Visit to local hunt kennels facing prosecution by primary school - WWYD

[Lakeylady]

Just that really. We had an email from school on Friday saying that the children would be going on a countryside learning day in 10 days to a nearby estate. Just that, no more info. I looked up the organisation running it over the weekend and they are a charity that promotes countryside sports. As part of the day there was a farm tour which sounded ok, then a gamekeeper tour when they learn about animal traps and pest control, which I am not particularly ok about but it is legal. Final bit was a tour of the kennels. The master and whipper in of this particular hunt are being prosecuted at the moment for illegal hunting and there have been news stories about their questionable animal welfare. This I am unhappy about which I let the school know about and I also contacted the countryside sports charity and said I didn’t think primary school children should visit an organisation being investigated when it would be their staff showing them round.
The school have cancelled the visit (I only asked for them not to do the hunt kennels bit but the organisation said my child would have to stand to one side with a member of their staff) but the chair of governors has written me a letter saying I have spoilt a nice day out.
I am so upset, I feel like some of the parents will blame me for standing up for my convictions but I feel this trip would have been wrong on lots of levels let alone breaking the political impartiality code. Meanwhile we have the National Arborteum on our doorstep and we haven’t done a trip there.

well done @Lakeylady
id have pulled mine out of it as well, the criminal proceedings are reason enough.

im incredibly anti fox hunting, so the next bit is a biased response (and I’ve written and deleted alot of my responses so I don’t derail!)

“spoilt a nice day” imagine how spoilt the foxes day is as it’s chased to its death!
what a terrible terrifying way to go.

Good for you. It’s totally inappropriate and that governor is very unprofessional

I mean they “literally” can’t say that because it’s not any sort of legal defence but ok

I wouldn't like my children visiting a hunt kennels. It is legitimising a 'sport' that is diabolical and bloodthirsty imo. (And I have lived in rural communities all my life and know people actively involved in hunts - it's a subject we steer clear of as opinions are so divided.) The school should have realised this visit wasn't appropriate and it seems they belatedly did. The governor was way out of line.

Thanks everyone this is helping lots. I just spoke to one of the other governors and he said that the chair said that I might protest on the day. I have never protested in my life! Not that I am against it, I just haven’t, so I am hardly likely to make my debut on a school trip. I feel like this is spreading untruths about me as a person.

I'd have done the same as you OP

I think YANBU and also that you should complain about the head of governors' aggressive letter. I don't know to whom exactly, maybe the LA's Director of Education?

My daughter did this trip ( or a very similar one)some years ago. They learnt loads about stewardship of the countryside, saw the room where Badminton was first played and enjoyed meeting the hounds. I am not pro hunting but I felt it was a balanced and useful trip.

@Soundofshuna presumably this was when the hunt staff they weren't being investigated by the police for criminality?
The rest of the visit sounded ok (I wouldn't have liked the thought of being shown how to use traps to catch rodents that attack pheasant eggs as I am not in to shooting ,but I wouldn't have stood in the way of that.) It was the visit to the kennels where the staff are facing criminal convictions and where there have been stories on TV and across all the national newspapers about this kennels recently about their animal welfare standards.

I’m not disagreeing with you given the current circumstances but felt it was a balanced trip at the time.

Farmers wife here, and I hunt, and shoot, but I am in Scotland so different laws and schools.

I agree I wouldn't have supported it pending a criminal trial. I wouldn't support a trip anywhere on the basis of criminal proceedings underway. A fairground? Nope. Anything.

It's strange, we are just coming out lambing, tiny village school and nursery, I asked my daughters nursery if they wanted to come and see the lambs. There are four children. Not allowed, not an educational establishment approved by local authorities for trips.

BUT, I could invite them all on Saturday and the teacher would come!

How long did you give the school to respond for you before you tried to blow the whole situation for them by contacting a campaigning organisation?

Considering the school only first announced this on Friday and it's now Tuesday.

The way you behaved was needlessly aggressive and inflammatory. I don't blame the governors for expressing disappointment in your behaviour.

You could have calmly worked with them yet instead you chose to inflame the situation and cause trouble. That is not something to be proud of

Did they cancel it because they were in the wrong as you claim or because you were being a bully and they were concerned of the risk of you stirring up trouble and protests that would have left children in danger - as has been seen at some schools where other parents have behaved like you?

Fyi, in law, people are considered innocent unless and until convicted of a crime. They could therefore take legal action against you for defamation if you choose to disregard that.

