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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To complain to school about this?

57 replies

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 09:21

DD aged 6 year 2, just watched all her classmates (bar 1 or 2 but all of her friends) get on a bus to go on a school trip.

The letters where sent out 4 weeks ago when DD was off with covid, they were not emailed and there was no option on ParentPay to pay for it.

I only learned about the trip on Friday at a classmates birthday party. The deadline was last Monday and despite me offering there was no option for me to pay and send DD.

The letters where apparently put in DDs tray but as she was off for over a fortnight and the trays are emptied on a Friday so DD never got the letter.

According to the teacher (who I mentioned it to) places weren’t limited as there’s 2 year groups going.

There’s no provision in school for those who aren’t going on the trip as it was assumed that everyone would go. There’s about 5 kids (out of 180ish) left across the two year groups, none of DDs friends and she’s gutted. I’ve been told DD will be put in a class that has room and made to follow their lessons, she has some SN and an adjusted curriculum due to that so will not be getting anything out of a lesson with another year group (It’s years 1 and 2 going, she won’t be put in Reception so it’ll be Year 3, 4 or 5 she’s put with)

All previous trips the letters have been emailed as well as sent out via trays/bags and even when DDs been off over the deadline, an email giving permission has always been accepted and I always had the option of paying via parentpay (and they’d accept payment as permission to go) or cash to the receptionist.

So AIBU to complain about how unfair this was handled?

To add DDs SN does not cause behaviour issues, her teacher labels her a sweetheart, everyones friend and a bit chatty but nothing unusual for this age. I do not think that her SN is the reason she’s been excluded as she’s been on previous trips (admittedly in Reception) which were pre-diagnosis and she behaved incredibly well her teacher at the time said she was less trouble than some of the NT DC on the trip (school suspected her SN before she was diagnosed).

OP posts:

Littlebluebird123 · 14/02/2022 09:25

That's shocking! We spend ages rounding up permission and persuading parents to make sure people can come.
I'm so sorry for your dd. I would definitely email the head and mention how unacceptable it is. It's almost certainly just an oversight but one which should not have been made!

NeverTouchWarmPants · 14/02/2022 09:29

That's appalling. Someone has cocked up, I'd complain

toomuchlaundry · 14/02/2022 09:32

That’s awful. I have been a volunteer on trips and have known teachers/staff trying to contact parents on the morning of trips trying to get the last permissions and rustling up food so children can come

For a big trip like that I would expect email reminders and something in the school newsletter

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 09:35

@toomuchlaundry

For a big trip like that I would expect email reminders and something in the school newsletter

@toomuchlaundry I've had nothing at all from school while DDs been off, I emailed to let them know she'd be off due to covid and not even an acknowledgement, none of the usual newsletters or even any texts, was most bizarre.

OP posts:

balalake · 14/02/2022 09:36

Yes complain. It's not as if Covid 19 and self isolation arrived only four weeks ago.

In any case, given some parents are very good at 'admin' and others less so for whatever reason, the lack of use of emails as one method of communication seems poor.

toomuchlaundry · 14/02/2022 09:36

Have they got the right contact details?

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 09:38

@toomuchlaundry

Have they got the right contact details?

@toomuchlaundry They've emailed me before and since she's gone back to school and the teacher rang me on my mobile on Friday so I assume so, will check.

OP posts:

SartresSoul · 14/02/2022 09:38

Shocking. Don’t you have an app? My DC’s school communicates through an app called Class Dojo, I very rarely get letters so I would have had a message on there when DC were off letting me know about any trip. Sounds like your DC’s school needs to adopt this method too.

listsandbudgets · 14/02/2022 09:40

Your poor DD, what a waste of her day and how horrible to watch them all going off.

Can you fit in a treat night today (not always easy I know)

Huge hug, pizza, ice cream, film night and if you can manage it special trip out for milk shark and doughnut after school (damn the health pundits she needs cheering up and so do you)

TheMooch · 14/02/2022 09:40

Ask them.to check your text/email is still.getting notifications. The systems can 'lose contact details. One of our admin staff spends quite a bit of time checking/reinputting contact details that have got 'lost'

But I would wanting to know why their communication is utterly crap.

steppemum · 14/02/2022 09:42

@NeverTouchWarmPants

That's appalling. Someone has cocked up, I'd complain

exactly this.

really awful of the school.

as an ex teacher, I would have been really keen to contact you as your dd had been away and try and trakc down your permission slip.

sheiselectric · 14/02/2022 09:42

Yes, complain. I am a primary teacher and when my colleagues and I don't have all the reply slips, we ring around and check all the parents received a letter. It should not be the case that she can't go when there was no attempt on the teacher's behalf to contact you about the trip.

