Fears over terrorism have led Kingsmead School in Wiveliscombe to cancel two trips abroad for students.

Year 7 students had been set to travel to France and Germany next summer and a trip to Spain was planned over Easter but the school has cancelled the visits.

Parents were informed in a letter last week and the decision was discussed in an assembly.

The letter said that in uncertain times the school did not want students and staff to be in a potentially dangerous situation.

Head teacher Mark Griffin said: “This is something I thought long and hard about following the events in Paris and it is a decision we have not taken lightly.

“I posed the question to my senior leadership team, ‘would you be comfortable sending your children on these trips’ and they said they wouldn’t.

“One member of staff also expressed their relief after their own child’s trip abroad was cancelled by the school they went to.”

Parents were not consulted but Mr Griffin said this was because if the decision was not made last week, money already paid could not be refunded.

He also said it would have been hard to know what parents would say and that he felt many parents would pull their children out of the trip, making it no longer viable.

He added: “We have had a small response from some parents expressing their disappointment but before taking this decision we also had several parents saying they would withdraw their child from the trip.

“I would rather have taken this decision so that the children can be disappointed with me and not their parents.

“We discussed it this morning in assembly and they were very sensible about it. They had some very good questions about the alternative.

“I would take my family abroad, but it is a different matter from taking 30 children and being responsible for them.

“Even though it is unlikely that something would happen, even if it did and it was miles away, the problems and anxiety it would cause the children, the parents and the teacher, I didn’t want to take that risk.“

The school is now looking for an alternative trip in the UK for the Year 7s.