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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Would you send 7yr old on a week long school trip?

30 replies

admylin · 06/03/2007 09:19

OK, I am in Germany and I know everything is different here but wondered what you would feel like.
Dd is 7 and in year 2, some of the kids are 8 already as dd is the youngest in the class. They are going on a school trip from Monday to Friday in July.
There are 26 pupils and one male and one female teacher will go with them. I don't feel like sending her but before we even heard about this trip the teacher had told all the kids about it and said how he expected all of them to join in. When I asked her if she wanted to go she said yeah I suppose so but teacher said we all had to anyway so I'm not sure about that. Cost of trip is about 100 pounds which is OK for us but I know alot of parents in the class won't be able to afford it.

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WriggleJiggle · 06/03/2007 09:22

I would be concerned about the ratios - 2 adults to 26 children. Presumably they are going to some sort of activity centre where centre staff will look after them.
Absolute minimum number of staf needed for 26 children is 4 imo.

What will they be doing there? Educational or fun? Has your dd stayed away from home before?

sandyballs · 06/03/2007 09:24

Bit young for a week away IMO. She doesn't sound too sure either - the teacher shouldn't have presented the trip to them in such a way without first telling the parents. My DDs are 6 and I can't imagine them going off for a week at 7. Also, the number of teachers would worry me.

Ash80 · 06/03/2007 09:24

I personally wouldn't send a 7 yr old child on a week long school trip.I'd be too worried, she got lots of trips too come when shes older.

frogs · 06/03/2007 09:29

Admylin, I would be fine with this in principle, but then I'm half-German, so probably more inclined to take a robust line in these matters! And in fact my 7yo ds is going on a week long residential activity course in the summer, albeit his older sister will be there too.

It's very much part of the culture in Germany, so I would probably not want to go against it unless either the child really didn't want to, or I had major concerns about the supervision or other issues around the class dynamics.

Having said that, two teachers for 26 pupils would not be considered an acceptable ratio in UK. Dd1 went on her Y6 class trip to Isle of Wight, and they had something like four adults and a few work-experience helpers for 30 or so 11yo. But they were a notoriously wild class.

Assuming you don't have major concerns about bullying, discipline or safety, I would be inclined to swallow hard and go along with it.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 06/03/2007 09:30

I wouldn't. Much too young for a whole week.

colditz · 06/03/2007 09:31

I wouldn't, no.

Iota · 06/03/2007 09:32

blimey, my almost 8 yr old son has only just ventured on his first sleepover at a friends house a mile away.

so a big NO from me

jellyhead · 06/03/2007 09:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Clementine1 · 06/03/2007 09:33

No from me too. Last year DD's friend (7) stayed overnight and at about 2 in the morning I had to bring her home.

fennel · 06/03/2007 09:34

My nearly 7yo wants to go on Woodcraft camp for a week. She's been overnight with them and loved it but I think she's too young for a week. Especially as it tends to be a bit wild and unstructured and a large group with lots of people she hasn't met before.

But I might if it was with her class - children and teachers she knew really well - and she wanted to go.

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 09:34

Phew, thanks for confirming my very thoughts! Sometimes feel like the crazy foreign mum over here but I also find atleast 4 teachers should go and yes it is some sort of forest villa complex with activities ( probably dreaded lake or something like that) and it'll be alot of outdoor stuff in the forest which would be nice for all these inner city berlin kids but mine spend their summer holidays up in the mountains and paddling in streams in the country side of the lake district so she's not missing out there.
Now I've got the dilema of signing her for or against it. You would be amazed how many of the parents have sent 5 year olds away for a week already with nursery class.

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helbel3 · 06/03/2007 09:34

no way, far too young, or could you go along as a mummy helper????

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 09:39

Can't go along as I have ds in class 3 - his teacher hasn't offered a school trip ever! This is going to be hard, you should have read the letter we got sent. It was all "We WILL be going on such and such" and " money transfer to such and such a bank AB SOFORT meaning NOW!" trip is for 2. July but they want to book of course so we all have to decide this week, arghhh.
(I know 3 parents who aren't too keen so I suppose I'm not alone)

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inanidealworld · 06/03/2007 09:40

No way. Far too young. 1 night maybe but a whole week? I also think that the number of adults going for that amount of children is far too few and is a safety issue.

SecondhandRose · 06/03/2007 09:41

No, much too young and not enough teacher support. At that age there should be one teacher in with each bedroom of children.

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 09:46

I thinks I would have accepted 1 or 2 nights as a first time too. Going to have to practise some saftey speeches in german !

They are supposed to be going in a coach/bus and one mum said on one trip at another school the parents brought their kids to hand over and saw the bus , didn't like the look of it and in the end rang the police before letting their kids leave and the bus was not allowed to be used it was in such bad condition. Being told things like that don't help to reassure me.

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ForeverBlowingBubbles · 06/03/2007 09:59

I'm afraid I wouldn't let her go, either. A week seems too long for that age. The longest my 8yr old has been away for is 2 nights with Brownies, and I knew the brownie leaders well and trusted them 100%. Her school had arranged a mon-fri trip away for her year group and now they've cancelled it because hardly any of the parents would allow their children to go.

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 10:07

I've got a feeling this one might be cancelled . The teacher is new and all ambitious and into his job but he tried to do a 3 day trip at the beginning of the school year and the majority didn't want it with the main problem being that he was new and should get to know the kids better. He was a bit upset as he said it would be alot of work for him to organize it and go on the trip etc as if we didn't appreciate him. He isn't going to be pleased when we don't all run in after school with our slips of paper.

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Kelly1978 · 06/03/2007 10:10

I think it sounds great, but wouldn't be happy with the level of supervision. I'd want to know more about the supervision of activities at the camp before making a decision. I think it also depends on the child, I know my dd would love to go and is quite independant so not likely to get homesick.

serenity · 06/03/2007 10:13

I went to Jersey with my school for a week when I was around that age - it was fine. I think we had a purpose though (I have vague memories of singing in a church!)

portonovo · 06/03/2007 10:15

Seven seems a bit on the young side to me.

Our school do a Mon-Fri trip when the children are in Yr4, and it is later in the year so they are all 9 or nearly 9. That seems about the right stage, although even then quite a few children either don't want to go or their parents don't want them to go.

Staff/child ratio seems on the low side - I would expect at least 3 staff, 4 would be better. Although it also depends on what level of staffing is at the place they are going to - many educational centres have really good levels of on-site staffing.

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 10:17

So do you reckon for 26, or taking off the ones I know won't be going, 20 kids how many supervisors should be going along? And if only 2 from school go should I ask for assurance of how many helpers they will get from the villa place? Would that sound fussy?
I'd like to know where the teachers will be slepping too, is that unreasonable to want to know?

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ghosty · 06/03/2007 10:18

No, I wouldn't. DS would love it but I wouldn't send him. He is 7.

remotecontrol · 06/03/2007 10:18

i'd be a nervous wreck!
I only just let my littlies (all under 9!)on a night's sleepover!
Probably am a bit protective but i've been trying to make up excuses to prevent my dd1 going on a trip this September. of course,she wants to go. but it makes me so nervous.

Original poster

admylin · 06/03/2007 10:19

Going off to translate staff/child ratio and on-site staffing!

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