Year 6 residential, what do your schools do with the children left behind?

[auntyentropy]

Most of the DC in year 6 are going but some (about 10) aren't, for financial/cultural/SEN reasons.

What would you expect the ones left behind to be doing?

In the schools my dc have been to they would be included in a year five class and be given some work to do.

Lessons as normal

When ds was in year 6 there were around 10 that didn't go and they went on local day trips and had some activity days at school.

They also had a residential in year 4 and there was only one girl who didn't attend and she had lessons with year 3, it would've been difficult to organise separate activities for just one child.

At our school they would be given 'fun' activities, with at all possible some local trips out for free. So not 'penalised' for not going.

Is that not a bit sad? The residential is really bigged up as the culmination of their school experience. Originally we were told the other DC would be doing something a bit special.

X-post, I was replying to the first 2 posts.

I think it so sad when children cannot go on a residential if they want to. Cultural reasons is really putting up a barrier that should not exist. SEN children went at our school. School fund helps poorer parents out but they have to be FSM. Not sure what our school would have done - everyone went!

We only take half so have about 40 stay behind because they don't want to go / can't afford it etc.

They do exactly the same things as they would at camp but locally (rock climbing, high ropes, mountain biking) and have a sleepover in the school hall one night.

We only take a class at a time, so if any are left behind, they go and work with the other year 6 class.

Occasionally, when the whole year has gone, the deputy has had a few forest schools days with the children left behind.

When I was in year 6, the school had a rubbish policy that they didn't take asthmatic children with them on the trip. I don't recall being sad about going (although I wonder why) but do remember with great fondness the 3 days I spent with 3 other children practially unattended in the classroom, left behind with a list of jobs we could do. I recall selling crisps etc at the break tuckshop, reading, stripping displays and other things.

I wonder whether my memory is correct and whether we were really left to our own devices for so long, but we must have been. I thought it was marvellous.

Fun activities.

I've taken children with cerebral palsy in wheelchairs on activity residentials. SEN shouldn't be a barrier for most children.

They do fun activities.

It's not really a "reasonable adjustment" thing in this case mrz. The school would be prepared to take DD but she thinks she'd hate it and I am inclined to believe her.

Ours are put into year five and given a book to read.

Day trips eg to cinema, swimming etc and interesting people in to talk to the kids. More fun than usual lessons.

I've been thinking about this as my DS's school go to a gaelteacht (Irish-speaking area) for a whole school week in the equivalent of year 6 and I'm pretty sure DS won't be going. The school has only been doing it for a few years and they've never had a child who didn't go.

I have nearly two years to think about it, and it may be that when the time comes DS might be able cope with it. I'm thinking of taking DS off to do something entirely different away from school, but I'm not sure.

DS is away this week. I am not aware of any children who haven't gone on the trip. There are 2 children with mild/fairly mild CP, they are both on the trip, however neither use a wheelchair.

WhenMarnieWasThere I did a double take when I read 'stripping displays' in your post

DS1's friend has never been allowed to go on the residential's and has always been taken out of school for the duration.
When I couldn't go in yr 6 we had to just go in one of the other classes. I was allowed to go and watch dsis in the infants sports day though.

Who supervises a week of fun activities?

I didn't go when I was 11. Had a fab week in school with a supply teacher and 3 other children. Went ice skating, built a bridge out of newspaper, visited the local " closed to public " nature reserve.
My family decided it was too expensive, my friend was a " looked after child" and I guess it wasn't something the childrens home could authorise, the other two kids I've no idea why they couldn't go.

Quite a few fun things, I know they had swimming, helping out with younger years (most of them enjoy this) and 2 or 3 other 'fun' but cheap things.

Only two or three children from my DC classes didn't go on the year 6 trip on both occasions. Afaik because they didn't want to go or had very protective parents rather than financial, special needs or cultural reasons. Those left behind were put with year 5 with worksheets, nothing special laid on for them.

They go into Y5 and do whatever the Y5s are up to.
DS didn't go last year, so we kept him home for the duration of the residential and did fun things with him.