Plea for help as pupils at Leighton Buzzard school left 'utterly distraught' after being denied places on French trip
Parents are urging Leighton Middle to give "distraught" pupils the chance to visit France after they were denied a place on its official school trip.
It is claimed that 40 students were left bitterly disappointed after only 50 children were selected - out of a total of 90 interested - for an adventure across the Channel.
A number of their parents have now organised their own trip in April 2025 - at the same time as the official visit - which would even include staying at the very same chateaux as the school party.
There were plans to use the same coach company but it’s claimed the firm has now said it will only work with schools directly. Parents claim this has left disappointed children without transport. They are now appealing to Leighton Middle and its governors to let them run the extra trip, or for another coach company to step in and help.
Headteacher at Leighton Middle School, Claire Vallance, said that it is "common for trips abroad to have limited places available", as part of the school's approach to "maintaining high standards in safety for pupils".
But a number of parents claimed: "The school should never have gone ahead with organising such an exclusive trip when they knew that the pool of interested children was much larger than they could accommodate.
"Had they consulted with anyone on this, they would have discovered that no trip is better than an unfair trip that upsets all those who weren't chosen."
The parent-led itinerary includes excursions to a chocolate factory, Rue market, ‘Parc Astérix’, and more. There’s space for all 40 pupils without a place on the official visit, and a website has been set up with details.
The parents claimed: "We will not stand by and watch these children suffer because the school has chosen to aggressively defend a deeply flawed policy, instead of engaging in a healthy way with parents.”
Headteacher, Claire Vallance, added: “We are committed to providing enriching experiences for our pupils, including school trips abroad, which we have run successfully in previous years.
“Our priority is to ensure safe, well-organised excursions.
“We regret that some parents and pupils were disappointed by this availability on the upcoming Year 8 trip to France, but this was communicated in advance in July and again in September.
“Allocating places was done randomly in the interest of fairness. Again, this had worked successfully in previous years.
“While we have not yet been made aware of any specific student experiencing ongoing distress, form tutors and teachers continuously monitor student well-being, and we are always available to support any child needing additional help.
“As well as safeguarding and the wellbeing of our pupils, the limited number of places also considers things like specialised planning and insurance, as well as the availability of trained, French-speaking staff.
“We understand that a group of parents sought to arrange a parallel trip. The school was not involved and so cannot comment on how a privately-run tour operator conducts its business.
“But we do recognise that our dedicated staff members are volunteering their own time to manage the school trip. They have the utmost commitment to our pupils' welfare, but we are equally concerned about the impact any ill-feeling is having on staff wellbeing.”