Tracker for child - School trip

[StarStripeMama]

Hello my 4 year old is going on their first school trip next week and it’s giving me major anxiety. I know they will be totally fine but it’s an hour away and an all day trip. Can anyone recommend a gps tracker that I can see on my phone, a watch or something for her shoe? I don’t want to sound crazy but it would make me feel better. It won’t be for school but just any school trips? Thanks :-)

"Hi Mrs Allswellthatendswell it's the office. So Dylan's Mum has rung again. Yes I know it's the third time. She thinks he's in the lake. Well that's what her map says. Holding your hand right now? Alright I'll ring her back and tell her,'

Parents at our school have put Apple air tags in their kids bags.
They can be tracked from an iPhone.

Oh for goodness sake some posters are taking the piss now.

You're not going to phone for every little thing, but seeing your child move at speed in the opposite direction of where they should be going might prompt a call. See that your child is still at farm when they are due back at school soon - maybe check on that, just in case. Surely people can see the benefit of interrupting a kidnapping or runaway early rather than just let it happen? Surely the more measures to keep children safe is better? Don't come at me saying "there are measures in place" and "risk assessment" because all that means is there ARE risks and measures have been put in place to MINIMISE these not get rid of them completely. Anything you can do to further minimise them should be done IMO.

Same goes for me or my family being tracked. We don't do it daily but going on a trip or night out etc? Sure as hell we do. My Aunt was alerted to a issue with my cousins trip once when my cousin went from doing 70mph down the motorway to coming to a sudden stop - she'd blown a tyre and rolled her car. My Aunt couldn't get through to her mobile multiple times so rung the police who located her unconscious down a banking.

I'll never be swayed from benefits of knowing where your loved ones are.

You're not going to phone for every little thing,

Oh people will, you can count on it.

I would ask his teacher about logistics: his many adults, how many children in a group, stops for the toilet etc. It’s normal to worry about this at the beginning whatever other people on MN are saying.
I would put a card with your name and mobile number in his pocket. I read this advice on MN ages ago when DD was in primary. It’s simple but effective way plus you feel better that you’ve done something.

By the way someone said above that children would be in groups of 6. DD’s primary had them at KS1 in groups of 3 or 4 depending on children’s personalities! And it’s true that they are counted non stop.

I totally missed it wasn't a secure site like a farm sorry! I still think your child will be fine on a city trip OP and a tracker would be counter productive.

Ask the class teacher about ratios and groups. Also if you can go and if not can she be in the teacher or TA's group? I'd happily do that if a parent was worried.

A parent did this on a school trip I was leading. We'd stopped at the services and about five minutes after we left we had a panicked call from the school office as the parent had been on the phone and we'd evidently left a child at the services. Of course we hadn't. Her daughter had however left her hoodie at the services which had the air tag in it. A massive to do over a jumper.

You can roll your eyes but I've been on school trips with 6 year olds, each volunteer was given 4 children to supervise. We were on and off tubes and across London. One of the adults left the kids to go off and buy a paper at a station... clearly some people's idea of supervision is different from others. I think I aged 20 years on that trip.

And it's people like this will bore on about the mental health kids

I’m a teacher (similar aged class) and was surprised by how many parents did track their children by using an air tag in their bags/pockets. I thought it was an excellent idea! With children, you can’t be too careful. Why take any risks?

(None of the kids seemed to know they were in there! I only knew as I got notifications on my phone, and then because some parents who I am friends with told me that they’d been told about it later!).

For people saying it’s a bad idea - I read a quote once saying something like, “I’d rather be an overprotective parent than a sorry one.” And this stuck with me forever.

As a teacher, it’s great to see that so many parents seem to have faith in teachers. But with my own kids, I trust nobody 100%. I’d always rather be the crazy overprotective mum (and I am careful to ensure that my children are totally unaware about this, so it doesn’t impact them or stop them doing things) then have to be the regretful mum one day.

Popping an air tag in your child’s bag might not be a foolproof plan but it’s a little precaution you can take to ensure their safety, and one that allows them to still have fun without even knowing you’ve done anything!

Why WOULDN’T you take this small measure to ensure the safety of your child?!

How would you know if the rest of the group had moved on though? Genuine question I've never used a tracker of any kind - unless you were tracking the whole group how would you know they were separated?

There are still plenty of risks left even if you do put an air tag on your child!

Why WOULDN’T you take this small measure to ensure the safety of your child?!

Well, it doesn't ensure the safety of your child.

Yep. They do.

17 year old student. Parent screaming at me down the phone 35 minutes before the gates opened, demanding that I go and search the streets because the tracker wasnt showing her standing outside the gate and she might have been picked up by men and forced into a van and raped and murdered by the start of P1 and it would be all my fault.

She'd gone to the shop next door to get a Costa.

Parent wanted descriptions and preferably a photo of the bloke who owned the shop in case she was going there because he was grooming her with sweeties.

How would a tracker show a child had been left in the toilet, unless the parent was also tracking the other children on the trip?

This is shocking! I took loads of kids on trips on the tube and we would always stay as one large group. I'd get the station staff to stop the tube for us and tell the driver where we were getting off so we had lots of time to headcount them on and off.

A child is a hundred times more likely to leave their bag somewhere then to be abducted in broad daylight in a public place surrounded by their friends and teachers.

These trackers won’t keep your child safe. They will just play into their own anxiety.

If you’re that worried volunteer to go on the trip, at least you’ll be helpful.

You’ve made a hyperbolic statement. It’s not unreasonable to be asked to substantiate it which you can’t.

What would be the point of that as clearly all these children going missing can't be reported on. How do you have those stats when the rest of us are being kept in the dark?

And even supposing she was tracking them all what's she's going to do about it from an hours drive away.

Nothing can ensure your child's safety so that argument is meaningless but unless your child also wears a sandwich bors with don't leave me in the toilet, don't run me over, don't abduct me I've got an air tag exactly how is any measurable increase in safety achieved?

I know I'm exaggerating for effect but its a serious question, I simply can't see how it makes your child safer, can you explain @Katielovesteatime