What age did you or your child go on their first residential and how long was it?

[BippityBopper]

Just off the back of another thread.

DS' school offered a residential for Y4 for a week. It was at an outdoor activity centre 30 miles away, so close enough to pick up if things went awry.

We didn't send DS because we thought he was too young and the information that the school provided was scarce. They had offered an inormation evening but my understanding was that this was for more detailed logistics as it took place after the deadline to sign up.

My first residential was in Y7 (to Spain). DS school has also offered one for Y6, 1.5bours away
, which he will be joining.

I saw on the other thread some primary schools do residentials to other countries! It made me start to think I'm being way too precious with DS. Other parents at the school merrily signed their kids up with the two paragraphs of info we initially received.

I'm just wondering what general thoughts are on a minimum age for a residential?

Y4 with school so 8/9 years old but younger with cubs/beavers.
Your school will be doing this every year so know what they're doing. Also though you know your child so don't send them if you don't think they'll enjoy it.

School year 3 for 1 night and school year 4 for 4 nights
It does them good to go away from home, you’ll be surprised how much some of them get a bit more independent

Year 5 I think it was - aged 10.

Arthog in West Wales, for 5 days. They loved it!

.

Both DS did cub camp at about 7 or 8. DS1 also did a cub trip overnight sleepover to the Science Museum in London at about the same age

Both did a 2 night residential school trip in Y4. They both have summer birthdays so would have been 8 going on 9. The school also did a 5 day trip in Y6 in conjunction with a neighbouring village school to make it more cost effective.

ETA I did a 5 day residential to Yorkshire with my school in Essex when I was "top juniors". Year 6 in other words. I loved it.

Not school but my kids started going to sleep away camp for a week when they started school so 5..

I think it was Y4, but it was just end of COVID so everything was a bit weird those years, might have been Y5. I think they went to an outdoor activity centre, went surfing, had a BBQ on the beach, some other activities. It was about an hour or so from us. By Y6, it was 6 nights in France. She had a fab time both trips.

Youngest did Beavers sleepover at 6, school residential starting Y4, similar to the above but at a centre only about 15 minutes away.

Our school is very small & all of KS2 is in one class - so Yrs 3-6. This means they ALL go on residential from when they start yr3 every year.
This year both DD (11) & DS (7) will be going.
plus our residentials are 4-5 days too.

For me y6 for 4 nights, 4 hours drive away.

at the school I worked in (private) - year 4 and 5 both did 2 nights, then y6 4 nights. Almost everyone went every year, it was expected.

my daughters school is 4 nights in y6. She’s been invited to a brownie camp for 1 night later this year by which point she’ll be over 7.5. She’s keen to go so I’ll let her, if she didn’t want to I wouldn’t push it.

i think it does help if they’ve done overnights with grandparents/friends. We’ve done this occasionally since she was a baby so she’s used to it.

DS did a whole week away at a residential centre in year 6. Loved it. Me, not so much😂

Good to know. The Y4 trip has already happened for DS1, but I'm just wondering as I also have another DS who will likely be offered the trip when he is in Y4 too.

I think I might not have been quite as apprehensive if the school were more forthcoming with information and it wasn't for the full week (well 5 days, 4 nights).I guess I'll give it a little more consideration for DS2.

The thing that struck me mostly on the other thread was the residentials abroad in primary. I'd never heard of that before.

Y4 do two nights away, Y6 do Mon-Fri on the IOW.

The teachers always say they can tell the Y6 kids who didn't do the Y4 residential, because they are more worried about being away from home.

One of the mums in DD2's class was all over the WhatsApp, really worried, her son had never been away from home so she drove him back and forth every day in Y4.

Year 3 (just turned 8) - 2 nights away with Brownies.

DS (high functioning autistic) has never been on a school residential and he’s 17. He really doesn’t enjoy the company of the other kids. He stopped attending the annual school day trip when he was about 10 at his own insistence.

I never went on one when I was at school, mainly due to cost as my mum couldn’t afford to pay for any extra curricular activities.

Can’t say I was overly bothered and it didn’t affect my independence or stop me making friends as an adult.

I went to Rouen France age 11. A couple of nights I think. Maybe 3. Had been on a day trip to France in the last year of Primary. Lived SE

DC went to PGL in year 5

2 nights year 3 and 3 nights year 4 at PGL. Then 4 nights in France in year 5 and a week in year 6.

I trusted the school safeguarding/risk management and the kids all had a ball.

Dc2 did a beaver camp about a week before turning 6.
Dc1 was probably 7 at his first camp.

I went away with Brownies for 2 nights aged 7 I think.

I’m in Ireland. Going on a residential in primary is not the done thing at all here.

My nephew (year 3, 7 years) is off on a 1 night residential this week. Poor teachers is all I can say!

About 7/8 brownie sleepovers and scouts sleepovers. Residential year 5 and 6.

Why on earth not?

DS started with Beavers/Cubs doing 1-2 nights camping, from age 6.

Y6 he did a school residential for a week.

Now aged 11 he is soon off with Scouts for a week.

Age 6 with Beavers 2 nights and then again all the way through Beavers and Cubs

age 10 with Cubs 5 nights

age 11 with school 4 nights

and so on regularly goes 7 nights with scouts including abroad

there should not be a minimum age

most kids are fine - it’s the parents who flap

No idea at all, it’s just not a thing.

Year 3 which was age 7 since she’s a summer baby. And she went from not having done one before to 3 in a year: Brownie’s winter sleepover (1 night), School residential (1 night), Brownie summer holiday (2 nights). Year 4 the school residential is 2 nights and next year in Y5 she’s doing a week on the school ski trip. Only a few from her year are doing the ski trip but the residential is fully expected and every single child goes.

For info the Scottish Parliament has passed legislation for all kids to get at least one residential in high school as a statutory right