Could the children have brought their dogs as well, or was it just the person in charge of the outing who was allowed to, seems like discrimination.

It reveals that 53 children and six adults have died on school trips since 1985. In the last 10 years the rate has risen slightly, with 33 deaths reported.

I wonder how many of those deaths were on ‘activities’, in accommodation, traveling in bus etc etc Be interesting to see the breakdown.

Does the school ask parents to give permission when delivering sex ed, drugs awareness, anti smoking and traffic skills? I’d hope that all parents would like their children to unafraid of dogs and to be confident.

Our School Dog

Murphy is very good around children of all ages. We ask that children wash their hands after petting him. Children get to take Murphy for walks or come and play with him and read to him in Miss Henderson’s office if they have been brilliant in class. We understand that some parents may not want their child interacting with Murphy, so any contact with Murphy is entirely voluntary.

We love having Murphy at Sudbourne – he helps the children learn how to be safe around dogs, how to look after a pet properly, is a friend to talk to (who won’t answer back!), and generally brings a smile to our faces with his enthusiasm for life.

let’s them learn that they’re not all snarling beasts who eat kids’ faces.

What kind of shit dog doesn’t attack children?

On that week statistically your son was more likely to be hurt at school or have a crash in the coach on the way – did you check the coach and driver over?

As a guess, this probably accounts for most of those 53 deaths mentioned above.
There’s a voluntary trade organisation which sets a minimum standard for coach hire companies for schools.
I can’t remember the name of it now, but if you are genuinely concerned about kids safety on school trips, it would be worth finding out who they are and insisting the school uses one of their members.

midsquestgraham – it was a reflection of experience, that parents often worry about the things that are not really a risk (e.g. climbing at an outdoor centre), compared to something we do every day (e.g. get in a car or bus)

It’s only a matter of time until a teachers dog grooms a pupil and they elope together.

**SPOILER**

the dog gets put down (but the pupil has his babies)

To the OP: Perhaps you may find it useful to identify when and where you gained your fear of dogs.

For me, it was when I got bitten several times as a young kid. Fairly straightforward psychological issue, don’t you think? Aggressive things with teeth attacks little kid, I think fear is a reasonable response don’t you?

By the way, sex ed, drugs ed etc are on the curriculum. Dog ed is not.

Also by the way, I don’t mind dogs any more, but I don’t think I’d take mine on a school trip. If I didn’t have a reliable way of looking after him when I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have one.

Does the school ask parents to give permission when delivering sex ed, drugs awareness, anti smoking and traffic skills? I’d hope that all parents would like their children to unafraid of dogs and to be confident.

they do for sex education the primary school did for my kids on traffic skills for the bit out of school

Not sure on current policy in drugs or anti smoking but given it says dont i doubt parents object

Dogs are extra curricular so i would expect to ask the parent tbh

did you check the coach and driver over?

Yes CRB check [ now DFS ] for the driver
MOT for the vehicle
insurance for vehicle and liability for employer
Drivers licence for vehicle
Visual check of vehicle on arrival and check the driver was not “erratic”
No speeding
A teacher could intervene if the driving was considered unsafe/erratic or dangerous

Imagine the school used one with an unlicensed driver without insurance on an unsafe coach and they were pissed and crashed

Granted all of that is highly unlikely

We had one where the minibus back door would not shut

Imagine if someone fell out of that

One doing 90 on the Mway as he was late for his next job etc

Are you for real?. jesus, my kids went to school and there was an unauthorised fly in the room, actually tonight, we had a pet moth flying about, my god this is really getting out of hand……………..

what me?
I am real and I am simply informing you of the law and the process as used by an LEA.
If you wish to shoot the messenger or have your kid go on an uninsured vehicle with an unsafe driver to an unlicensed centre with unskilled staff with no insurance to do abseiling then please done let me stop you.

