Permission for off-site activities

[yummumto3girls]

Hi, was wandering if anyone had any advice or thoughts on this please. My DD is year 6 at an independent school, who seem very lax at informing parents that they will be taking children on school trips. On Friday DD was supposed to be going on a geography field trip (she didn't go in the end as she was poorly) measuring river flow and levels, it would have involved climbing in rivers, banks etc (we had thunder storms in the night so the river would have been fairly high) We had no information from the school, no letter, no consent form. It ended up parents ringing around each other the night before to see if we all had information! I contacted the school the next day and was told that they don't need my permission to take my child on a trip within normal school time, I'm pretty horrified by this. Now a trip to the local park, church then fine but climbing around rivers?? I have read the DFE advice and it indeed does say that consent is not needed but I'm not happy!! I have 3 DC and have always signed consent forms, even if a blanket one at the beginning of the year. What is other peoples thoughts/experiences on this? My worry is if they don't do consent forms then perhaps they don't do risk assessments etc!

Consent forms don't bother me, I trust school to look after my DDs (and from a very young age DD1 to look after herself). I seriously wish senior school didn't need a A4 health form to walk out the door. The office has all the info already.

However, not sending out clear details of clothing, packed lunch and timings drives me mad.

How odd. We have a new system whereby we give an annual 'consent' to all off-site trips.

This sounds like utterly crap communication from the school. If they're scrabbling round in rivers etc, then they need to take a change of clothes and a towel, and parents need to be informed in good time so they send with the right kit.

Though perhaps they won't be climbing in and out of the river, and the bank is safe and/or reinforced at the point where school trips go to measure? That a river in involved does not make it automatically a synonym for high risk, and more than a trip to town is automatically high risk because there is traffic there.

Either you trust the school or you don't.

Did you withdraw your DD from the trip? For you can still do that, even if you signed a blanket consent form.

My worry is if they don't do consent forms then perhaps they don't do risk assessments etc!

That simply won't be the case. But it does sound as if you do not trust your school as you can see is as plausible in your specific circumstances. I think you may be better off looking for a different school.

My primary sends out a yearly general permission form for things like trips to the local farm, park, church etc. Anything that involves a bus we send a letter out giving details of times etc and asking for permission.

The school does not need your consent for a trip during school hours. However, generally this is done as a courtesy and because a trip may require a packed lunch, special clothing, contributions for a bus etc. All trips offsite require a risk assessment and compliance with ratios. I assume this applies to Indy as well as state schools. The activity you describe is what would probably be called "hazardous" and require extra form filling.

Do parents realise how much time it takes and how many parents we have to chase and chase for individual signed consent forms? It takes hours of teacher time after school phoning to remind about a third of my class. This doesn't always produce all the forms, so more phone calls, repeat forms in bookbags, emails, etc. and we always get down to the wire of the morning of a visit before they are all in, with me making alternative arrangements with other year groups to have those children who's parents still haven't given permission just in case they don't provide it at the eleventh hour.

Annual, blanket forms save so much time. I can assure the OP no teacher would dare to undertake an activity without a risk assessment - we have them for boiling a kettle, using the climbing frame sneezing in school, so off-site it is a guarantee. If you are still concerned about a hazardous activity ask them to email you a copy of the risk assessment.

Thanks guys, I can assure you I am not precious. I have had 2 DD's in mainstream school were I was use to the annual consent form. Older DD we have to consent electronically when we pay on-line. This is only my second year experience of independent school (put DD in for last two years of primary due to issues at mainstream school). I just find that the school seem to think they can do what they like without informing us. I totally agree about the onerous paperwork, but we are talking about a class of 16 not 30! Further research on the DFE website says that my permission is not needed which I find quite shocking...yes for small trips, sports matches, but not for higher risk activities. I didn't pull my child out, she was unwell. Thank you for your comments.