School Trip to Spain

[Grizzy]

So 14 year old on school trip to Barcelona. The school says DD lost her passport after passing through Passport Control in Barcelona. They say she left it in a toilet and security wouldn't let them go back for it. The school have subsequently been unable to recover the passport from the airport. She returns on Thursday. It's a week until the summer holidays. I'm in pieces. How am I going to get a new passport? Why isn't the school liable for the cost and inconvenience? Anyone had the same? The school should have been responsible for the passports at all times. She is 14! A minor and NOT a responsible adult. I'm so angry.

Presumably school is dealing with getting her temporary travel documentation for coming home. I'm not sure why you can't just apply for a new passport? Are you going abroad and if so when?

Wow. And this is why teachers are getting more and more reluctant to take residential trips abroad. They have a large group of pupils to navigate through an airport but are somehow responsible for a 14 year old leaving their passport in the toilet?!

Just apply for an emergency passport if you are going away imminently. At 14 she is more than old enough to look after her own belongings, this is absolutely not the school’s fault OP.

How is she planning on getting back in to the UK without a passport? A trip to the British embassy in Spain is needed.

Oh come on op it's not the schools fault she left it in a toilet!

Contact your travel insurance, there should be cover on there for a lost passport.

She's 14, not 4. The teacher can't be tracking their stuff 24/7. Part of the experience of a school trip is learning to take responsibility for your belongings and timekeeping. Your DD has learnt the hard way but I bet she won't do it again.

Sorry but I think this is your DDs fault.
Even so you need to work out how best to try and solve it, presumably school are going to be able to get her home so start working on your plan for your holiday

My DD left her backpack in a restaurant on the last night of the school French trip. The flight was the next morning so no time to go back and get it. Her teacher put me in contact with the restaurant and I arranged and paid for its return. It never crossed my mind that the teacher was in any way responsible for this.

You’re being unfair. The school have enough to be at without minding 30 passports. Your daughter is old enough to look after her things. I bet she wouldn’t have lost her phone as quick.

She will need an emergency document... the teachers will need to take her for that.

If you have further travel and its your responsibility to get her a new passport.

Have you contacted the airport snd see if they have it? She could collect it on the return journey absolutely not the schools fault

Yeh I agree with everyone this is on your dd. The fact that she’s not 18 doesn’t mean she has no responsibility for anything!

I used to run trips to France with 11-12yos and had to drill into them not to say anything silly at passport control. Luckily they listened.

The school assured us that they would be taking care of all passports. Obviously none of you have a 14 year old. She is a minor. Not a responsible adult.

Wow. First post. Mimsnet is harsh.

Why isn't the school liable for the cost and inconvenience? Anyone had the same? The school should have been responsible for the passports at all times. She is 14! A minor and NOT a responsible adult. I'm so angry.

Ime once they become teenagers the children are responsible for their own passports at airports in school visits. It was certainly the case on the school trips dd went on abroad. They went through passport control individually so had their own passports and boarding passes getting in and off the planes. One of DD's friends left their passport on the plane on the way out - fortunately it was noticed due to needing to go to passport control and a member of crew was kind enough to go and hunt for it - it had dropped into the seat cavity,

Is there a reason why your dd isn't able to be responsible for their own personal possessions? And was school aware of them?

Did you know that your dd would be in charge of her own passport?

I imagine a lot of us have a 14 year old or have had one

Obviously none of you have a 14 year old.

I don't have a 14y, no. But I did a few years ago. She also went in several school trips abroad. Her first was aged 9. To be fair, at 9, the teachers looked after their passports throughout. By 11y they had their own for going through passport controls, getting in and off the planes, etc.

We always did the same when holidaying as a family too as it helps build independence and responsibility ime.

I know it's really frustrating and stressful but ultimately, at 14y, your daughter is of an age where they should be [unless there are send type issues at play] capable of looking after their own possessions. The teachers shouldn't need to do it all for them by that age.

Lets say it was OP and her daughter travelling and the same event occurred. If op had posted she would have 100% been told it was her fault, shes the adult etc. Why is it different on school trip? The school have taken responsibility (in loco parentis) of dd- they should have been more careful

Tbh I disagree with people saying dd should be responsible for her passport. My kids have been abroad with school at that age and the teachers kept hold of all kids passports for the very reason they were afraid one or more would get lost. It's easier for school to hold them than having to apply for a temporary passport for your daughter to come home on, as they're now having to do.

Presumably though the passports were handed to the children for the purpise of passport control. They need the right child with the right passport.

If she had lost it in a museum or on a bus, it would be questionable why she had it.

I don't think she would. But even if she were, it's an entirely different situation to be a parent travelling with your own child compared to a teacher travelling with dozens of kids. The 14 year old shouldn't need badgering either way, but the parent would know if their child is scatty or irresponsible and should monitor them accordingly.

Mermaid eyes - at the very least they need to have their passport individually for passport control. They aren't allowed to go through as a large group. You then can't wait in the area just after the control,booths - you need to keep walking. This is usually to baggage claim.

"She is a minor"

Oh please, molly coddling her and blaming everyone but the kid who left it in the toilet is doing her no favours. She needs to accept responsibility for her things, especially when it's something as important as her passport.

Apply for an emergency passport asap if you're going abroad soon and tell her to bloody wise up in future.

I run lots of school trips abroad and always keep hold of passports. Even with 17/18 year olds. I collect the passports from students before boarding the coach on the way to the airport. This seems to be standard practice for all schools in our area.
The problem is tho, students have to carry them going through passport control etc, so there will be times when they have to be responsible for them. But, in this case OP im not sure why your dd did take it to the toilet.
Tbh I hate being responsible for passports as I fear losing them all or getting stolen. Plus we have to carry photocopies of each child’s passport too.
Can you contact the airport and ask them to post it back to tou? If not apply for the rapid service at the passport office.

We've done 3 plane trips in the last 6 months and my 13 and 15 year olds were repsonsible for their own passports.

This was not the schools responsibility. Your DD took it into the toilets with her, that's her mistake. She should have handed it to the teacher herself if she wasn't confident keeping hold of it. I'm sure they would have been happy to look after it for her.

I'm sure the school will make the necessary arrangement to get her home, and you can either try and get the passport posted back to you or order a new passport.

Can you call the airport to ask if it’s been handed in, and she can collect it on the way back?