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Original poster

Would you let your Year 6 child go on a school holiday abroad wihtout you?

80 replies

lisalisa · 07/04/2008 22:34

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CarGirl · 07/04/2008 22:36

yes I would let my dd go but I don't know your dd so it's difficult to say. Worse case scenario is that she goes and she doesn't enhoy a week of her life?

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lisalisa · 07/04/2008 22:41

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CarGirl · 07/04/2008 22:43

THe centre will have qualified staff it surely can't be just the 3 teachers looking after them? ALso it will probably be tailored to their ages.

I can understand your concerns though.

OverMyDeadBody · 07/04/2008 22:48

The activities will be tailored to their ages and pretty safe, and there will be adults from the centre supervising ll the activities and children. They will be qualified to teach kids these outdoor persuits.

The likelihood of an accident is very small.

You don't know if she will hate the activities, she may have the time of her life!

I think 11 yrs isn't too young to go abroad alone, and if she wants to go then she will probably enjoy it.

RustyBear · 07/04/2008 22:48

The place our Year 6 go to has staff of its own who lead the activities, so I would expect there would be would be more than 3 adults there. We take around 50 kids, often including one or two from our ASD resource, with 5-6 adults from the school, so your ratio is 'better' than that (though ours is in England) They split into 4 groups each with a member of staff from the centre so there are 2 adults to a group of 12.
Even the most unconfident children take to abseiling, rafting & climbing, very few ever hate it - out of the 10 sets of year 6 that have gone since I've worked at the school, I only remember one child who was really unhappy all week & he wasn't very well at the time.
Have they been to this place before & can you talk to any mums whose children have been?

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lisalisa · 07/04/2008 22:50

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MarsLady · 07/04/2008 22:51

In a heartbeat. What an experience!

You know lisalisa (and I say this without knowing your child)... I'm reasonably sure that her teacher would know her character. You may find that the trip inspires new confidence in her.

RustyBear · 07/04/2008 22:52

The school has to do a detailed risk assessment before any off-site activity - could you ask to see this? It should say exactly what the risks are and how they would be dealt with.

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lisalisa · 07/04/2008 22:56

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lisalisa · 07/04/2008 23:01

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OverMyDeadBody · 07/04/2008 23:09

The rope bridges over crevases won't actually be rickety, they will be very secure and safe.

The rock climbing will also be very safe, the ropes will already be up, no risk of falling unless their harnesses are not tied in prooperly which is very unlikely to happen, I guess the biggest danger is the open water.

The thing is, you can't bubble wrap yourchildren, and there are far more incidents of children having accidents in their own homes than on adventure courses. I know it doesn't stop you worrying though.

FloridaKbear · 07/04/2008 23:13

I would but I wouldn't breathe out until she got home. DH would say no deffo not.

This will be our dilemma soon, DD in Year 4 still in bubblewrap!

OverMyDeadBody · 07/04/2008 23:17

If it helps I first went on one of these adventure holidays when I was 10 I think, and I was disappointed at how tame it all was! I wanted real adventure and excitement, but it was very controlled and organised, which was a good thing obviously in retrospect!

I have as thing for adventures and extreme sports still though, and it keeps getting more extreme! and I'm very quiet, you'd never guess it!

stuffitllama · 07/04/2008 23:18

Can you contact the centre itself and the company itself to discuss safety? You can pursue the issue of best practice guidelines, as your interest may mean they triple and quadruple check everything. I'm sure everything is checked anyway, but your head does sound a little "fobby offy". As you say, it's a rare thing, but accidents can happen on school trips and while I would bite my lip and let mine go, I would be on the phone and checking out that adventure company with alacrity.

jellybeans · 07/04/2008 23:18

I wouldn't! DD went on a weekend with Brownies at 7 and I felt that was OK but wouldn't be OK with anything like mentioned trip until 9 or 10. I am not keen on my child being in another country at that age but that is just me.

RustyBear · 07/04/2008 23:23

How much detail do you actually know about the activities? Our week (it's in the Lake District) has a mountain day, but they walk up the mountain, not climb and the climbing with ropes (they don't let them anywhere near a pick-axe!) is done at the base on a smallish rock face - and they have a practice session on the climbing wall first.
I've got a few pictures here and the next few - not very good ones but they are ones where you can't see who the children are.

soapbox · 07/04/2008 23:23

Yes, I would let my DD go.

I would be worried and nervous on her behalf but would never let her know.

I think a 'can do' attitude is one of the best things we can equip our children with and I am worried that you are setting her up for a 'can't do' attitude instead.

