To be unhappy with this school trip?

[IWannaHoldYourHand]

Ds2 is in reception and has come home with a letter advising us of a school trip to a farm in December. The cost is a reasonable amount for the farm that will be visited, however the main focus of the visit is having lunch with Santa, and receiving a gift.

It is the visiting Santa that I feel odd about. I see this as a very family based event, and not something I would expect to do with anybody else, or without his sibling. We wouldn't even refer to him as Santa at home, and it just feels strange to me.

I have spoken to the head who informed me that this will be backing up their learning for that term, and advised that I have the option of attending, but it still feels wrong to me. So is this normal, do schools regularly take a trip to visit Father Christmas?

SirChenjin, why are you goading the op?

Eh?? She hasn't been on the thread since Wednesday morning has she. How can there be an accusation of goadery?

X post with scoop, as it took me bloody ages to type that.

Clearly OP needs to employ a lawyer to get her the trip she wants. ( and blow the other parents who think it a lovely way to end the term)

Of course - that's it! She needs a lawyer - and I believe one of the PPs on here knows one

Wow!! I am glad my kids go to school in the UK

we had to have the police called to school when my dd was assaulted in year 6. Even then, I didn't have to consult a lawyer to get it resolved.

€175 to dispute a detention....shit! Here you can dispute a sententious by speaking to the head of year....for free.

I think the teacher recruitment crisis would get worse. I would change jobs if I was in a school with a weak Head who let one particular parent dictate policy.

mehitable I wouldn't want my child in a school that lets on parent dictate policy. So can totally ubderstand that.

Sorry Mehitabel

At my last school one boy assaulted a member of the senior staff on a school sponsored walk when he attempted to stop him throwing stones at vehicles. He punched him and broke his glasses - in fact two members of staff had to restrain him. His mother came in to discuss it and someone in my class predicted that he wouldn't be excluded because his mother would make a fuss and the head would cave in.

She was right. I heard he also told the assaulted member of staff that if he took the matter further he'd ensure he never got a job anywhere else.

Weak heads who roll over for unreasonable parents are hell to work for.

I know a weak head ... kids hitting punching swearing in juniors ... bless they are only kids ... in for a shock.at high school !!

Where would it stop? You would get a weak Head giving in to a bullying parent with lawyer- would the majority of parents then have to employ a lawyer to make the Head stand up to that parent? Mad!

See I wonder if bobo is still reading because isn't this demonstrating why we think she's so ridiculous. There's worse things that happen in schools than a little bit of homework and a dentention.
And school policy shouldn't actually be down to one parent, the school shouldn't be dictated to by her.
It actually makes other parents annoyed that one is interfering.
It's a waste of time and money.

And that's a good question met I'm not sure even in France most parents agree with her, so what the school have to waste money standing up to her, money that could be spent on doing things to improve her children's education which is what she wants!