Residential trip worries-HELP PLZ!

[Toms Mummy]

Hi, I thought I'd reply in here and give you a different perspective. I am an outdoor tutor in a residential outdoor education centre in North Wales

The centre I work in is owned by cheshire county council, it has 400 beds! That's alot!!..... Most centres have 40 beds max! These 400 beds are split in to each dorm where there are 6-8 beds. There are also 4 residential buildings with these dorms in. The biggest building hase about 200 beds in. The staff bedrooms are less than a 2 minute walk from every dorm, a dorm is NEVER locked when the childen are in there, they also all have an alarm system on each door (for the en-suit, or corridor for the shared loos) so that is a child opens the door during bedtime hrs then an alarm will ring in both the staff social room and the staff bedrooms.

Teacher's usually take turns each night (so that they all get atleast one good nights sleep while there!) patrolling the dorms until everyone is asleep, this can usually take a coupl of hrs as you can imagine lots of 11 yr olds in a dorm can be quite noisy!.... They do jump on beds and pillow fights etc, but there is teacher there to calm anythig down, they don't just leave them to it!

There is also a social area for the children so they don't really get that much time in there dorms on their own anyway, as they're kept so busy!

The centre itself will also have a duty member of staff on call, with a mobile phone at all times in case of emergencies.

If you are really worried then the staff should be able to give you the name of the centre, or the landline number so you know exactly how to get in touch x

Just out of interest.... where is your child going? x

 

[Toms Mummy]

Oh forgot to add, there is a very good reason for not allowing mobiles..... one they might get damaged/stolen/lost. 2, they cause so much grief for the teachers as a child who is home sick will naturally call parents on their mobile, who will then call the teachers competely disptressed when the teacher had no idea that the child had called the parents and the only reason they were feeling homesick was due to something trivial like being tired or not being in the same group/dorm as their best friend x

 

[wilbz]

I also forgot to mention although I worried like mad about my daughter being at her outdoor centre. I actually went there when I was her age ( a long time ago 24 years), and had a brill time, but my parents felt the same as me when my daughter went

 

[kerrie24]

Robin wood??

 

[Toms Mummy]

Aah, I've nover been there but met kids at the centre where I work who have been there in the past and loved it!..... They'll be in dorms very close to the staff x

 

[Magpie]

Is it the one near Alston? I've been to this one as a teacher and it is fantastic. We take Y4 and Y5 children and they love it. Sometimes one or two get a little bit homesick from time to time but there's so much to do that it never lasts for more than a few minutes.

The kids are kept busy all day and activities run into the evening. If I remember correctly the last organised activity finishes at 9 o'clock, so they're all pretty exhausted by the time they get to bed. The teaching staff from our school always stay until the last activity is over then make sure the kids are getting ready for bed and settled, especially on the first night. The dorms aren't massive, ranging from 6 to 12 beds.

The activities are done in groups of about 10 and, unlike some other centres, they have the same group leader (from the centre) for every activity for the whole of the stay, as well as having a member of staff from their school with each group. Also, although the teachers will be in rooms in another part of the building, they're not that far and there are staff from the centre on duty all night (and they do keep checking on the children). If there are any big problems or a child gets very upset, the night staff will get a member of staff from the school, although this rarely happens as the kids are usually so tired.

I hope this helps and that your son enjoys himself!

 

[caggimedicine]

I completely understand your concerns and worries - I know i'd be exactly the same!

I would firstly speak to the school about your concerns re safety - I'd want to know answers to all of those questions. I always have questions like that in my head about certain things, and am glad I asked the questions because the answers often put my mind at rest.

In terms of you wondering whether your son will change his mind in going last minute - unfortunately that bridge can't be crossed until you come to it. It does sound like a fantastic trip, particularly for a 10 year old boy - i'm not surprised he wants to go. Personally, I would put his name down and pay the deposit. It is a lot of money, and I wouldn't want to lose it either - but I would be the same as you... not wanting to force him to go if he changed his mind.

 

[Baby France]

Aw Kerrie

I went on residentials when I was a kid - trust me the teachers are closer than you think. It was the best thing my mum did for us. It gave me confidence, pushed me out of my comfort zone and we absolutely LOVED it.

I also take my team on resi and even though mine are 16+ we still watch them like hawks. All of the risk assessments, health and safety, first aiders and qualifications etc etc... will have to be in place.

Its a natural thing to worry about your child. If you set days and times though that you keep in touch and that

 

[Harveysmum369]

I wouldn't let Harvey(then aged 2) go on a trip to the beach with the nursery(staff ratio 2 children to 1 adult) and was made to feel like I was making a fuss

I totally understand your concerns,its a massive thing to let your baby go...I can't imagine letting harvey go on any school trips at the moment,but I know the time will come...xx

 

[shellie]

My son is due to go on his second trip like this in march. He went for the first time last year and loved it. I was really nervous letting him go and the school were pushing that they wanted every child to go.

I remember when I went on my first school trip. We tried wandering around corridors and were caught by a teacher and when we made too much noise in the nighttime I remember a teacher coming into our room to tell us off - the teachers rooms werent by ours so I don't know how they had heard us! There will be somebody checking on the children though, they wont just be left. I know how nervous you must feel though as I was hoping inside that my son wouldnt want to go, he did however so we let him.

In year 6 the school takes the children to spain, which I will be really worried about as it is a lot further and out of the country. xxx