Can a TA take kids on a trip alone without a qualifeid teacher?

[vintageteacups]

Title says it really.

Can a TA take 4 children on the minibus to a cluster schools event without a teacher?

I don't see why not?

Don't see why not - I could find out for you if you need to know the legislative position.

I'd have thought so.

seeker that would be good - but I need to know today

The minibus is more of an issue really - the guidelnes for driving schoolkids in a minibus are very very tight these days and s/he will have had to have taken a proper educational minibus test which is quite rigorous, and lead visit training. TAs can be trained in both and that's what matters rather than their status in school, iyswim.

Yes, I've done it's loads in the past. County did a mini bus test & we had to pass that to drive the bus but cars just needed insurance.

I understand that it is not so much the status of the person as their ability to drive the minibus. I am about to repeat what oneofsuesylvesterscheerios said, so I'll refer you to her post.

'in the past' might not cut it though these days. In the past 12 months most schools have made all staff take lead visit training (think the goct is making it compulsory from Sept) which is a good 3 hours long and in our county now you cannot take a trip out (even for a walk down to the shops) without it, and everyone accompanying you must have it as well.

The minibus test used to be an accompanied drive by someone at County round some local road and they stated whether you were competent enough. In the past year this has been cranked right up and at our (quite big) secondary school we could only afford to have the PE staff and 2 others take the training.

No - she's not driving it - don't know who is! someone from another school I guess.

The only info school have given is when they leave, how long they're staying and when they'll come home - as usual - they don't give any details about anything.

A TA, no matter what anyone says, is not a qualified teacher.

But the TA is not teaching in this instance, just accompanying. I would have NO problems with this at all. You can't take a teacher out of the classroom, just for 4 children. I say this as a parent and a teacher.

A TA doesn't need to be a qualified teacher to accompany kids; s/he just needs to have has the school or county safeguarding training for trips. In this respect, a TA might be 'better qualified' than a teacher if the teacher hasn't had the visit training yet.

Juat checked with my "source". Yes then can. They need appropriate safeguarding training, which they will have done anyway, but apart from that, no problem.

Are you worried about the individual concerned?

Thanks seeker

If it's bothering you I'd drop a note into school or phone them up and ask them to confirm that the TA has had the visit safeguarding training. If they have, then that's fine.

I emailed them at 09:00 this morning (trip is tomorrow) and still no reply.

They normally reply quite quickly.....unless it's something they don't want to discuss or if it's something you disagree with.

Does this mean that parent's helping on trips - such as a football match, swimming etc need this traing too?

wouldn't think so Kipp - just so long as the lead person has the training I imagine.

I've been on a trip. The minibus was a hired one with driver (home-school bus) which had kids + a TA. I as a parent helper (with hundreds of CRBs, sort of) took some in the car, with parental agreement.

(You normally need training to drive a minibus.)

Do you have some sort of particular issue with this TA, VT? Because I can't see what the problem would be. If only four children are going on this trip, it would be logistically very difficult for the school to send a class teacher, and a trusted TA would be perfectly capable of the level of supervision required.

All sorted now - TA going on minibus with lap belts.