Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To complain to school?

48 replies

Notthinkingclearly · 03/02/2016 18:46

Dd went on a school trip and was able to feed lots of different birds. I asked her if they had to wash their hands before lunch and she said no! Apparently teachers did. AIBU to complain about this. Looking at venue website it states there are lots of areas to wash hands for visitors. Not sure if I am over reacting as I am very big on washing hands.

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 03/02/2016 18:48

How old is she?

Can she read a sign to wash her hands?

Original poster
Notthinkingclearly · 03/02/2016 18:50
  1. But they fed the birds with seed on their hand and then it was later they had lunch. No washing done in between time. I still think it is the teachers responsibility.
OP posts:
Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 03/02/2016 18:52

I'm sorry but at 8 they should be able to wash hands unprompted. If you go and complain about this you'll be one of those parents!

LaurieFairyCake · 03/02/2016 18:54

I think you need to reinforce the message that you want her to wash her hands as you think it's important.

Yes, I also think they should be prompted but I don't think it's worth complaining about.

TooMuchOfEverything · 03/02/2016 18:56

On a school trip the kids aren't going to think about washing hands. They just do whatever the teacher directs them to do. Are you sure they weren't all given a blob of hand sanitizer maybe?

TBH if your child is fine I would think no more of it - it's not great but if she has come to no harm it doesn't matter. If (God forbid) she starts throwing up THEN I would make sure school knew about it!!

Jesabel · 03/02/2016 18:57

Why didn't she wash her hands?

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 03/02/2016 18:59

There would be signs everywhere saying if you feed the birds to wash your hands - at 8,barring no SN the children should be able to get on with it without a teacher having to remind them! Hmm

Original poster
Notthinkingclearly · 03/02/2016 19:03

Thanks for replies, yes I agree that ideally 8 year olds should think about it and she does unprompted at home but thought she would thought she would thought of as fussy if she asked to wash her hands. They are told to at school before lunch st school.

OP posts:
NeedAScarfForMyGiraffe · 03/02/2016 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Botchit · 03/02/2016 19:07

Rubbish, on a school trip, an 8 year old child wouldn't just go and find somewhere to wash their hands before lunch. The children are constanly directed by the teachers and unless time is given for hand washing, it's not going to happen.
Absolutely the teachers should have instructed all the kids to wash their hands, it's part of taking care of them.
If your child is fine I probably wouldn't mention it. Pick your battles.

CasperGutman · 03/02/2016 19:08

I think YANBU. No matter if there were signs, or if the OP'S has taught her DD that 8-year-olds forget.

More than that though, they follow instructions. If they are led from the bird feeding activity to lunch without being taken somewhere to wash hand first, very few primary children will step up and say "Excuse me Miss, you are telling us eat lunch but we need to wash our hands first as that's just basic hygiene."

RudeElf · 03/02/2016 19:10

My son is 10 and would happily never wash his hands unprompted. He just doesnt think about it. I think the teachers could have said "right everyone, wash hands before

Jesabel · 03/02/2016 19:10

If she watched her teacher wash her hands though, surely she could have at the same time?

RudeElf · 03/02/2016 19:11

Posted too soon.

"Before we go"

Is she sure there wasnt any sanitiser pumps they used?

CocktailQueen · 03/02/2016 19:12

Sounds unusual. I've been on plenty of school trips and the teacher has always done loo trips and handwashing at appropriate times, esp after something like feeding birds.

SmallGreenBouncyBall · 03/02/2016 19:13

I wouldn't complain I would assume dc is fibbing tbh.

maybebabybee · 03/02/2016 19:17

Meh, not worth getting worked up about IMO.

Brightbluebells · 03/02/2016 19:17

I have led many, many school trips. Before lunch, all children are taken to the toilet. At 8 we might say 'go to the toilet and wash your hands' but mostly we would just expect them to do it. I honestly cannot believe that they weren't taken to the toilets before lunch: it is etched in every teacher's trip routine. If it is known that toilets aren't available, we prepare by taking hand sanitiser.

GreenPetal94 · 03/02/2016 19:28

Why does it matter so much, he didn't get ill or anything. I wouldn't complain, pick your battles.

GreenPetal94 · 03/02/2016 19:29

sorry should say she

Lurkedforever1 · 03/02/2016 20:09

Yabu. Unless a child has a health problem causing lower immunity, no 8yr old should be at any risks from feeding birds. And by age 8 even of they'd been cleaning up bird poo with bare hands, any nt 8yr old should have the initiative to wash their hands unprompted.

As an aside, feeding birds from your hands is far further down the germ scale than switching off taps after 30 of your classmates have given their hands a cursory rinse, let alone if random members of the public have been using them.

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 03/02/2016 21:15

Yanbu, I take brownies age 7-10 to the zoo every year and always remind them to use the hand sanitiser or soap and water depending what's available. Once they've done it a couple of times they start doing it unprompted but I still make sure they all do it, prompting when required and do my own hands of course.

If the teacher is ushering the group onwards, it's hard for an 8 year old to linger to wash hands.

Depending on the facilities, maybe the teachers felt it would take too long? But that's no excuse, especially just before lunch!

acasualobserver · 03/02/2016 21:19

Outrageous! Complain in writing to the governors, Ofsted and your MP.

pudcat · 03/02/2016 21:24

Surely she went to the toilet. On school trips we took all children to the toilet before lunch and before getting back on the bus. She must have been able to wash her hands there.

WorraLiberty · 03/02/2016 21:26

Surely feeding birds just involves chucking seeds at them? Confused