Fyi, in law, people are considered innocent unless and until convicted of a crime. They could therefore take legal action against you for defamation if you choose to disregard that.

so you would let your kids round to the being investigated kiddy fiddlers house, because innocent until proven guilty?

no you always errr on the side of caution where children are concerned.

No harm in waiting for the conclusion of the investigation before the school trip is there?

You have spoiled a day out for ALL the children.not just yours. Someone has been ACCUSED of cruelty, no conviction yet but YOU have decided they must be guilty. You are perfectly welcome to your own opinions but the way you have chosen to express them on this occasion has denied other people's children information and education that would enable them to form THEIR own opinions as they mature.

@cornflakedreams i wasn’t being a bully at all. I spoke to the organisation in case they didn’t know about the criminal trial, and then they went on the defence instantly. I emailed the school but they didn’t get back to me. By the time they got back to me they had decided to pull the event - presumably because they knew it was inappropriate. The only email I have had is the one from the chair of governors saying I have spoilt a fun day out.
I haven’t ever been to a protest and wasn’t about to start. Instead I did what the right thing seemed to be and let the organising and the school know how uncomfortable I was about the kennels being visited at this time. The poster said pick two visits out of three but then they didn’t let this happen - he said they would have to do the kennels and my child could be taken away by a member of their staff.

@tkwal they haven’t been accused of cruelty by the court - they have been accused of breaking the law. I care about that, yes. The law matters to me.
The cruelty accusations were in the newspapers and on TV. They shoot the hounds when they are about 5 years old as they can’t keep up with the hunt anymore. They shoot puppies that don’t have the right physical attributes. The staff aren’t well trained in how to do this so they die a slow death. If you can bear it watch the clip in this
TRIGGER WARNING! TRIGGER WARNING!

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10075375/amp/Undercover-footage-shows-Beaufort-Hunt-hounds-shot-dead-kennels.html

I'm a country dweller but have lived in a rural community for very many years and most of my friends and neighbours are rural workers. They are also divided on the issue.
Sadly I have seen several examples of the local hunt's arrogance and ineptitude including pets bring killed by out of control hounds, frantic MoFHs/whippers-in losing the pack totally, and very dangerous situations in which young horse riders, out for a hack, and cyclists, have been suddenly surrounded by both hounds and riders charging along the public road. Extremely unpleasant, and yes, even dangerous for the non-hunters.
This hunt is not popular among many local people around here. The biggest local farmer will not have them going over his land.

@cornflakedreams is obviously either involved in some capacity or just leaping to a whole lot of conclusions that weren’t in the OPs posts.

@Lakeylady I think it’s fine to object in these circumstances, I also think that the suggestion of doing the two other tours was a good compromise, and the fact that the hosts are insistent on the kennel tour probably means you are right and it’s mostly a PR exercise and not about promoting an understanding of the working countryside.

Unless there’s a lot more to it that you aren’t being honest about I’d tend to agree that the school have reconsidered how appropriate it is in the light of your complaint, perhaps suggesting that others (parents or staff) have expressed similar concerns.

I also think that the chair of governors is bang out of order writing to you in that way, and absolutely should not be talking about it to others and naming names. Certainly shouldn’t be making up stuff about you planning to protest. Personally I would be tempted to complain to the LEA about their unprofessional and potentially unlawful behaviour.

Sorry, that should have been to @PutinIsAWarCriminal .

How long did you give the school to respond for you before you tried to blow the whole situation for them by contacting a campaigning organisation?

What are you talking about @cornflakedreams?
What campaigning organisation?

@RestingPandaFace this was the compromise I hoped for! The poster said the school could pick two tours but this didn’t end up being the case. I asked if based on the criminal proceedings they could pick the other two, but the organisation wouldn’t let that happen.

so if someone in your local are had been ACCUSED of say, sex offences & were just ‘under investigation’ you would let your children around them? Always best to be cautious - it’s not like she’s arranging a big protest is it & I’m pretty sure other parents will share similar views.

Thanks @StarDolphins yes there are parents who share my views and feel really uncomfortable about this. I am sure others will be angry with me but nobody has said anything yet so maybe I am worrying too much. Or more likely they wouldn’t say it to me but to each other!

So your school would ostracise the OP for not wanting her child to visit a place where the staff are being investigated for criminal activities and there are questions about the welfare of the animals?

Are you going to suggest a visit to the local police station where the kids can have some quality time in the cells with the guests?