Is there any reason physically why your DD can not do these sports? IME any reasonably fit child of 11 can climb, trek, and abseil with instruction.

Provided they can swim, white water rafting should also be in their reach.

I presume you have a little time to teach her to ride a bike - I am somewhat aghast that a child can get to 11yo and not know how to ride a bike

So yes, with reservations kept entirely to myself, I would let my DD go. In fact, she will be going on a very similar trip next year - year 6!

dolally · 07/04/2008 23:34

I too would let her go. I would do every bit of research and contact with the centre in the Alps and with the school to assure myself that they are taking this seriously and responsibly.

I would also worry about her but I wouldn't let her know.

If she is unconfident and introverted, you actually NEED to let her go, because this will be a fantastic chance for her to get more self-confident and become more extrovert.

I know how you feel though!!

roisin · 08/04/2008 03:10

I would definitely let her go.

If she's in yr6 she will soon be demanding much more indepence, and release from your protectiveness. Having this sort of experience will definitely empower her and give her convidence: it has a very good track record of doing so, that's why schools do these sort of activities.

The activities will be age-appropriate, and if she can't swim/can't ride a bike, then appropriate options will be offered. Staff at these centres are used to handling children of different ages/abilities.

Tbh you do sound rather over-protective, and worried about things which are statistically very unlikely to happen.

If you continue in this way, your dd will pick up on this worry - if she hasn't already, and it will affect her confidence.

Sorry if I sound blunt, but I think you need to loosen up a bit.

My boys have done 'adventure-type' activities in the Lakes every summer since they were 8, and I take yr7s away every year on a foreign trip (not adventure though). The children adore these experiences, and talk about them for years afterwards. If all your dd's friends went on the residential, and she didn't, I think she would be really missing out.

nappyaddict · 08/04/2008 07:35

yes

OrmIrian · 08/04/2008 07:41

I don't know. My eldest had a similar trip at the beginning of yr 6. Adventure/outward bound type thing. Loved every single minute of it despite gripes about food/rules/beds etc. But it was in Dorset not abroad. Personally I wouldn't be worried about the activities - I know you hear terrible stories about accidents etc but they really are few and far between. I'd be more worried about the length of time she'd be away - a week plus travelling. But that's because I'm a wuss and have rarely spent a night away from mine .

She will like it, it will do her good and if she didn't go she'd regret it. Speaking as a child who was afraid of her own shadow, and who had a mum who clung a bit too hard, I missed out on a lot of things and I really really do regret it now.

AbbeyA · 08/04/2008 07:48

I should definitely let her go, she will always be disappointed that she missed it if all the rest go and she doesn't! I think that you are building it up out of all proportion in your mind. It is a centre geared for children and will have to cater for all abilities. She won't be crossing rickety bridges over crevasses! It will be stuff that they do week in and week out over tried and tested routes, they will be age appropriate and take into account that some DCs might be complete beginners and some might very experienced. If she can't swim the 50m then she will not be allowed to do some of the activities. I think that you ought to teach her to ride a bike now, it is a skill that she ought to have mastered by 11yrs. I have always insisted that my DCs had swimming lessons until they were reasonably strong swimmers. I would be more worried about the homesickness with that age and the distance but you say that your DD is sociable and popular so it shouldn't be a problem.
My DSs school has an outdoor centre in Wales and they all go in year 7 and abseil, canoe etc. It is a wonderful character building exercise, they feel so good about themselves when they do something that they find a challenge. You have to close your mind to it; I do with the caving (they go through something small called the letterbox, it would terrify me!).
I think that you are being overprotective and this is a good time, with friends, teachers and experienced staff, to let go a bit.

CrackerOfNuts · 08/04/2008 08:16

I let my dd go on a similar trip in March, she is in yr5. It was PGL adventure holiday which included her climbing to the top of an extremely high platform and jumping off.

She had a fabulous time.

Just trying to remember how many staff went. I know there were 43 kids, and I think there were 3 teachers, the head teacher and one TA.

Does your dd want to go ??

windygalestoday · 08/04/2008 08:31

No I wouldnt ,based on what you say about your daughters character i wouldnt.

treelover · 08/04/2008 08:36

this sort of holiday is often the making of some children.
let her go. if she doesnt want to do the activities, i'm sur she wont have to,. but she will gain the experience of being away from you, which is very important.
the 1 to 6 ratio of teachers is not for the actual activites, for those, the centre will have its own appropriately trained staff.
i'm not sure why the school chose to go to france when there are places in england that offer such courses. ds went in year five. most schools offer something like this.