aibu or is the school

[LilQueenie]

I paid for a school trip (not expensive) and ticked the box for the school to prepare a packed lunch for DD. this was optional but we choose it.

On the day DD was recovering from a sore throat. (had little if anything to eat the day before only managing soft fruit) The trip would last the full school day so I popped a banana, 2 small oranges and a couple oat bars (dds request) into her bag. They all have water daily. This was to ensure she had at least something she could eat if whatever was in the packed lunch was hurting her throat and also as a breaktime snack. Again if the oat bar hurt her she had a choice of fruit.

DD came home upset as she had not been given the packed lunch by school as she already had food in her bag. aibu to think school should not have withheld the packed lunch that was their duty to provide. DD's throat was fine. The back had been pre-packed the night before and we were not even sure if she would be attending the school trip at that point.

I do not think what I put in her bag could be seen to be a 'packed lunch'. No way would I have sent her with that if it had been.

But you didn’t mention the food?

Tbh your complaint about pe kit now just makes you sound like hard work!

If you sent food in with her then I dont see why you expected the school to also provide food. That would be a waste.

So the school not only failed to give her a lunch, they also gave her the sniffles?

If my child had eaten nothing for a day and was still only well enough for an orange the next day at breakfast, I wouldn’t have sent them on a school trip. Pleading or not!

She was fine on the trip. sore throat gone no real issues. She is given food everyday for break - they all are. Why is this any different.

It wasn't pe kit btw. She was dressed fine when I dropped her off at school. the rest of the kids had coats. It was blowing a gale and she had on a tshirt!

" I dont see why you expected the school to also provide food. "

Because she'd ticked a box for it so there should have been one to give to her daughter?

You'd think that there would just have been a list.

Oh dear god. Yet another thread where I end up feeling sorry for teachers!!

Ok, she should have got the meal. However, she shouldn't have actually been there at all as she clearly wasn't well enough.

What is it with these people who believe schools can do no wrong, and parents are never right! I can only guess that you are all teachers and can't take any criticism.

You seem to have decided that the school has been unreasonable and you are not to blame at all. You haven’t said how old your daughter is, but surely if she was outside in leggings and a t-shirt at this time of year doing sports day she should have been warm enough to prevent a cold! And if she was cold I’m sure she was able to mention this to a member of staff, or collect her jumper at break or lunch time. Teachers have 30+ students to manage, they assume that a child can self regulate temperature.

It seems to me that your dd has been asked ‘who has food’ and has popped her hand up and so hasn’t received a sandwich. It would have been better for the school just to check who ticked for a pack up but again again managing 30+ children can be difficult especially when going out on a trip.

Your dd seems confused and should probably have spoken up on both occasions.

walkingdeadfangirl The school had arranged a lunch in advance when the letter was signed.

She doesn't normally eat breakfast but has a small sack on the way out. Break is only and hour and half into the day so no big deal.

The school were unreasonable. I think they should have at least rang to check with you seeing as there was no sandwich in there.

How old is your DD? Maybe you should have had a word with the teacher before hand I don't think they would of let her have extra snacks anyway....as for the PE kit at our school if they are going outside they wear jogging suits and inside shorts and t-shits....the teacher proberbly doesn't have time to make sure 30 children are dressed properly.

Perhaps she didn’t want to wear her coat then or perhaps she left it inside the classroom. The teacher can only tell the children to put a jacket on. They can’t force them to keep it on.

My dd wouldn’t have gone on the trip had she felt like your dd. My dd has a medical condition. School trip or not, the following day after a seizure she doesn’t go to school or any other activity. Yes she cries and complains sometimes but it is what it is. I’m teaching dd to look after herself and put her health before pleasure. The same would therefore apply with a cold etc.

Speak to the teacher and don't go in angry as you have no idea what happened/ why it happened. I would be surprised if the teacher refused a lunch for your child deliberately. I always end up with spare school Lunch and bring extra incase of hunger/inappropriate packed lunch.

Now it seems broader.
Could your DC have turned down the lunch and also ignored instructions for sports day? Every other child was able to dress appropriately (my guess is common sense + teacher reminder).
Whilst my first instinct was miscommunication, now I'm questioning. I don't get why a member of staff would have a list with a child's name on it, the child asked for food and then the teacher said 'no I'm not giving you it'.

Once again she was not ill. She was over it more or less. Our school is one that prefers kids to still attend with a couple sneezes. Obviously she would be off it was anything more.

So if she wasn’t ill why did she need extra food then?

how hard is it for a teacher to ensure a child has adequate clothing on before doing outdoor activities

You don't catch a cold overnight from getting a bit breezy the day before. She'd have got the cold regardless.

Yes, they should have given her the packed lunch. If they're anything like the ones our children get at school it's perfectly normal for parents to send extra to top up as they're pretty small.

How old is your child?

As I said incase she found whatever in the lunch a bit sore on the throat still. She was clearly able to talk and eat something.

yes she would have caught it regardless but it doesn't help. She actually went to bed 2 nights previous with a cold but woke up and for the next few days no sign of it. Usually wrapping up stops it from getting worse.

She is 6.