Or rather, was I being TOO reasonable?

[Doradolittle]

DD is 4. Had end of term prize giving and she, surprisingly, got awarded a trophy for achievement or something.
But when it came to pick up time a very upset teacher came up and said she feels awful but DD wasn't supposed to have got it and could they have the trophy back please.
I laughed it off as it seemed such a ridiculous mistake and they seemed so mortified.
But now I think I should have made more fuss and insisted that we kept it and that they should find another trophy to give to the 'real' winner.
Have I let my DD down by not being more cross about it?

They should have let her keep it I agree...would have been the most sensible thing to do.
However, as much as they didn't think things through, neither did you with your lie.

That's terrible! Stingy beggars should have bought another trophy.

The school should know better than to ask for a trophy back from a very young child. Really bad organisation. So yes you should complain, not in an all guns blazing way, but in a "try and think how upsetting it was for thechild" way. And yes buy a replacement (I buy trophies for a charity show, and they're under £10 engraved).

Can't believe a teacher would actually ask for it back.

Surely they would keep schtum about it - they're only four, it's not as if they were awarding honorary PhDs.

No, it's horrible to take the trophy back. Definitely get her another one. I'd remember something like this.

I'd get her another trophy. One thing I remember about school was never winning any awards, it was always the popular children.

She was really happy to get the award and they shouldn't have taken it back from such a small child.

Wi think it was wrong of the school to ask for the trophy back but they may have already told parents that their child was going to get the award so they could attend ( maybe?)

I think you was wrong to talk about engraving. There was no need to lie. I would have said there was a little mix up and I was was so and so' turn to get the trophy. I would have been matte of fact about it and turned the conversation to something else and had a nice day doing good stuff.
As it is now, you have dug yourself in a hole.

I don't think she will forget about it. Getting a trophy is a big deal at that age. My 14 year old DS still reminds me that I said I'd get him a tennis medal,for attending a tennis tournament, and that was five years ago!

You will need to get her an engraved trophy.

There's no way she will forget. My 4 year old still occasionally brings up the time 6 months ago that a coworker of mine said (very much in passing) that her daughter would make her a loom band bracelet.

How ridiculous the school should've salvaged it by giving something else or done nothing at all. 13 maybe but aged 4 that's just ridiculous

Hmmm. DS is only 3&3/4 and I'm confident he would remember. Maybe you're about to find out your DD's memory capacity.

I wouldn't complain to the school, these things happen. I would get her something with her name on that she can keep, trophy shops aren't too hard to find. Job done.