London 2017 - updates

Recent events Following recent events we have taken a number of additional measures to enable the London Residential to continue

Travel to and from London Virgin Trains – As in previous years I have organised pre boarding at both Manchester Piccadilly and at Euston In addition, I have organised an arrival service at Euston, to support the group getting through the station efficiently.

Halls Of Residence This is a central but secure location. UCL staff are on duty 24/7 Ian Baker House is a self contained unit within Ramsay Halls. We have the entire block to ourselves with the exception of 1 room on a floor that we are not using, which is occupied by a member of staff at UCL. Children lock their doors at night and all staff have access to the children’s rooms with master keys. There will be NO other students staying in this building during our stay.

Activities With the exception of the British Museum, the children will be visiting all the venues. There have been alterations to our timetable and travel to avoid peak times in central London

Tuesday 27th June:   Train departs Manchester at 9.15am arrives London Euston 11.15am Walk to Ramsay Hall drop off bags St James’ park, Buckingham Palace Horse Guards Parade – Changing of the Guards 10 Downing Street London Eye evening ride Wednesday 28th June: Diana Memorial Gardens Natural History Museum Houses of Parliament Theatre in evening Thursday 29th June: Tower of London 2.20pm train home - arrive at approx 4.20pm.

New Itinerary & Safety Activities to start a little later each day We will not be travelling during rush hour Activities to finish earlier each day Limited travel on tube – only where necessary and at off peak times, avoiding key Tube Stations We will walk to venues where possible – avoiding major roads

Tube Travel We will be walking when possible. This is still the best way to get around London We considered a coach but have the addition problems of Red lines in Zone 1 where there is no stopping under any circumstances and when a coach can stop we are under immense pressure to get the children off /on the vehicle quickly – usually in a busy area, which then becomes an additional hazard. Traffic is an issue and routes that are used. By using the Tube when absolutely necessary we can: Choose quiet times. Avoid congested carriages. Decide which stations to use.

Venues Downing Street – at this moment in time we will be going down the street unless there is a change to the current diary of events at No 10 London Eye – Strict security checks are in place here and the Eye is usually quiet at this time of day at this time of year – we will be leaving the area immediately after the ride. There will be only DRPS staff and children in the pods. Palace of Westminster – this is open and tours are running normally – we will be cutting out the workshop on the itinerary, to allow us to leave the Palace before rush hour. Tower of London – We will be arriving later to avoid rush hour Theatre – we will be walking to the Theatre to avoid rush hour travel on the tube. Natural History Museum – this maybe cut – it will depend on the weather and time of arrival at the Diana Memorial Garden Fountain.

Mobile Phones Children are not allowed mobile phones – we do not want them distracted during the day. Parents can contact me on the school mobile phone – 07920293268 We have set up a Twitter account for immediate updates and photos of what we are getting up to – Twitter account - OutAndAboutDRPS

We are taking extremely experienced staff members on the trip Adults We are taking extremely experienced staff members on the trip Mrs Wilkins Mrs Poole Mrs Daley Mr A Lyons We also have my daughter who lives and works in London joining us for the 3 days Mrs Lyons Mr Hardy Mrs Gibson Miss Sturman Mrs Clapperton Miss Whitehead Mr D Lyons

Emergency The children have been told what to do in case of separation. They will be wearing wrist bands at all times. All staff have had advice from the Department of Education following recent events. Children will stay together with their group leaders at all times and central meeting points are organised for each venue. We are still at Severe for the country as a whole but this has been the case for many years.

Finally The messages to the public and one we have promoted in school, following the Manchester Arena incident were very positive. This is something we want to promote and build on with the children through this trip. London is a fantastic trip. It is meticulously planned and prepared for and something we want the children to enjoy and remember. We don’t want children to feel anxious and we will be positive and everything will run as it normally would. The extra measures are to provide parents with extra reassurance.

Change of Heart If you decide to withdraw your child from the trip at this stage we must point out that children must be in school for those 3 days and will be in lessons with either Y4 or Y5 classes. Unfortunately we are unable to refund the cost of this trip as all venues have now been paid for in full and the trip is going ahead. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to discuss them with myself Please request access to the Twitter account and Mr Hardy will grant access as this is a closed account.