It is probably no more dangerous than a moth or a fly in the room apparently

There were 16 kids, 4 teachers, one sixth former, one dog and two mini buses driven by teachers. Its not just the safety angle, I think parents and kids alike should have been informed fully about the trip and what was involved when they were asked if they wanted to go on the trip. I don’t see how the teacher could have fulfilled their responsibilities to the kids if they were caring for the dog. For example the teacher didn’t go on the mtb day. I can only make an informed choice if I have all the facts. I wonder if the school is even aware that the dog went. I understand that life is full of danger and the dog, if like my dog, is probably way down the list of hazards. However from a principles point of view I think I should have been made aware the dog was going to be taken. My son is well versed in pet care and its responsibility he doesn’t need lessons from anyone on this.

Also by the way, I don’t mind dogs any more, but I don’t think I’d take mine on a school trip. If I didn’t have a reliable way of looking after him when I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have one.

I’m sure that was fully considered. There were probably a number of students who would be more than happy to look after the dog, as an alternative to an activity they weren’t keen on.

I don’t see how the teacher could have fulfilled their responsibilities to the kids if they were caring for the dog.

So, how, exactly, d’you think the teacher manages during a regular school week?
They couldn’t possibly leave said pet at home, could they? Oh, the humanity! Leaving a dog unattended in a house while swanning off to work for eight or ten hours!
There ought to be a law against it! 🙄

I’m sure that was fully considered.

then it will be in the risk assemsne but it still does not explain why parents were not told

What if there had been a Muslim child there?

So, how, exactly, d’you think the teacher manages during a regular school week?

Going out on a limb I would suggest that when the children are in their care [in loco parentis] the dog is not under their care what with it not being there and all that.

My son is well versed in pet care and its responsibility he doesn’t need lessons from anyone on this.

But the school needs to take him on a “mtb day” ? Why ?

What if there had been a Muslim child there?

It’d give them a good opportunity to see that their religion is a bit daft on the subject of dogs. Or they could just avoid being slobbered by it.

books Ben in for mandatory cultural diversity training 😉

🙂

It does slightly annoy me that a small person, too young to have made their own mind up about anything yet, can be described as a “Muslim child” (or Christian or Buddhist or whatever).

But then we’re bringing our daughter up as Atheist Vegetarian, so perhaps I’m being hypocritical.

aetheist vegan nods sagely we all make choices for our kids.

The teacher wouldn’t have been responsible during the MTBing even if present, The MTB guide would have been.

If beginning to suspect the OP has a nasty case of most-Brits-hate-teachers disease.

i’d be more worried about how much alcohol the teachers were consuming, from some of the schools i’ve worked with teachers seem to think its ok to get totally rat arsed while in charge of a bunch of kids

So, how, exactly, d’you think the teacher manages during a regular school week?
They couldn’t possibly leave said pet at home, could they? Oh, the humanity! Leaving a dog unattended in a house while swanning off to work for eight or ten hours!
There ought to be a law against it!

The dog would have been left in a mini bus or car or tent for the teacher to take part in the mtb day. The teacher could not do this hence why they didn’t attend on the mtb day. Not so during a working week.

The teacher wouldn’t have been responsible during the MTBing even if present, The MTB guide would have been

The teachers were the mtb guides. In fact one teacher told my son their bike cost 4k.

Im beginning to suspect the OP has a nasty case of most-Brits-hate-teachers disease.

If you mean I have no respect for teachers who take the piss by doing what they want irrespective of any one else and use school trips as a freebie hol then you’re right I have no respect for that teacher. as for other teachers kudos to them. I couldn’t be a teacher.

The teachers were the mtb guides. In fact one teacher told my son their bike cost 4k.

Is that the only qualification for being an MTB guide these days? Cool, will set myself up today. Glad I don’t have to do any of that pesky first aid, outdoorsy knowledge, navigation stuff, so long as I have a £4000 bike I’m in. 🙂

What was the dog’s name?

Fenton.

😯 🙄 😯

I think it’s taking the piss and all this “kids should learn how to be around dogs” is disingenuous bollocks by dog owners who can’t imagine why their animals aren’t always loveable.

I remember the days when you were always grumpy konabunny, and very entertaining it was too.
So it’s nice to see a little bit of the ol’ magic being played out again.

Massively over-reacting. Ten years ago my teachers took dogs with them on walking / cycling trips and none of us got bitten*.

