School Trip to Paris

[Verbena37]

Hi.
In a couple of weeks, my year 8 child is off to a Euro Disney with school for a couple of days and on one day, they are off into Paris City to visit a few places, eat out etc.
With all of the recent trouble in Paris, would you send your child? It's not really Disney I'm concerned about.....and I'm not worrying about any more shootings really I don't think. It's more the worry about more mass demos and protests and what that may entail. With 10000 troops with weapons being sent into Paris etc and the implications if something kicked off whilst they were there.
I just feel slightly uneasy about them going. Any thoughts?

It's not in "certain areas" - so that for starters is inaccurate.

I've just seen that the law is for French schoolchildren.

Maybe it's up to foreigners to assess the risk to their own DC?

Thanks Blu and Bonsoir.....do either of you have links for articles that say no incoming school trips to Paris?

Do you speak/read French?

Yes. Sadly not as well as I used to but should be able to translate it.

If you google www.tourmag.com Vigipirate there is quite a useful article that quotes several tour operators - the article is in French but I imagine your DD's French teacher can manage it!

The article is called:

Plan Vigipirate: les organisateurs de sorties scolaires directement impactes

Sorry I cannot link - I'm on my phone.

Thanks Bonsoir....found it and read it. So it's actually the French dept. of zed that's given the suspension but that all the rules are a bit confusing.

I tried googling for the UK but nothing seems to give suspension of school trip info. I will try and find out who the travel op is for their trip.

Sorry, dept. of Ed.....not zed

It's not super clear: DD's school tells that they are following the instructions of the Mairie de Paris.

I definitely think your school's tour operator and insurer need to be consulted.

FWIW - you would have to be off your head to let foreign schoolchildren loose in Paris right now!

When I re-read the emails sent by DD's school, they seem to be following police HQ instructions. Presumably the police wouldn't distinguish between threats posed to groups of schoolchildren from other countries anyway and all the sites are currently heavily guarded either by the police or by armed troops.

Bonsoir- sorry .... I think I may have not read the bit where you said your dd was also going.
So her school have stopped the trip?

Is that a UK school or French school?

My DD is at school in Paris! I can assure you they are not allowed off school premises and won't be for weeks.

Oh I see.
Gosh, it would seem strange then to allow any students to go.
Like you said though, the Bristish foreign notice says nothing specific about school trips. Their update does seem very wary though for visitors....saying the threat of terrorism is extremely high.

No doubt school will just say "oh it's Verbena again.....worrying for nothing".

would you by any chance be in west yorks?

Verbena - I suggest you don't approach the school with "worries". Take the article I linked to, highlight the bit about no incoming school trips and ask them what their tour operator and insurer have said.

You won't be the only parent feeling uneasy. Call school and ask to speak to the trip organiser for up to date info.

FWIW, we took a large group of 12-16 year olds to Paris and Disney in October. In Disney, staff took it in turns to wait at the meeting point and all kids had a wristband with staff contact details on.
In Paris, we did a tour by coach then straight off coach onto river boat and back on, it was all very well managed by staff (7 staff for 66 kids). When I am in loco parentis, I take that role really seriously, I hope your DD's teachers will too.

My dad (16) is off for exchange near Paris in March. I was a wee bit worried, now I find out the town they are staying in was involved in last weeks violence. I'm still a bit but if anything security there will been tighter.

I will wait until Monday Bonsoir because tomorrow they are sending home the itinerary and details etc so they may put something in there to quell my worries.

And no.....I won't approach school with my worries....just my assertive suggestions (love the wristband idea with contact number) and questions.

Thanks for your input peeps

I must say that I find it truly bizarre that the information Is not "out there" that school trips to Paris are currently off limits.

I cannot stress enough that groups of DC are not able to circulate in Paris at the moment.

Mmmm. I teach in a school that's planning a Paris trip fairly imminently. It was certainly on as of earlier this week, & following discussion with the travel company.

Very odd. Very worrying.

Our DC are not allowed out in groups - not just school groups but also guides/scouts etc. They are not allowed to hang about on the pavement in groups etc. No museum or place of interest may take school groups.

nope raven, not in West Yorkshire.
Just chatted to DH and he said a good idea would be to ask the school /LEA for the risk assessment regarding security following the Incident.

DH doesn't get why it's the dept. if Ed that has stated the no groups out in Paris and not the French Home Office?