A question about school residential trips - well just wondering something

[Polgara2]

Well more than one question but:

When your dc go on a residential trip who allocates the dorms? Do the teachers decide and do the children have any input?

What happens if your child is unhappy with who they will be rooming with - would you expect anything to be done about it?

Am curious to see how this is handled in other schools.

Thank you!

When mine went they had to make a list of 3 or 4 or so kids they would like to share with & it was arranged from there.

Worked out OK afaik.

I would imagine this changes school to school. I don't have experience as a parent, but on residential trips I've been involved with as a teacher, it's been the teachers who allocate the rooms. We do have a fairly good idea of friendship groups, though, and would try to make sure that students are, to an extent, with friends, but without putting massive groups together to the extent that they stay up all night gassing and get no sleep. If students have a genuine issue - ie that we've inadvertently put them in a room with nobody they get on with, and they're geniuinely upset, then it would be dealt with carefully. We would hope that the situation wouldn't arise in the first place though.

If you are concerned about how it will be handled by your DC's school, I would suggest having a quiet chat with the class teacher - I'm sure you're not the only parent who is wondering.

Children write down fou r people they would be happy to share with and they are guaranteed to have at least one of them in teh dorm. Teachers collect lists and make decisions.

Pretty much same as others - ds1 got to list two or maybe three others who he'd like to share with and I think in the end he got one. We didn't know who he'd be sharing a room with until after he got back . I think you have to let the teachers make the final decision as they are the ones who have to live with the little treasures...

Our year 6's are asked to write down 2 people they wouldnt mind sharing with and 1 they really dont want to share with.
The teachers then arrange who is with who, trying to ensure everyone shares with at least 1 person they want to.
They dont always tell the children in advance so that parents cant get involved.
They wont change they arrangements even if children or parents ask!

With DD, it's been a case of writing down names of 3 people they will share with

With DS, they just get randomly allocated with no questions asked.

At ours they decided before they went, a few days before so if no one was happy it could be sorted out.

When I organised our school residential, I asked pupils to choose which children they would like to share their dorm with. It was a real nightmare to organise, but felt it was really important to make sure they were all happy.

The children were told who they would be sharing with 2 week in advance, so that parents had time to approve (or not) and changes could be made if necessary.

OMG Ive never even asked, I thorght my DCs just worked it out with their friends. They have never been solely with children they dont like and have always had friends in their group.

They've been on loads of resdentials. How bad am I!!

DD is going for her first next week. She had to write down four children she'd like to share with and six to be in her activity group. They are told on arrival to ensure that parents can't stick their oar in object before the trip.

We had one year when the Y6 teachers told all the kids just before getting on the coach who was with whom in which dorm. Wow! Some parents went bananas, insisting on changes, tears from mums, subsequent tears from kids (who otherwise would have been fine), one mum demanded her DD's suitcase back as she wan't going if she wasn't put in a room of her mum's choice, two other mums mums almost came to blows over whose fault it was that the girls hated each other (despite having elected each other on their form).....

The school now waits until arrival at the centre before spilling the beans!

So it would seem then that most schools opt for the writing a few names down route then - which I think is a really good idea. I understand that it is impossible to please everyone but at least that way the teachers know better what they have to work with.

Since last year our school has decided that the teachers know best and are doing the room allocations with no input from any children. Now they insisted that they knew who the children were friends with so they would make sure everyone was happy. I don't think the teacher does know everything and there is huge potential for ruining some child's stay if they are roomed with someone who they don't get on with (and I don't just mean pettiness here). There may be problems outside of school that they are not aware of (not serious enough that they would be involved but enough to make for an unhappy child iyswim).

Fortunately my dd is happy with her allocation but my friend's dc is not and when she complained she was basically told tough. They purposely didn't tell the children until a Friday afternoon either.

Now I think this is all wrong but just wanted to canvas opinions first. There will be another residential next year and I am going to stick my oar in suggest they might like to try the 3 or 4 names idea instead.

OMG life has got complicated - who decided to give people the illusion of choice in everything? We did loads of residential (youth hostelling) trips when I was at primary school and no-one ever gave us any choice about rooms - as I remember it was first come first serve when we arrived at any given hostel.

On school trips (Y6, so 11-yr-olds) the adults were not in a room with the children - only 4-5 adults between about 40 kids sleeping in more than 4-5 rooms, so not possible.

Why would she need to unlock a door? They wouldn't be locked in surely, for fire safety reasons.

Hotel room locks are only locked from the outside though, aren't they - just a normal handle from the inside? (I haven't stayed in one for a long time, I can't remember how it works!)

Maybe they'll all be in one building with nobody else there so won't need to have the latches on...I see what you mean though, it could be scary for a 7-yr-old.

I am a guider and have gone on residentials. Adults do not sleep in the same room as children, nor do they on any of the school residentials I have encountered. It's simply not a good idea.
As regards the needing an adult in the middle of the night thing, in my experience children are made well aware of where the adults are sleeping and how to get hold of them during the night. Occasionally you do have a child who is unwell or homesick or whatever, and an adult is on the spot quickly - usually alerted by a helpful friend.
Obviously, I don't know the exact set up at the centre this Brownie holiday is using, but believe me, to get a Brownie holiday licence as a leader is an arduous process, and no detail of a Brownie holiday is left to chance.
You would be surprised at how sensible a seven year old can be when they are trusted.

When I took children on residential visits we always sorted out the room allocations before we left (posted on the class noticeboard and announced in the class) so that any concerns could be sorted out before the visit.