School trips?

[SaligoBay]

Some friends back in the UK have their children in last year of primary coming on a week-long school trip to France.

We've been here 5 years, my son started at aged 5 in CP, is now 10 in 6ème at collège, and no trips at all.  Maybe next year in 5ème he can go to Germany because he's doing German this year, but that's only 12 of them out of 200.

Is this NFF, normal for France?   Or are my UK friends not normal for the UK (NNFUK)?

Just wondering.       

[chicfille]

My elder daughter is in CE1 & had only been here 3 months when the trip was announced - 6 days in the mountains (a hell of a way from home in Brittany). We decided against it in the end but our decision wasn't well received!

Having discussed it with lots of friends at the time, it seems normal around here for children to go on a trip every 2 years. Some schools take children as young as 4 away for a few days (mad, and not entirely appropriate to their age, IMO). 

Nothing in 6 years sounds a bit unusual.

[Punch]

SB, it seems unusual to me that your son hasn't had any trips. My girls have been here 7 years through from maternal up to sixième and I concuur with chicfille that trips have been every two years and started in Grande section ("Class de Mer") to Saint Lunaire, then two years later ("Classe de ville") to Paris, and then two years later CM2 "classe de neige" to the alps. Then there are other short trips programmed in between all this, depending on funds and parent affordability. I must admit it was a bit nerve racking to think our just 6 year old was going away with the school, but as parents and active memebers of the APEL and OGEC, we have been on some of the school trips to help out and have been lucky I suppose to have found such a good and caring school.

Paul

[Val_2]

Ours both went on school trips,both ski-ing and general visits ,although my daughter kept missing out at primaire,but in collège they both went to Italy and Spain twice. This year the 20-year old is going to Thailand for 14 days as part of her course and to be honest I am not that keen really but its her choice to go.I think parents should let their kids go and speaking as someone who accompanied one group, they really do need to be let off the leash sometimes and experience a little life.

[SaligoBay]

Thank you for your replies, everyone, but I have to say they've left me feeling kind of sad for the Boy.......

 

[Owens88]

My daughter has just returned from the school 'French Trip', aged 12 I think. Previously teh norm is for a primary school trip (year 5 or 6 in english) to an activity centre a  few hours away.

Point 1        It wasn't a French trip as it was English PGL with excursions to bakerie and Chocolaterie etc. She gets more French experience with us. Only 40 went out of 100.

Point 2        Youth trips are about fun, growing up and independence. My kids have done sailing camp, Cubs, Scouts, adventure stuff  etc. and probably don't need the awaydays as much as 'les autres' , but I would hesitate to exclude them from the group effect they get from the school trip.

Financially I cannot justify it ALL, and will always encourage the balance of 'out of school' stuff as well as school, but would have thought that some trips away from home are 'good for doing'.

 

[SaligoBay]

I would hesitate to exclude them from the group effect they get from the school trip.

Financially I cannot justify it ALL, and will always encourage the balance of 'out of school' stuff as well as school, but would have thought that some trips away from home are 'good for doing'.

John, I'm not saying that I haven't allowed him to go on school trips, I'm saying it's never even been an option, there have never been any for him to go on!!! 

 

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

Our son is going up to 6e in September. He's just received the documentation - he's very excited, asking for a mobile phone already, but that's another discussion!

Unless this year is any different, in the autumn they will be going away for a Classe de Neige for a week in the Massif Centrale, no education as such just a fun (bonding?) week of ski, sledge, pattinoire etc.

In Primaire he has had many educational day trips and at the end of each school year a fun day out but no week long affaires but then it it a very small school.

[Mistral]

My son is in the same situation as Fantine's. He's done a lot of day trips, classes de voile at the nearby base nautique.... but no overnighters. The school used to organise a classe de neige with the CM2's and the old directrice, but the new one only arrived this year and is finding her feet.

Friends with kids in primaire seem to be in more or less the same situation; there's sometimes a trip for the CM1/CM2 but it's usually a trip that has been going on for a long time and has become part of the school's culture (the kind of trip that is expected by everybody and is organised by taking last year's programme and changing the dates)

Next year he will be at my collège. This year there was a trip to italy for the pupils doing italian or latin and a trip to Spain for the pupils doing Spanish (all 4eme and 3eme except for a few latin students) There have been trips to the UK and to the futuroscope in the past, but not this year.

My old school had a classe de neige in 6eme, trip to the UK in 5eme, trip to Italy/spain in 4eme and trip to the futuroscope in 3eme.

 School trips seem to be less common now compared to 10 years ago (at least in collège) They have got more and more complicated to organise; there are new legal and financial rules which give you very little flexibility and a lot of teachers been put off by all the trials there have been over the last few years. They don't want to take that resposibility.

[Miki]

Ours did a few day trips in Primaire. A week skiing in sixième, a week to Spain in troisième and some days out but nothing else. In the area where we lived, it was certain years that went on trips and usually the same trip as the year before had done.

Like Val's Daughter our Daughter is now away for a couple of months on a "stage" for her education. She has gone to Malta as it is a foreign speaking place (well just because they speak English there, it is still foreign for the French !!) The kids in the class have gone to many different places in the world but what good it will do I have no idea but the teachers say it is good for the CV. Oh good, cause it ain't doing much good to the wallet !!

[chicfille]

"School trips seem to be less common now compared to 10 years ago (at least in collège) They have got more and more complicated to organise; there are new legal and financial rules which give you very little flexibility..."

This was the reason given by the teachers at the school attended by our neighbour's son (in CE2) for not organising a trip. Instead of taking them away, his class recently spent a week travelling via local buses to visit sights in the city, coming home each night.

