To not want my 6 year old on an overnight school trip?

[WimpleOfTheBallet]

Or am I being too protective? She's starting a new school in a couple of weeks and the head told me that they have a one night overnight trip in April...year 2....is this really really young for that kind of thing?

DD will only have been going to the school for a couple of months but I read that it takes 6 weeks for them to settle...so she MIGHT be ok...but even then....

He told me that if a child's parentsdont want them to go overnight then they can go for the day activities....its not far away.

I just dont' see the point of it? He said they have overnights ever year and by the time they are ten they go to france....

This is a state school..is this usual so young...and more to the point do I send her?

Does she want to go?

Sounds far too young and I don't imagine that you are the only parent with concerns.

i wouldn't, but i guess there might be some 6 year olds who'd be up for it. ds1 is 9 and has just done his first few overnight stays with a school group - only camping on the school field! - but even that was a bit of a wrench for me (he loved it, i hasten to add).

send her = she'll have a fab time

One of our local schools do the same.(You're not in Kent, are you?) I think if she wants to go then why not give it a try? You could always go and pick her up if she changes her mindd as you say it's not far. Saying that, mine would have been more likely to fly than stay overnight at 6!

At my dn's school in Spain they had a compulsory week away at 7!

Not in Kent no...she wouldn't even stay at her cousins last year! I think it's odd...

No, i wouldn't let a 6 year old stay away with school.

it's not that young, even rainbows have sleepovers and brownies go away for weekends at 7yrs old.

i would leave it entirely up to your daughter.

When I was 'top infants' which I think is old school year 2, we all went away for a weekend in caravans. Two nights. We all had a great time and I have no bad memories of it.
My little sister ( at her own insistence because my brother and I were going on one) went on a week long adventure holiday aged 7 and didn't even phone home once because she was 'too busy'. So I'd let her decide.

I dont think its odd. Most kids look on a night away from home as an adventure, but if she doesnt want to be away from home then fair enough, dont make her go. She will have made friends by the time April comes around though, and will probably want to go if her friends are going.

So it seems that many won't consider it ven if the school is not a new one! I am flumoxed tbh....I bet there are some ids who aren't fully dry at night at this age too!

It's very silly.

DS is 7 and they start overnights in year 3, but go quite a distance. They used to start in Year two fairly local but stopped a couple of years ago money/location issues. I think it's fairly normal.

Thanks bubble..I supose she will have made friends by then...it's all a bit much to compute atmm.

I wouldn't have a problem with it. Presumably they have done it before,a nd if its on again it can't have been an unmitigated disaster.

Brownies do Brownie camps from age 7.

Guess it depends if she feels ready for it/you think she's ready for it. You don't have to send her if you don't feel its right.

My DD is going on her first school overnight trip soon and will just have turned 10 (Yr 5).

YANBU, I wouldn't be happy with it.

So people don't think her being quite new will have much effect then? I suppose it will help bond them really.

It depends on how outgoing she is.. only you know your daughter, and only your daughter knows if she wants to go.

I think things like this, if properly organised are great fun for kids and help them develop and gain self confidence.

She is shy with adults bubble but seems to be quietly confident and gets on wellwith peers...she's not outgoing..but not screwed up in a corner iyswim

Our year 2's don't go away but we have had a whole school sleepover where 2/3rds of the children slept in the school hall and these from Reception upwards. The only ones concerned were the parents, the children were fine!

I think she'll either really love the idea (depending on how you "sell" it) or won't want to go. So take your lead from her reaction. I know that my sons loved overnight Beaver camps at that age. I don't think the fact that she'll be relatively new to the school will necessarily be anything to factor in. Two months is a long time for a 6 year old and certainly there's no magic rule that suggests it takes all children six weeks to settle into a new school.