No refund for mum who pulled son out of trip over safety concerns

Becky Hill said that she had doubts about her 13-year-old son Alex attending the World Challenge trip when she saw photos on social media sites of pupils performing dangerous activities, such as sitting on electric fences.
She removed Alex from the programme in October and was refused a refund of the £300 she had already paid. Later she discovered that the firm had not informed Trinity School or parents of the death of Samuel Boon, aged 17, while on the same trip to Morocco in 2012.
Mrs Hill learned of Samuel’s death through national media coverage of his inquest earlier this year.
She said: “They are still taking children on these trips, younger children, without any words to the parents and that really is my main concern.
“We had the initial meeting this time last year, yet this incident happened in 2012. They could have told us.”
According to the national reports of the inquest, Samuel, a pupil at Bexley Business Academy, collapsed on the trip when temperatures reached 400C. At the inquest, it was also revealed that following Samuel’s collapse a minibus with no or limited specialist medical equipment was sent to assist, according to the reports.
World Challenge spokesman Jon Dale said that refunds had been made to parents who wished to withdraw children from the trip following the inquest, but that Mrs Hill had withdrawn her son for other reasons.
He said: “Miss Hill withdrew Alex before the inquest had even started, simply stating he “did not want to go”.
“As per our booking conditions, this was dealt with as a wilful withdrawal. Our policy around the time of the inquest [in] January was that all customers who decided to withdraw as a result of safety concerns would receive a full refund.
“We have not refused this to anyone.
“Schools and parents were not informed about the death prior to the inquest because the cause of death was unclear and may not have been related to the expedition.
“The news was in the public domain however.
“We did post a statement on our website shortly after Samuel’s death but were asked to remove it by the family.
“We have made a number of improvements since 2012, including the introduction of compulsory fitness testing and collation of participant body mass index tests.
“We have reviewed our documentation and correspondence to ensure that all stakeholders understand the type of expedition they are signing up to.”
Trinity headteacher Charlotte Wilson (pictured) said that the school had not been made aware of Samuel’s death prior to the coverage of the inquest, but that the trip would still go ahead.
She said: “As a school, we have taken this seriously.
“World Challenge has given us the detailed information around the measures it has put in place with regard to the emergency procedures and health and safety checks.
“The trips are incredibly rewarding experiences for students.”