Incidentally, our daughter didn't go on the 'classe de neige' because she wasn't keen, only having been at the school for 3 months, and as she'd never been away on her own for that long before we all felt it was a bit far. There were several other parents who felt the same way, and of 25 in her class, 5 didn't go. It wasn't a problem for her or her friends, but we were made to feel like bad, clingy parents which we didn't appreciate.

[cary]

Been here 5 months and 10 year old, still in Primaire, is going to a lake 45 mins away for a 5 day activity holiday, kayaking, climbing, cycling, motor boating etc.  Cost is 50 euros and have been told by a friend here that they are taken away every year in this particular public school. 

[Jo53]

No trips anymore in our small (40-pupil) village school. The APEL had to choose between funding classes de decouverte or funding basic books and equipment, and we chose the latter. Apparently they used to do a trip in the CM2 but there's no money for it now. Friends' children at larger schools seem to have regular trips away from CE upwards.

Jo

[SaligoBay]

Been here 5 months and 10 year old, still in Primaire, is going to a lake 45 mins away for a 5 day activity holiday, kayaking, climbing, cycling, motor boating etc.  Cost is 50 euros and have been told by a friend here that they are taken away every year in this particular public school. 

Well whaddya know, he came home yesterday with a form for a trip away.  In June, ONE night's camping in the Gorge de la Dourbie.   Cost?  60 euros! 

SB, still vainly searching for égalité in France.

[opas]

Crikey SB, that seems expensive, our eldest went to Les Angles ski-ing both this year and last for five days with school and that was about the same money! Mrs O

 

[SaligoBay]

Another trip planned!!!!   A day-trip to Arles, only 12 euros hey, he was really looking forward to it, especially the Roman stuff.    Guess what - cancelled, because there's a bus strike now organised for the same day.

Oh joy.

[Mistral]

Another trip planned!!!!   A day-trip to Arles, only 12 euros hey, he was really looking forward to it, especially the Roman stuff.    Guess what - cancelled, because there's a bus strike now organised for the same day.

12 euros!!  That's quite a lot for a day trip. My 6F didn't pay that when they went last week, although we are a bit closer. Arles seems a popular one this year, we've got another trip going this week. Of course it goes well with the 6eme hist-geo programme and all that; and the new-look museum is very good

Pity about the bus strike.

Middle child is going to visit an "ecoforêt" next week.

[opas]

We have just been given 1/2 a tale that the whole school is going out somewhere on monday for the day painting.

Mr O and I are hoping it comes to fruition as we would love a lunch out somewhere `a deux`

Bet the painting bit comes in when they are going out covering up the grafiti around Perpignan

Will up date later when/if the letter comes home!

Mrs O

[SaligoBay]

Oh oh oh the stress!

...... the little darling, he dropped me in it by saying "my mum's really good at making vinaigrette"      And so I had to do a big load of vinaigrette for a big load of discerning French youngsters!    Normally a stress-free no-brainer, this vinaigrette experience has moved into Major League no-sleeper status.   Will it just be a tasteless oily splodge?   Is there too much vinegar, will it make all their teeth fall out?     Is there too much mustard, will their noses implode? 

Is it all some kind of test, to see how INTEGRATED i am?  Oh dear.  I think I have to de-stress in the pool, perhaps finish off that bottle of Malibu........ any excuse!             

[opas]

Trip cancelled before it got to print!

Have the school spectacle this evening

Our two darlings seem to think I am a taxi for half the village......can we take ? can Leah come? So these kids who want to cadge a lift are also in this spectacle......their mums and dads arn`t going

So No wine with my tea tonight.....enjoy the malibu SB, I`ll catch up when we return at 10.30 pm

Mrs O

[Georgina]

We have been here for one month and the kids are going on their second trip, only short ones but they are delighted. I cannot imagine letting them go for a week yet, but then I am a bit over protective.

SB I recall you saying that your boy was not very happy, I do hope things have improved for him, as my heart went out to him.

Georgina

[SaligoBay]

SB I recall you saying that your boy was not very happy, I do hope things have improved for him, as my heart went out to him.

Yes thank you, Georgina, the year ended better than I could have hoped.

Since Easter, he's been invited to a few parties, and after an all-day Sunday one a couple of weeks ago, he went to bed saying "I don't mind the thought of going to school tomorrow.  I can cope with boring lessons and mad teachers, because I know I have friends".   Aaaaarrrggghhh, you know those moments when you think "YES!!!!" but at the same time you're thinking "omg, how unhappy he must have been before". 

Strangely, the ones initiating his grief were une anglaise and un américain, both of whom are suivis by various psys since moving to France.  It's a funny old world.   So I'm v proud of him, because he's coped very well with what he's had to cope with since we moved.  I mean, life is normal, and I do on occasions threaten him with strangulation but we're all cool with that, he knows I don't mean it........    

 

[Georgina]

I am so glad that things have improved for him.  I am lucky to have both of mine in the same class and they have made a really good French friend who said to them "I love you mon cheri"  -bless, he gets really excited to see the boys. (they are only 7 by the way) ha ha. I would be worried otherwise .  All the French children appear to be really interested in them almost like they were from another planet, which is a bit upsetting for them.  I hope the novelty may wear off soon.

 

Georgina

[Mistral]

Oh SB what a relief to read your message It's been a long time coming.

As a mother of a boy the same age, threatening to strangle him sounds pretty normal to me. Depending on how flexible/open the school is, it might be an idea to discretely ask them if he could have at least one of his friends in the same class in 5eme (I'm assuming he's going up)