What age do you stop having to give permission for trips?

[hercules1]

Just interested. Ds is 18 and in year 12 (retaking year) and can get married without our permission, fight in war etc but can't it seems go to london zoo without our signature.
What would happen if he signed the form himself?

i spose they are catering for under 18s, if he is retaking? get him to sign it.

I don't remember having to have forms signed in sixth form at all. This wasn't all that long ago either

i do for dd who is 16

and for ds who is 19

I think we signed from 16th birthday, unless the form involved a charge being authorised (private school, so effectively authorising payment from my parents' account).

Yes, it's a standard letter but he was given it by hand and told by teacher he needs our permission. I think I have already signed stuff after he turned 18 and not given it a thought until now. It hasn't occurred to him not to give to me to sign.

I didn't get any forms once my DC were 15-ish, but I suspect they forgot to give me them and forged my signature.

I did get a call about persistent lateness when DS1 was 17, and suggested that they discuss it with him, as he was an adult

I know 16+ Ranger Guides get very fed-up of having to get their parents to sign health forms.

There is a whole grey area that winds my 16yo. One minute society wants them to be adults, pay adult prices, get a part time job.

The next it treats them like primary children. Y11's are still treated like total babies, "Mum can you write a note explaing why I havent done my HW"

FFS we wouldn't have got our parents to do that in Y7

Sixform is only slightly better, they still have uniform, they are still expected to do HW when they are told, rather judging how to juggle their own lives. I expect I'm still expected to write absence notes.

I questioned this last year when school were still sending forms home for signature. I was told it related to the school's insurance policies.

It's all to do with Health and Safety and risk management.

We live in a litigious society these days and are bombarded with adverts from ambulance chasing lawyers to sue for every little broken finger nail. So the school has to cover for every eventuality and that will include requesting written permission from parents rather than the students.