St. George's School

Junior School Residential Trips Policy

At St George’s Junior Schools each year we offer short residential trips, this year regularly from Year 3. The current pattern (though each year the location of our residential trips is reviewed) is :

  • Year 3: 2 nights on a farm in Umbria
  • Year 4: 3 nights at Arteaparte in Umbria
  • Year 5: 3 nights in Venice
  • Year 6: 5 nights in Normandy, France and 3 nights on Isola Polvese, an island in Lake Trasimeno, Umbria.

All of these trips allow pupils to study in greater depth and in a ‘hands-on’ way appropriate sections of the curriculum – adding to what is being taught in class. Each trip is carefully planned to ensure that best use is made of the time in the relevant location.

Apart from providing the opportunity to study more fully on location, we believe that residential trips are also important because they give pupils an opportunity to develop their own independence and social skills by being away from home for short periods of time. We believe that the social benefits are as important a reason for going on these trips as the more formal learning which takes place.

Usually there are some children who are, for a variety of reasons, unable to go on these trips. In order to ensure that they don’t miss out we normally organise a ‘home programme’ for them. This is usually a study of the location being visited by the others, but may be a more general project. The exact programme usually depends on the interests and number of children remaining at school. We believe it is important that these children have a worthwhile and enjoyable educational experience whilst the others are away.

We recognise the trust that parents are placing in our hands when they send their children on residential trips. It should go without stating, of course, that we take our responsibility very seriously. Teachers freely give of their time to ensure that these trips can take place. In order to ensure that the trips function well we have a few rules, which parents need to understand. These are :

1) We work on the principle that if there is a problem we will contact you as soon as possible. This is why it is very important you ensure that we can contact you by telephone throughout the trip.

2) We ask that you do not telephone your child except at the designated times. Not only are telephone calls inclined to be disruptive to our programme they can often be the cause of homesickness – if not to your child then perhaps to another in his/her group. This is one of the reasons we ask you not to send a mobile telephone with your child. On residential trips of more than two nights, the designated telephone time will usually be on the second night.

3) We will provide you with a contact number so that you can always speak with the teacher in charge of the trip.

4) As already mentioned, should there be a problem, we will contact you as soon as possible. In the unlikely event that you child needs urgent medical treatment we will do all that we can to ensure that this is given. However, should a stay in hospital be required, we ask that parents or an appropriate representative of the parent should come and take over this responsibility.

5) Finally, we ask that you meet all deadlines in terms of payments, completion of forms and collecting your child at the end of the trip.

If a parent feels that s/he cannot work to these guidelines, we would prefer that his/her child remains on the home course.

 

 

 

or email secretary@stgeorge.school.it

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