To be horrified ....

Gilly why were you angry that the children were asked to dress appropriately to visit a synagogue? Surely the purpose of the visit is to find out about another religion and the associated traditions and beliefs.

Yes riverwalk that is pointless and silly. Too young and too expensive. The irony of all this tripper-y is that the kids that really need their horizons expanded fall into several camps.
1. the very poor. Kids in "my" school rarely go to their own city centre - London (40 miles away) never. In one class nobody knew that "tube" referred to the underground. They do not need ski-ing trips, they need just to go to different days out as middle class families do. Schemes like D of Ed were very good for getting them out and about in their own country for minimal cost.
2. people from immigrant backgrounds. I suggested to one father of a bright girl that they go as a family and have a wander round Oxford colleges one day (an hours drive away) He looked at me as if I had suggested they go and wander around buckingham palace.
3. The very well off. I have a nephew by marriage that is extremely well travelled. Lots of expensive family holidays. School skiing trips etc. But no experience of so very many other things. Just hotels and resorts. It would do him more good to go and help in the saturday morning school in a very asian area 5 miles up the road.

Gillybob can answer for herself of course seasider but I'm angry that a British school is teaching 5-year old girls that their little legs are somehow provocative and have to be covered up with tights.

Thank you Riverwalk you are right . I am actually angry about the whole episode. Paying £10 for my 5 year old granddaughter to be taken on a trip to a synagogue. This is a lot of money to my son and DiL and whilst they /I do not begrudge the £10 I can think of much more appropriate trips for a 5 year old. As mentioned by JessM my grand children's school is in a deprived area in the centre of a large council estate. My grandchildren are very lucky they do go on lots of outings but we live in a seaside town and there are some children in their school who have never even been to the seaside so why on earth the school thought they would benefit from wandering around a synagogue is totally beyond me. The final straw was told that she couldn't wear her usual knee length socks but had to wear tights to cover up her gorgeous little legs. I would like to know what reasons they would give a 5 year old for that? The people in the synagogue don't think little girls should show their legs? This trip may have been appropriate for a group of 14 year olds who were taking religious studies at GCSE but 5 year olds? I don't think so.

gillybob I know you feel that you make enough of your presence at the school as it is but can you not complain about this particular trip as being totally unsuitable for 5/6-year olds - is your GD going by the way?

As for the poor unfortunate kids who live in a seaside town but have never been to the sea - it seems that the money would be better spent on organising parenting classes.

Your DS and DiL are on modest incomes themselves but are cajoled into subsidising other parents, and paying for the whimsical ideas of the teachers.

A very frustrating situation for you.

Sadly it is too late Riverwalk the trip has been and gone and yes she did go. I mentioned earlier in the thread that she was thoroughly disappointed with "the trip" as she liked the sound of the word synagogue (she was saying it constantly) and must have thought it was something quite exciting.

Oh I couldn't agree with you more about the parenting classes. I am constantly bewildered (even shocked) at the attitudes of some of the parents and did mention on a different thread some months ago that the school actually sent a letter home with the children requesting that parents and carers "refrain from using inappropriate language in and around the school" you honestly couldn't make it up !

Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it !!!!

Unbelievable story in the Mail this morning. A head teacher in Huntington has written to the parents of pupils in the school telling them that if their children fail to attend a school trip "exploring Islam" then she will put a note in their child's permanent record to say that they are racist.

I know it's the DM but the letter is there for all to see.

Good grief. If this IS genuine then I hope letters of complaint are being sent in every direction possible. This, IMHO, makes the headteacher racist more than the children!

disgusting! agree with LizG who is!!! the racist here!!

is there something in the national curriculum lurking behind this?
My GD who goes to school in Australia was asked in May to take part in a piece of work about "family traditions" (WA curriculum I suspect). The teacher had chosen..... Christmas!!!!
Also is there a lack of feedback from parents to the school management? I think there is generally a problem in many schools which involves the parent body not being adequately represented in decisions and giving their feedback. Parent governors generally voice their personal opinions.
In Australian primaries (and maybe here) the heads seem to live in fear and quaking of the PTA committee (usually a bunch of stay at home mums) who organise a lot of much needed fundraising. A classic PTA event revolved around easter eggs:

All children were asked to bring an easter egg to the school. Then there was a raffle for the eggs - so you also had to send money. My DIL forgot. So her kids did not get an egg, despite there being surplus eggs.

You couldn't make it up could you.

Again the head teacher or the school curriculum organisers are not dealing with this effectively at all by making such an issue out of it. I get a horrible feeling the Head teacher is almost playing up to the racist views that some of her parents might have.

There has to be far more sensible ways of doing this, than taking eight year old children to a university exhibition.

Get a teacher who understands the religion and who knows how to talk and present things to children, to go into school, show them things and tell stories etc etc. It would be far more constructive.

IMO there should be no need to ask parents permission about such visits into school (or giving sex education either.) We need to be a bit more French about this, within obvious reason, parents should not be able to veto parts of children's education.

Mind you the parents and children pictured posing "looking grumpy" says something about attitudes. 15 minutes of Fame anyone.

DD sent me this link once!

apiln.blogspot.co.uk/

Do people really have to pull such faces to camera so local newspaper readers will understand they are angry.

Over the last couple of terms my grandson's school has been asking any foreign parents to come in for an afternoon and talk to the children about growing up in another country. Often they wear their national costume (In my American son in law's case this was a Hawaiian shirt!) This seems a far more suitable (and cheaper!) way of teaching young children about cultural diversity.

I agree Nelliemoserthat there shouldn't be a need to ask parents permission for lessons, sex education etc. and speaking from a bad experience I wish my parents hadn't been asked permission for me to have sex education, however I feel that school trips are different. IMHO the very fact that you are being asked to pay £10 for a trip to a synagogue should give you the right to say no.

Deedaa that sounds like an excellent idea. I agree with you too gillybob