Primary school pupils go home in tears from bird-watching trip that turned out to be a shoot

A headteacher is under fire for sending a class of 10-year-old primary school children on an outing - to see ducks being shot. Distressed pupils from Ashbeach Primary School in Ramsey St Mary's, Cambridgeshire, burst into tears when they saw the birds downed and then scooped up by gun dogs. Many of the youngsters thought they were going to enjoy a day of bird watching after a letter was sent home with no mention of shooting, or guns. The permission letter sent home to parents only referred to ''wildfowlers'' - a term among the shooting community referring to hunting ducks and geese. Parents have blasted the school for taking them into an environment of guns and bullets.

Headteacher Shirley Stapleton admitted the outing is an ''annual trip'' which helps pupils make "informed decisions" about country pursuits. Ray Poolman, 49, of Ramsey, said his daughter came home in floods of tears after spending the day watching the Ely and District Wildfowlers Association shoot. "She (my daughter) thought she was going to a bird watching place but it turns out it was a shoot," he said. ''My daughter came home absolutely distraught and in floods of tears. She thought she was going to a bird-watching place. I was absolutely unaware that it was a shoot - otherwise she wouldn't have been there. There's no way it's an educational trip. It shouldn't have been arranged by teachers in school time. I can't believe they put children in that environment. What if something had gone wrong?''



But when he confronted the headteacher he was told the hunt had been "rural and normal". The letter sent home by the school told parents their children would watch a ''flight'' at Welney Marshes, near Ely. But Mr Poolman said: ''I have since spoken to some of my friends who go shooting and they told me that 'flight' means 'shoot'. I thought the kids would be watching the birds coming into roost or migrating. Ramsey might be rural but we have a Tesco - people don't need to walk around killing animals to survive any more. It shouldn't have been in school time and there most certainly should have had a very detailed description of what was going to be seen so we could make an informed decision.

''Mrs Stapleton argued that we had agreed to it because we'd had a letter but it doesn't say they were going to take my child where they are shooting birds. They allowed children to witness the death of an animal.'' Headteacher Mrs Stapleton said the girl's distress was ''questionable''. In a statement she added: ''This is an annual trip which has taken place for several years. It is not compulsory - it is entirely up to individuals and parents must return a signed permission slip before their child can go. Following a class discussion about the visit, a letter was sent home to explain that children would find out more about wildfowling, the conservation of the landscape and the dogs and equipment used. The letter sent home before the trip made it clear that wildfowling was involved.''