A letter outlining the arrangements for Friday's trip to West Midlands safari Park was distributed by pupil post.
A copy is attached below.
West
Midlands Safari Park Arrangements
Here
are the arrangements for our visit to West Midlands Safari Park on Friday 20th
June.
The
coach will leave Gelli Primary at 7 am Please arrive in school at least 5
minutes early.
We
will leave the Safari Park at 5 pm with an estimated return time of 7.45 pm
We
are hoping to arrive at the park prior to opening time to enable us to distribute
the wristbands
Each
bus will go through the safari park first. We will then be dropped off in the
car park to enter the park.
We
have 4 Ferris buses travelling to the Safari Park. You will be notified by
Thursday as to which bus you have been allocated. Please do not change buses.
Other
arrangements:-
1. Food and drink
You
are permitted to take food and drink on the bus but we ask that you are mindful
of the other passengers and refrain from any overly strong smelling foods. We
have found in the past that this is a benefactor in some people being ill on
the bus. Alcohol is not permitted as refreshment. Please ensure your child has
enough food to travel to the park and back.
2. Adult Supervision and safety arrangements
We
have an adult child ratio of 1:5 for the trip. If your child is attending alone
they will be allocated a member of staff to look after them. We will insist
that your child listens to the member of staff at all times, follows
instructions and co-operates. Children will be supervised at ALL times. If YOU
are accompanying your child on the trip, they will be your responsibility
throughout the trip unless it is stated that they are under staff supervision.
In this case, your child may not be on the same bus as you.
3. Medication and travel sickness
If
your child has difficulty travelling please will you ensure that she/he takes
some travel tablets to avoid this? (I would appreciate if you could let us know
if this is the case.)
Also
if your child needs to take asthma pump with them that this is given to the
teacher in charge of your child's group and inform us.
4. Money
Your
child will be responsible for their own money. They will be given time to
purchase a photograph or a gift in the shop. They can also buy food if they do
not want to carry their packed lunch around with them.
5. Clothing
There
is NO NEED to wear school uniform. Please provide spare clothing so your child
can change if they get wet on the water rides. Please dress your child in
suitable clothing and footwear and also weather appropriate.
If your child is not going
on the school trip to West Midlands Safari Park it is expected that your child
will be in school. If your child is not present the absence will be
unauthorised unless we have a letter of explanation. There will be members of
staff in school to supervise all pupils and the School Cook has requested that
I notify her how many pupils will require a school lunch that day. Breakfast
club will operate as normal.
Code of Conduct for the West Midlands Safari Trip
Running a trip of this magnitude requires a great deal of co-operation on your
behalf. I hope you will read the following agreement and sign it and respect
the Learner Traveller Code which is an important part of our behaviour policy.
The staff have arranged the trip so that everything should go without a hitch.
Here are a few things that we will insist upon for the smooth running of the
trip. Please take time to read them and bring them with you on the coach.
1. Will parents please remember that you have been allocated places on a
specific bus and under no circumstances will they be allowed to change these
arrangements.
2. Please refrain from smoking in front of the children either on the bus or at
services stops or in the park.
3. The consumption of alcohol is also strictly forbidden in front of the
children. If parents are suspected of arriving on the bus under the influence
of alcohol we are duty bound to inform the police under Safeguarding
procedures. This also applies to any other form of anti-social behaviour.
4. Please will everyone be punctual and meet at the agreed time and place. The
staff will undertake frequent “head counts” to establish that everyone in the
party is present before moving on. The staff will be taking the school iPad so
they can contact everyone through our text2parents service. You will also be
given the school mobile number to contact a member of staff if needed or in the
case of any emergency. Parents will receive a message when the staff have news
of the arrangements for our arrival back at school.
5. Politeness and respect on the bus is vital. We will ask everyone to stay in
your seat for the whole journey; please do not block the aisle with your bag or
other belongings;
Always wear a seatbelt if
one is provided; Please do not distract the driver when he or she is driving.
Please will you refrain from eating or drinking on the bus.
6. There will be a senior member of staff available in school. A text message
will be sent to all parents about a half hour before the coaches arrive at
school.
7. Junior pupils will be limited to a maximum of £10 spending money. May I
remind parents that staff are NOT responsible for pupils money and if they
bring over the suggested amount it is done at their own risk. For pupils
accompanied by adults you can set your own budget limit.
8. Please will Junior children NOT bring mobile telephones or any other
portable electronic devices such as Nintendo DS, iPods or MP3 players. The
school is not responsible for these if lost or broken.
9. Please can you make sure that your child’s name is put on items of clothing
and bags. Again the school is not responsible for any clothing lost or left in
West Midlands Safari or on the bus and you will be responsible for arranging
for it to be retrieved from the Lost property facility at the park.
I am sure that if we
follow these guidelines the trip will be a very enjoyable and successful
experience for all.
I hope that we can count on your co-operation and have an even
more successful trip than last year.
