McDonalds and a school trip...

[azteccamera]

Truly wondering about this situation.

Long, hot day. School trip. Reception class so 4 & 5 year olds. Left at 8.30 this morning. Due back at 4pm. Finally arrived back at 6.45pm after the bus broke down on the way home. The school were communicating by text all the way through the afternoon keeping us updated.

We've just picked up the children to be told they have been fed... McDonalds. Personally, I don't mind, better that she is fed, watered and it was next to where they had broken down. Bear in mind they were waiting in a hot bus with no aircon for a replacement coach.

However other parents were shouting at the head teacher,for everyone to hear. Apparently no one ever feeds her children mcdonalds. They've never had it. Thinks it's a disgrace. Some of the dads were also agreeing.

Would you mind? Allergies and food intolerances and preferences accounted for, would you be angry enough to shout at the teachers about it?

Healthy eating is very important but it's nice to have a bit of junk every once in a while. McDonald's is great for keeping kids well behaved as their service is so fast which is necessary with a large group, it also provides food every kid will eat and getting the whole group fed is most important. There's far worse out there. The parents are being silly, they can't expect the whole world to revolve around their particular food fussiness.

The school was being really nice and I bet all the kids loved it, especially the kids of the moaners!!! Some people will always try to ruin everything, no matter what the school did they would have being whining about it.

Oh ffs I hate macdonalds. However I'd be happy that the children were returned fed and watered and safe.

Given the circumstances it was a perfectly adequate solution

McDonalds also had the bonus of meaning each child had a toy so something else to hopefully keep them entertained whilst waiting

Have just read this to my ds (5), who has said that he only got hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows on his school trip (Forrest school trip) it's not fair and can he go on this one instead :). It's hardly the crime of the century.............

There must have been a small shop or Tesco Metro about where something such as apples or sandwiches could have been bought.

Agree with the comments on a Tesco Metro being close enough and having enough sandwiches etc etc. Also consider the safety impact, if you have the 30 children in McDs they are all sat in one place, haven't had to move too far and the teachers and staff can ensure that they all stay together and don't lose any children. Or you could wander round looking for somewhere else they may / my not be able to get food for 30 tired and hungry children. Doh

Goodness, one assumes these parents would rather dehydrate/ starve than visit such a low class establishment?

I would prefer my DS was fed and watered, no matter what. I doubt the teachers wanted to break down and be stuck with all the kids on a hot day.

I wonder how many of those parents would have gone without food all day just to prie their point.

Those teachers are saints for dealing with a whole day out with young children and the coach situation and all that would have brought.

They deserve nothing but a massive thank you!

When I read the OP, as soon as I saw the kids returned at 6.45, my first thought was my Reception-aged DS would have been crying with hunger.

Now, personally, I can't stand fast food places like this as I think it processed rubbish, and although I've taken my DC once, I'm not keen on them going again.

However, I would have been on-my-bended-knees-grateful to the teachers for having fed and watered my child.

Parents have no idea what it is like to be responsible for children in those circumstances

A lot of schools or individual staff curtailed their trips and outdoors work when the tightend the health and safety rules a few years back. The forms are endless.

The should be pleased they were even on a trip.

Prove

I work in a rural secondary school - 30 miles to the nearest McD's. It is an essential part of any school trip to stop there on the way back. I realise Secondary is different (although I'm not entirely sure why), but in this case what else were the staff meant to do?

Oh and I think the card and money is a lovely idea.

Ds2 should have been back from his school trip 3 hours ago, I hope. They've fed him mcdonalds

Start by talking to the happier parents and ask for 25p from each for a present and card for the teachers to say thank you. Be vocal of how brilliant you think they were, doing their best, difficult circumstances, how grateful you are they were able to keep your dc fed and watered.

When you have these parents on board speak to the ones who were agreeing. Finally approach the shouty ones and tell them that all the other parents thought the teachers were brilliant and are giving a card.

Buy a box of chocs and a card.

Hopefully if they feel that everyone else thinks the teachers are great they will feel like prize prats.

Last time I saw, a happy meal from mcd was healthy enough to get advertised on kids tv (which is pretty stringent). They show the chicken nuggets (100% breast) fruit or carrot sticks and water ( plus of course the toy).

I bet that is actually healthier than some tesco sandwiches. If you try hard enough you can eat fairly healthily from McDonald's. it's just more fun to eat the crap

I've never taken ds to McDonalds in his life but he's been a few times with his school. I wasn't particularly thrilled about it but would never say anything because it is just nice of them to take the children out. In an emergency situation as described in the OP then I'd just be grateful ds hadn't been left hungry or thirsty and let's face it, the trip to McDonalds probably turned the whole breakdown thing into an adventure for the kids rather than a miserable end to their day out. No doubt they will remember it for years to come!

Parents shouting at the poor exhausted teachers (breakdowns traumatic enough without a bus full of other peoples' children) is beyond belief.

You do wonder how sheltered these parents are that they go off on one about a single emergency visit to macdonalds.

Haha, Wigan. Busted!

I would mind. There must have been a small shop or Tesco Metro about where something such as apples or sandwiches could have been bought

I would imagine that they wanted somewhere enclosed , some where with seating and above all somewhere with toilets.Your Tesco Metro just wouldn't cut it.Plus I am guessing thy probably wouldn't have had enough sandwiches left at that time of an evening
I would imagine the coach company will be paying

Really wish I hadn't read this thread! Fast day. Mmmmm McDonalds.

Sounds like teachers did a fab job. As a teacher myself, I think the thank you card is a lovely idea. I'm in secondary and it is very rare for parents to send cards but this week something lovely happened; the parents of a Year 11 boy sent a thank you card to all staff - dinner ladies, cleaners, everyone - along with an assortment of biscuits and cakes. HT read card out in morning briefing and it was such a great start to the day.

I think it made me do something nice yesterday. Whilst in park with DD, a group of nursery nurses and their infant charges came in for a play and a picnic tea. The little ones were so content and happy. Staff playing and giggling with them. They even lit a candle on a little birthday cake for one of them and they all sang 'Happy Birthday'! My DD was in nursery from 8 months and loved it - made me feel all fuzzy to see how much fun she must have had. Before we left I told them what a great job they were doing and how lovely it was to see the little ones having so much fun - lucky babies indeed! I am definitely going to do this more often - they were grinning from ear to ear! Perhaps it could catch on ....

Anyway, sorry to hijack thread , it just reminded me about yesterday and helped me stop thinking about food

Miserable, ungrateful toads! The teachers were probably exhausted and frazzled themselves and were only doing their best!

Personally, I'd be happy and it was probably a nice treat for the kids!

I think you and the other nice parents should write a letter to the teachers saying how disappointed you are in the other parents and their absurd and stupid reaction. I would. Those poor teachers - stuck on a broken down hot bus with a load of hungry kids, not knowing when/if they were getting home. And they come back and get a load of grief.

I bet the moaning parents don't appreciate the fact that the teachers themselves have lives and families. They ended up working at least 2 extra hours today and may have had to rearrange childcare/collection for their own children.

Our school recently took 52 kids on a weekend residential trip - 2 of the parents bothered to thank them. This will probably be the last one they do, so future children will miss out on a great experience.

Unless you've been on school trips, it's hard to appreciate how stressful it is.