We fell off, fell into rivers, grazed knees, got sunburnt despite wearing sunblock, then in the evenings we watched films while the teachers had a pint or two. Funnily enough, our parents didn’t care or complain about this.

Actually, I can’t believe you’re complaining about this. It’s a sign of the miserable state of modern society where you’re not even sure whether to feel offended or upset that someone *dared* to do something without consulting you. What a surprise – we now have teachers afraid to do anything and kids that feel as though they are always right.

Grow up, FFS.

* I do believe someone got nipped as they whizzed down a zip-wire while goading the dog who was running underneath, at which point said dog jumped up while barking and snagged a tooth on child’s arse. We thought it was pretty funny at the time, and this was only 15 years ago.

I agree with Flaperon.

My son told me they have a class hamster,
I’m shocked by this and will be campaigning outside the school gates for an investigation.

Get a life.

Seriously I hope O.P. is a troll.

If you mean I have no respect for teachers who take the piss by doing what they want irrespective of any one else and use school trips as a freebie hol then you’re right I have no respect for that teacher. as for other teachers kudos to them. I couldn’t be a teacher.

try going on and organising a school trip and then you might not type as much shit. I was actally wondering if i could take my dog on next years biology field trip. Leaving the mrs to look after kid and dog awhile I’m away is a big ask. Maybe I should just not bother taking a load of kids to the Yorkshire Dales for a week.

16 children on a holiday for 5 days ? Sounds like Hell. I fail to see how a dog could make that any worse… I guess the children might slaughter it and eat it, so there is some risk.

Massively over-reacting. Ten years ago my teachers took dogs with them on walking / cycling trips and none of us got bitten*.

We fell off, fell into rivers, grazed knees, got sunburnt despite wearing sunblock, then in the evenings we watched films while the teachers had a pint or two. Funnily enough, our parents didn’t care or complain about this.

We had a science teacher who used to take us away during the school holidays on museum trips, camping, walking, all sorts. He had a cottage up in Shropshire so we’d all camp in his back garden. I remember him and another teacher taking us potholing in Derbyshire once (neither of them had any qualiications in caving whatsoever and in fact we had to rescue one of the teachers when he got stuck in a particularly tight section of cave!).

It was usually about 6-8 of us kids (we were all 15-16), he used to ask the ones he knew wouldn’t be any trouble and were interested enough to go on educational trips like that.

It was great but sadly I can’t see that ever happening nowadays. 🙁 But that teacher taught us all about navigation, star gazing, map reading… We even used to pick mushrooms (under his guidance) and cook them up for tea, BBQ in his back garden. Also with his dog running around.

How did we ever survive? 😉

Massively over-reacting. Ten years ago my teachers took dogs with them on walking / cycling trips and none of us got bitten

I have never been bitten by a dog or stabbed with a knife or raped so i can safely assume neither of things ever happen 😕

I fail to see how a dog could make that any worse.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ballymena-dog-attack-teachers-alaskan-2007786

Less than one week ago teachers dog attacking a pupil – can you see now?

Again I dont see a huge problem per se amd I would not have worried were it my kids but the school does IMHO and IME need to mention this to parents as it is a risk.

If the teachers led the MTB session I would be interested in seeing the risk assessment and insurance for that- PS I went on one on my own bike but I was not leading it in any way shape or form- as I was awesome naturally I took the rigid SS:wink: – I think this is more likely to be the case

EDIT: just for clarity the risk assesmnet culture largely arose because parents would sue the school/education authority for minor injuries that could occur on any any activity and the pay out was related to the risk assessment and what you had done to minimise the risks. the fact you had informed the parents of the risk also mitigated the liability. It was never the LEA or the teachers going – you know what we need masses of Risk Assessment

RE the teacher and the cottage – it is a shame we cannot do stuff like that anymore but I would personally be terrified of the consequences fo doing that these days from a grooming claim to a personal liability claim for injury.
Tis a shame but the public gets waht the public wants

What if there had been a Muslim child there?

More likely to be killed by their own religious nutters than a teachers dog looking at what happened in Nigeria today. Dozens of schools have been burned in attacks by Islamists since 2010.