To be angry with holiday camp?!?!

At 8 years old she’ll be fine. When I was a teenager with my teacher mum, I took school kids of same age to Camden from Stockwell on the tube and we went on a canal boat ride.

Your OP was a bit confusing because it looked like you gave consent. If you didn’t give consent then no she shouldn’t be going. Are there staff available there to look after children not going on the trip?

So they had no consent to take her off site??!!! So bad!

Sounds like miscommunication on both sides. They shouldn't have accepted your half day booking on a trip day and spoken to you to cancel or change to a full day. I assume maybe this was overlooked by someone and maybe all they saw was your DD being booked in for the day - maybe staff also all thought someone else had spoken to you about it.

However it seems daft that you got a message about the London trip last night and didn't query it. A quick can I just confirm what is happening with any half day children text/email could have been sent to them in response.

I also think you sound a bit judgy commenting on teenagers. Is it not a proper childcare facility? In which case these teenagers are going to have some form of qualification.

You will be required to pay for the difference between a half day and full day, because a half-day childcare wasn't available on the day you selected.

I've seen some bat shit crazy posts on here but...

-oh they've taken my child to London (but I actually live in London)

• I didn't know (but I signed a form)
• I expected to pick her up at one (but I knew they did trips on a Friday and it's really really unlikely that they would split the kids up)
• I didn't ask them about it (but I paid what I was asked and I knew they did trips on a Friday)
• It's Friday and I wanted to pick her up at 1 (but I knew they did trips on a Friday)

Op are you on glue

I would have also assumed that if I’d only booked for half a day there would be the option of staying behind, not going on the trip.

My DC have been to those types of camps - they have a "trip day" once a week and the paperwork you sign when you register your child includes permission to take them out if they attend on that day.

ETA: Just read the OP update and it sounds like this club does the same thing so if you send your child on a Friday they will go on the trip. Some bad communication somewhere.

Why would you assume there would be staff hanging around just for the morning kids? Surely if you knew about the trip you would have checked?

Maybe she did say something. Who knows. The OP can’t get hold of her daughter who she was supposed to collect three hours ago.

I would be annoyed too OP as you usually have to sign consent forms as well.

I would have assumed there’ll be some kids doing half day and some doing the full and the trip.

I wouldn’t want holiday club teens taking small kids to London either.

You need to ask / check in the future. At our nursery if they do day trips they let morning session kids stay longer so they can go on the trip. I think you are being overly anxious; my 1 year old goes on day trips!

Yes, I see they couldn't leave just one staff member behind.

My point wasn't really about specifically leaving exactly one staff member behind, more that it was an easy assumption to make that the camp may have kept the half day kids back with staff to supervise them. The camp needed to have been explicit that those normal lunch time pick up arrangements were not in place rather than the other way around with parents needing to think to ask.

YANBU

I'm sure it will be fine but I would also be unhappy with my 8 year old being supervised by teenagers in central London (presumably popular/tourist type sights, not a quiet park). Especially since the risk assessment and communication practices seem so poor.

People saying "what do you think will happen?" have a failure of imagination.

I would likely have thought the same. Sorry if I missed it but did you fill any forms giving permission for the trip? Normally I have to do that with trips.

You can't leave one adult alone with the kids, so would need to leave 2 adults with the 4 half day kids, which would be practical. They probably have a ratio of 1:8, so if there are 32 kids in the camp, they'll be 4 adults. Leaving 2 behind with 4 half day kids, would mean only 2 adults managing the other 28 full day kids in central London, which wouldn't be safe.

from a logistics perspective it makes perfect sence that they either need to all go or no one go. The bit that doesn't make sence is why OP was allowed to book a half day when they have an all day trip planned.

I think my DS also attends the same camp. I have opted out of him going on Fridays because of the trip.

If op is in London then there might not have much in they way of additional forms, instructions or costs. Travel for trips is normally on public transport which can be free for educational trips and there are also plenty of free venues. At 8 years old she should be sensible enough to stay with the leaders etc, be aware of traffic etc and I am sure she will have a great time.

I’m not remotely jealous. I’m one of those weird parents who likes to know where my 8 year old is. I don’t give a shit about free childcare, if I was due to pick her up at 1pm and was told she was in London, I would panic. We chat about school trips for weeks in advance, my child would also panic if she was carted off on a trip when she thought I was picking her up at 1pm.

I would be doing my nut. I assume you’re pretty near London though already?

OP pays for 9am - 1pm, so rightly assumed she can be collected at 1pm. The club needed to say ‘The London trip is compulsory as there is no 1pm pick-up that day.

You know what assume does!!!

I think the fault is with their admin, who should be making sure that people don't book a half day on a day when everyone is going on a trip. That should have been picked up in advance, so they could offer you the choice of the whole day or nothing.

They'll have done their risk assessment for the trip, and it sounds as if everyone has gone, so it won't just be the younger staff. Don't panic!

I think it depends on what exactly the communication about trip was. Was the text this morning a reminder and to put suncream on, extra drinks , hat etc.?

They definitely messed up their admin, and I don’t think your assumption was unreasonable. She will be absolutely fine but I would make sure all future mornings you have booked will be onsite so you know what to expect.

Are they actually teenagers? I’m not trying to be funny with this - but my mum is a bit older and she often refers to people as “looking like teenagers” and they’re actually mid 20s. I’m 26 and I was a bit guilty of it last week - bar tender looked about 12 to me, he absolutely was not 12. Even if they are teenagers, they will have to be qualified, DBS checked, and trained in safeguarding. I get that you’re stressed but try and chill out. Have a cup of tea and a sweet treat.