Geog field trip - quick advice needed!

Ilovechurrosalldaylong · 2025-03-12T20:59:29+00:00

DD is in year 10. Meant to be on the 2nd leg of her gcse geography field trip tomorrow. I think it involves surveying the public in a town centre. Her BEST friend who moved abroad is in town for one day only, they haven’t seen each other in a year and I agreed to let her have an extremely rare day off school not realising it was the day of the trip. Her attendance otherwise is near perfect. Now I’ve had two warning emails from school telling me to reconsider as the trip is essential. My question is to geography teachers or other parents who have been in this position, surely there is a way round this? I’m feeling so guilty, I hate breaking rules! I probably should have called in sick rather than be honest.

Okwotnext · 12/03/2025 21:03

Send her into school for trip. Can’t her friend see her in the evening ?

MeanMrMustardSeed · 12/03/2025 21:06

I’m pretty sure the day is a compulsory part of their GCSE syllabus. It is at our school.

AuntieMarys · 12/03/2025 21:07

Just let them see each other after school!!!

Original poster

Ilovechurrosalldaylong · 12/03/2025 21:10

MeanMrMustardSeed · 12/03/2025 21:06

I’m pretty sure the day is a compulsory part of their GCSE syllabus. It is at our school.

But just say she was sick, what would happen? There must be a back up plan?

OP posts:

Mareleine · 12/03/2025 21:11

Sounds like she's gathering data for her GCSE coursework? In which case she'll be stuffed if she doesn't go.

AuntieMarys · 12/03/2025 21:37

Ilovechurrosalldaylong · 12/03/2025 21:10

But just say she was sick, what would happen? There must be a back up plan?

Show quote history

But she isn't sick!

RandomMess · 12/03/2025 21:39

She'd have to do a different project/collect data on her own.

Mafaldaweasley · 12/03/2025 21:40

It's an essential part of her GCSE - she can't miss it.

LIZS · 12/03/2025 21:41

She can still see her after school, from 3:30 ish and let her out late.

TokyoSushi · 12/03/2025 21:42

I think she needs to go on the trip OP otherwise things might be unnecessarily difficult a bit further down the line...

Original poster

Ilovechurrosalldaylong · 12/03/2025 21:44

Ok I’ve decided to send her in. The friend is staying with us for the day and night. It’s a shame because the friend will be sat in our house all day on her own (My husband will be in charge but WFH). Anyway, it’s all sorted now, thanks for your help everyone.

OP posts:

WonkyDonkeyWonkeyDonkey · 12/03/2025 21:46

Surely she knows herself that she needs to go.

It doesn’t matter about her attendance because this isn’t an ordinary day. You wouldn’t let her not sit the exam because she had good attendance otherwise.

DanceMumTaxi · 12/03/2025 21:58

Ok so Head of Geog here. I have a large cohort so run trips over two/three days so where possible will try to move a child if they’re genuinely ill or have an unavoidable appointment (eg hospital) but I’m much less sympathetic if they just want to go on a different day. I’ve got 145 kids to organise so picking and choosing ends up creating huge issues and once it’s allowed for one it opens the flood gates. Obviously though there are always one or two who don’t make it. I have to fill in a declaration for the exam board saying how many have attended the trips. Pupils are examined on the trips in the paper 3 exam, which is worth 25% of the overall grade (this isn’t all about the trips though). They wont need to know specific data, but they will be asked about collection methods, risk assessment, study area etc. Pupils that don’t go on the trips are provided with all the information, shown photos and do all the follow up work etc. But they are at a disadvantage because they haven’t actually experienced the study area and collection methods. They struggle to describe the methods and the advantages/disadvantages etc. There is quite often a question asking them to justify or evaluate the data collection techniques chosen. This is obviously much more difficult if the child hasn’t actually been and collected the data themselves. There’s only so much you can do in the classroom, that’s why the trips are a requirement of the course.

Original poster

Ilovechurrosalldaylong · 12/03/2025 22:58

DanceMumTaxi · 12/03/2025 21:58

Ok so Head of Geog here. I have a large cohort so run trips over two/three days so where possible will try to move a child if they’re genuinely ill or have an unavoidable appointment (eg hospital) but I’m much less sympathetic if they just want to go on a different day. I’ve got 145 kids to organise so picking and choosing ends up creating huge issues and once it’s allowed for one it opens the flood gates. Obviously though there are always one or two who don’t make it. I have to fill in a declaration for the exam board saying how many have attended the trips. Pupils are examined on the trips in the paper 3 exam, which is worth 25% of the overall grade (this isn’t all about the trips though). They wont need to know specific data, but they will be asked about collection methods, risk assessment, study area etc. Pupils that don’t go on the trips are provided with all the information, shown photos and do all the follow up work etc. But they are at a disadvantage because they haven’t actually experienced the study area and collection methods. They struggle to describe the methods and the advantages/disadvantages etc. There is quite often a question asking them to justify or evaluate the data collection techniques chosen. This is obviously much more difficult if the child hasn’t actually been and collected the data themselves. There’s only so much you can do in the classroom, that’s why the trips are a requirement of the course.

Thank you for responding in such detail. Over all I am making the decision to send her in as I’d hate her to be at a disadvantage. I hadn’t realised the significance.

OP posts: