To think the school were neglectful?

Which bit are you struggling with?

Using your eyes to see whether children are or are not wearing hats?

Or, again, using your eyes and paying attention to make sure a small group of children are each actually taking on water at each rest break?

I do feel for teachers these days. They don't get paid enough for all this crap.

A young teacher I know was bombarded with aggressive messages on a school residential, demanding photos of their kids. Wanting to know if they were ok, appalled at the lack of contact/photos.

These were 11 year old kids who are off to secondary school in a few short weeks. When mine were that age, no news was good news. You'd soon hear if there were any problems. Crazy times.

What time did they start the walk? First thing in the morning it's cool so should be an issue for otherwise healthy children.

It's on your daughter to drink when she is thirsty. At 8 I would expect her to know hot=drink water.

So how would you do it? Marks on their water bottles perhaps? You would have to ban opaque bottles first. And get permission for the marks from every parent. You would have to use permanent marker or tape otherwise it would rub off.

Or you could use a ruler? Again, a ban on bottles that you can’t see through. Then measure the water in all thirty bottles once an hour. Everyone has to wait until the non drinkers have drunk to the required depth. Bottles are refilled by the teacher three times per trip. Absolutely easy peasy. The five children who ‘only drink Vimto’ can have that strapped to their backs.

Tie their hats on with string. Anyone seen without their hat on is pushed under a bus Squid Game style. No second chance?

If you felt that way, I think the best thing would've been to keep her home, if not possible then go to school and say you withdraw permissions for her to be on the trip, they always have someone stay back or there'd be another class she could have joined. I agree with you, it shouldn't have gone ahead if it was literally an 80 minute walk in over 30 degree heat - but often schools can't easily cancel things and some children are more resilient than others. Our sports day happened in 30 degree heat, luckily we were watching so I wandered over and grabbed my kids extra ice cold water and brought one of them over to sit with us to be fanned at one point. If you don't want them doing something at school, you have the right to say so.

Go on then

Explain it

I imagine it would have been in a risk assessment.
As @frogsheadlit the touch paper and stood back to watch it burn, I imagine this whole scenario is an absolute crock of shit.

Once again @Hopoitygp, do you work in a school? Do you frequently help on school trips?

How on earth do you think a teacher is going to police water intake for a whole class 🤣🤣

It's pretty simple, actually. It isn't the arduous, impossible task people are trying to make out.

It also wouldn't have been just her looking after a whole class, as much as this thread would like to think. Casting your eye over 6-10 kids in your group isn't rocket science. Neither is noticing a child isn't wearing their hat.

Jesus wept.

My 3 year old spent the day outside yesterday. I applied suncream (which she rubbed in) and she drank PLENTY with very little prompts from me. Oh and she didn't take her hat off all day as she knows we needs hats outside when its sunny.

I think you need to hope your DC has discovered a valuable life skill here. How on earth do you think a teacher is going to police water intake for a whole class 🤣🤣

I’m a little surprised by the responses here as a teacher myself. I would expect that it should have been put into the risk assessment by the school that there could be issues with such a long walk in hot weather. I would not expect 8 year olds to be entirely sensible in drinking water/wearing a hat- I teach teenagers that still have issues with their own self-care and awareness over such things! My own DS 10 is also terrible at knowing when to drink water/ wearing a hat and some days will not drink when he should (he is being assessed for being ND) and I lecture him til the cows come home but he just doesn’t always recognise thirst or other needs until too late. I’m sure she will not have been the only child on this trip to have not drunk enough or not ended up with some form of heat stroke.

YABU. Maybe next time you could be the parent volunteer.

This isn't reflecting badly on the school its reflecting badly on you op. Have you not taught your child to listen to instruction from teachers and to understand self care? This is on your parenting op and you are more to blame than the school. Perhaps use this as a learning curve that you need to work on your child's listening skills.

Wake up people!!! The OP lit the touch paper and now she’s watching it burn!
These posts fuck me right off.

If you wouldnt have allowed it - then why did you let her go?

" Hey teacher,
Just checked the weather forecast and it will be too hot for Jane to walk. She also doesnt wear her hat or drink much.
Can she come in and spend the day at school today instead?
Kind regards,
Jane's Mum"

So she walked 40 minutes each way and then was inside a museum for the rest of the day, which is probably airconditioned.
Have you asked her why she didnt put her hat on whilst she was walking? You would have one but, the teachers would have loads to look after!! Was she wearing her hat when you dropped her off? Where did she put it?

I don't like them either and just prefer to stay out of the sun. Sometimes I will even use an umbrella. I also find they blow off at the beach. You can get the ones that have an opening at the back for a ponytail.

I lived in NZ for about 18 months as an adult and I was constantly told by friends, acquaintances and total strangers to wear a hat! I hate wearing hats in the summer, they make my head overheat and make me more sweaty and uncomfortable. Plus you can't easily tie your hair up in a hat and I have to have it off my neck to be comfortable. The insane hat-related peer pressure I was subjected to in NZ is non existent in the UK except in those under 10.

They do here in New Zealand. Our children have to wear them when outside for about 6 months of the year.

I wondered that too. Maybe the museum had a fountain that they used. Don't think the trip should have been cancelled. Would probably have been better than being stuck at school on a hot day.

Typical teens. Then in winter they are in t shirts and shorts.

This is true. Many people mistake thirst for hunger, and eat when they really need to drink. I live in a hotter country and we always made sure children drank on trips in heat, as they can go from not thirsty, to dehydrated very quick. Hopefully your daughter has learnt from this and will take in water regularly on hot days.

You do know that trips like this are booked and planned months in advance? That they'll have paid for school learning sessions at the museum? You can't just rock up with dozens of kids at no notice. As a pp said, the out kind walk would be in the morning and this is the UK bit sub Saharan Africa. I got heatstroke once on a school trip to a middle eastern country. I was 16 and old enough to know better but I didn't and was horribly ill for 24 hours. 8 is old enough to know to do as you're told with hats and water.

Should have just stapled their hats to their heads
Wouldn't be an issue then
😉

It doesn't matter. In fact, I don't doubt the teacher DID ask them to put their hats on - what reasonable adult wouldn't?

The teacher can ask and remind until she's blue in the face. If they didn't realise a child wasn't doing it then that's poor - how many times they asked is irrelevant.

Once again: reminding is not a substitute for paying attention to what's actually going on.

8 year olds can't usually stop drinking water in my experience

And a 40 minute walk isn't really that much