloquently put.

GreenRut · 25/05/2017 06:48

My dd is sat in front of me waiting for us to go and make her packed lunch for her school trip into London. I won't pretend I've been internally worrying but ultimately a) the risk is low and b) we live in London. I'm from central London, work in central London, we get the tube all week, our weekends revolve around going into central London. There is nothing I can do except try to raise the children to value the very freedoms the terrorists want to take away from us. For me that includes the taking it for granted that you should be able to move around freely, enjoy your education and the opportunities it gives you to go on day trips with your mates and your sweaty sandwiches in your plastic bag. I'm not taking that from her and I won't allow them to.

GreenRut · 25/05/2017 06:48

won't pretend I haven't* been internally worrying

pinkhorse · 25/05/2017 06:55

My ds had his school trip to London cancelled for Tomorrow. Teachers said they couldn't justify taking the risk.

That1950sMum · 25/05/2017 07:01

I think you are over reacting and I completely agree with all those people who point out that people live and work in London. Having said that, if it was my daughter I'd be cancelling too!

SouthWestmom · 25/05/2017 07:04

I worry that in an incident parent helpers are usually in a group with their own child and may just focus on their child's safety.

What about asking to see the risk assessment?

SquirmOfEels · 25/05/2017 07:11

I thought I'd posted on this thread already, when I saw it in Active and decided to check for further posts.

But it isn't this one. There have been a lot of similar ones.

When you suffer from anxiety, it becomes even more important not to let it show to your DC in the slightest. Even if that's one of the hardest things you can do. Don't transmit your fears down the generations.

Let the school make its risk assessments for all the activities your DC do, and trust them - just as you have done before.

(And I don't think they're targeting specifically children - they're targeting crowds, irrespective of age of those likely to be in the crowd)