To have chosen not to send him

[tarapinn]

Sponsored walk today for year 7 at school. 4 hours duration between 10-2. 30 degrees. They sent an email out last night saying lots of the walk is in the open but they would also be stopping for plenty of shaded rests.

He was getting texts today from friends saying they were 'dying' 😄

I chose to keep ds at home.
My mum thinks I should have sent him.

Who is being unreasonable?

Yanbu. I kept mine at home for the same reason, she was supposed to do 4 hrs of PE in a field with no shade. No way.

Kids have died from dehydration and heat exhaustion on school exercises more than once. Trust your judgement. Particularly on a day when the government told everyone in South England to try to stay out of the sun 11am-3pm. Do the school not read the news?? Or perhaps their timetable is more important.

I do appreciate that children in hot countries just get on with it. They kind of have to seeing as it's this hot for months there.
But this is just one day. It's not necessary. He wasn't learning anything and we will make a donation instead of sponsorship money.
I would have hated doing it and so would he.

I've always hated sponsored walks, they seem cruel when there are other ways to raise money. Can't believe schools still do them tbh. I was really shy and had to go begging friends and family for money which was so embarrassing, and then have to walk 10 miles for the priviledge!

However, ours was always end of September when the weather was much cooler which seemed sensible.

I would keep my child home, but that is because the school has already shown they can’t be trusted to keep her safe from severe asthma attacks during physical activities.

She goes to other places and enjoys time outdoors, even in group activities without us, but unlike at her school, has real opportunities for breaks and is never pressured to keep going when she needs one.

Children in hot countries are acclimatised, it's that simple. We've experienced sudden changes in weather and temperature in a short space of time. The two situations aren't the same.

In the 90s my class did a similar walk but in freezing temperatures. We had to wear PE kit and the girls were only allowed our netball skirts on. Two girls collapsed, one on the walk (an ambulance was called) and another in the changing rooms. As I was a child I had no idea what followed but imagine lots of parents complained. Mine were horrified.

Can’t believe this crap is still going on.

• I was born and raised in Portugal and then moved to Australia where I lived for over a decade.

They are well educated about protecting their skin, staying hydrated and being sun smart.

Bearing in mind that temperatures in both countries can easily reach the 40 degrees in the summer, people still get on with their normal life and children play outside and engage in sports.*

Yeah, difference is they’re used to the heat, their bodies are acclimatised.

What don’t people understand about this, Britain is a Northern European country. Look at where it is, if it wasn’t for the Gulf Stream too we’d be a lot colder!

Saying people who are used to the heat, are, used to the heat isn’t the flex you think it is.

Surely children in hotter countries are more used to the high temps and don't just go from regular to 4 hours in scorching sunshine in one day. My nephew was visiting us from a very hot area and played golf in middle of the day in very strong heat. He got sunstroke! My ds who rarely had been in such heat was fine. There will be some fine and others could actually be quite sick. A four hour walk is quite long for a school group at a regular time but ridiculous in unusual heat wave and totally unnecessary.

@junebirthdaygirl

Surely children in hotter countries are more used to the high temps and don't just go from regular to 4 hours in scorching sunshine in one day. My nephew was visiting us from a very hot area and played golf in middle of the day in very strong heat. He got sunstroke! My ds who rarely had been in such heat was fine. There will be some fine and others could actually be quite sick. A four hour walk is quite long for a school group at a regular time but ridiculous in unusual heat wave and totally unnecessary.

I have family in a hot country, they can’t bear the heat here because it’s ‘wet’ and muggy and the sweat doesn’t evaporate off you properly. Whereas they are used to dry heat.

I mean, it’s true. 30 degrees here is so much worse than 30 degrees in Greece for example.

@IBelieveInAThingCalledScience

Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Australian kids wouldn't do much for about 7 months of the year!

If they had sunscreen/hats on,.plenty of water and rest breaks they'd be fine!

You wouldn't find Australian or Spanish schools doing a 4 hr walk in the hottest part of the day either.

@DroopyClematis

I'm just wondering what some posters do on holiday in Cyprus, Greece and southern Spain. Probably stay in their hotel rooms all day, every day.

Of course we don't stay in our hotel rooms all day...neither do we walk for 4 hours at the height of the day!

We lived in Cyprus for two years.
School was 7.30- 1pm
The playground was shaded
PE was done first thing.
Sports day was in March
We had air conditioning

People have died on hikes in hot weather in Northern European countries. Dehydration and heat injury are real things.

People have died on hikes in hot weather in Northern European countries. Dehydration and heat injury are real things.

Very fit, military people too.

In hot countries they are sensible enough to do their strenuous exercise NOT at the hottest point of the day.
There becomes a point where stoicism turns to insanity

YANBU.

People talking about Portugal or Australia are missing the point. Kids in those countries have PE first thing in the morning and don't go and sit in the midday sun, let alone go for a long walk in it

People die every year from heatstroke and dehydration in this country - and it really doesn't need to be that hot either. The same applies for dogs and another animals.

The other difference between children in these hotter countries is that they have some acclimatisation to the heat. Here in the UK we get the odd week where the heat is like this and then the rest of the time it’s either chilly or bearable.

@DroopyClematis

I'm just wondering what some posters do on holiday in Cyprus, Greece and southern Spain. Probably stay in their hotel rooms all day, every day.

We spend the morning in the pool. We have sun beds in the shade. We have lunch in an air conditioned dining room and then go and sit in a shady cafe and play games. Then we go to the beach and swim in the sea. From about 4pm the kids play on the beach. If we want to go for a walk we do it at about 6pm.

It is pretty easy to have a lovely holiday whilst avoiding being silly in the sun.

I love the sun and my kids are used to going on holiday in the sun but being on holiday where you can cool down easily (pool/sea) and just chill when you need to is different to walking for 4 hours in the midday sun. My ds walks home from school and has been getting home dripping with sweat. That's about 30 mins walking. I have been picking him up when I can in this weather as it's not fun.

I went to school in Portugal and we had longer school holidays in the summer when it was really hot, longer days during term time. This was mainly because children were needed to work on the land though (well, that was originally the reason) I am absolutely not coping in this heat here though and I would not send my child to walk for 4 hours in it!!

YANBU. People in the U.K. don't understand heat stroke. I wouldn't trust teachers to recognise it (not a pop at teachers- lots of HCPs can't recognise it).

My DS did the DoE weekend camping and walk the weekend that beat all the record a few years ago. it was 35 or 26 degrees. That was a 7 hours walk carrying very heavy equipment. They all managed just fine with many stops and plenty of drinking.

So yes, I do think you were a bit precious.

@DroopyClematis

I'm just wondering what some posters do on holiday in Cyprus, Greece and southern Spain. Probably stay in their hotel rooms all day, every day.

I usually go for a rest in my room or read a book in the shade on the hottest days... I don't know about others, but my tolerance for activity in the heat doesn't change just because I'm abroad in a shiny new place!

*should clarify - not all day, just the middle of the day! Sightseeing and activities best done in the mornings if possible.

I still remember having heat stroke from an end of year party thing about 25 years ago, we were outside on the fields. My DM brought me a drink (in a banana shaped bottle, why do I remember that?!) as we weren't allowed to have them with us. I was so unwell.

Deffo NBU

I've always hated sponsored walks, they seem cruel when there are other ways to raise money. Can't believe schools still do them tbh.

Getting kids to go on a walk is cruel?

30° is a bit hot, but as long as theyvare covered up, take shady breaks and stay hydrated I don't really see the problem. We and the dc did a 3hr walk on Monday and yr8 ds did a3 hour tennis course yesterday. Absolutely fine.