Bethany7 · 14/02/2022 09:43

I am a primary school teacher. That is just shocking. Definitely complain without a doubt.

listsandbudgets · 14/02/2022 09:44

PS yes Id be really cross. We missed a letter about a school trip once - similar reason DD off sick and the school phoned and emailed the day before the deadline to check if she was coming

jgjgjgjgjg · 14/02/2022 09:45

Complain. And escalate if necessary. And ask for response in writing.

AmyandPhilipfan · 14/02/2022 09:47

Yes, I would complain. When my youngest was in Year 5 I was waiting for the letter about the Year 6 residential but nothing appeared. In the summer term I started making enquiries about it and eventually found out that it had been given out weeks before and all places were taken. I complained and said my child had not had a letter as he had been looking forward to going on this trip and there’s no way he wouldn’t have given me the letter as soon as he got it. I was initially told there was nothing that could be done but I asked around the other mums and found there was a group of them in the class that hadn’t received them, so they must have been out of class doing something else when the letters were given out. I went to the head and said it was very unfair this group of children were being denied the opportunity to go on the trip. I got a phone call the next day to say a place had been found for my child. Sadly in Year 6 Covid hit and the trip was cancelled anyway.

In this case I would be contacting the head with the details and asking them to ensure this did not happen again and requesting that procedures are put in place to make sure any information that is given out in future when children are absent gets passed on to the parents in some way.

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 09:50

Writing an email to school now, I'm angry but more so for DD.

Also don't know why the teacher didn't mention the trip in our phone call on Friday.

OP posts:

DelphiniumBlue · 14/02/2022 09:51

Complain. Most schools do everything they can to make sure that everyone goes on the trips, including ringing round parents, standing in the playground chasing up permission slips etc. Payment is actually the last thing we look at, as no child should be excluded from a trip for financial reasons - the payment could always be dealt with later if the permission slip is signed.
I wonder if this is some sort of oversight and the teacher wasn't up to dealing with it on the day of the trip. The head should be alerted so that this doesn't happen again. If it is due to an administrative oversight, there should be procedures in place to ensure that children are not slipping through the system.
Any decent school would be horrified that a child missed a trip fr the reason you give, and that they couldn't accommodate a last minute participant.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 14/02/2022 09:51

I'd wonder if the emails were sent using a bulk emailer rather than by outlook contact lists - Internet providers identify things sent via teachers2parents/schoolcomms/edulink/etc as spam at least once per half term on average and you often only find out when there are fifty odd parents saying 'I don't have an email'

It's worth checking your junk folder, but it might not have even made it there.

edwinbear · 14/02/2022 09:59

Massive oversight on their part, I'd be cross too OP. I'm sure it was a genuine mistake on their part, but once you'd raised it, they really should have done everything they could to rectify things so DC didn't miss out.

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 10:01

@NeverDropYourMooncup

It's worth checking your junk folder, but it might not have even made it there.

@NeverDropYourMooncup I made sure to check my junk email before emailing school it wasn't there. I have text a few of the other parents to see if they got an emailed letter about it. I've written my basic email but won't send it until I've had a chance to see if it was an admin error/oversight.

School are usually really good, send reminders out about things we need to send in, always happy to answer questions related to DDs SN and the help she has in class. I don't think they'd delibrately leave her out.

OP posts:

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 14:03

Update, school mums said they hadn't had an emailed letter about.

Two of the others in the class not going missed out for similar reasons.

Have emailed school, will update when I get a reply.

OP posts:

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 16:10

Update:

The teacher organising the trip spoke to me, she insisted places where limited and that's why there was no email or parentpay. It was "unfortunate" that DD missed out but one of those things.

Still feels a bit unfair on DD. They all came back at about 3pm talking about what they'd done.

It still feels a bit like it was deliberate. DDs got activities tonight so that should distract her.

She's had a bit of a boring day, apparently she was in Year 5 (the worst year she could of been put in) and didn't understand anything.

OP posts:

LuckySnips · 14/02/2022 16:14

Why were they doing a trip that would be limited to the extent that a handful of kids would not be able to go? What were the criteria for going - first come, first served re returning the form?

I'd be pissed off that they did such a trip tbh. If it's somewhere places really are limited they need to split the class sensibly and do two trips or whatever is appropriate to give everyone the chance.

Original poster

TripExclusionComplain · 14/02/2022 16:23

@LuckySnips

Why were they doing a trip that would be limited to the extent that a handful of kids would not be able to go? What were the criteria for going - first come, first served re returning the form?

@LuckySnips I've asked for a copy of the letter to see if it mentions places being limited and selection criteria.

It does feel a bit harsh that two year groups where going but there was only enough room for say 170 kids when there's 180 across the 2 years (3 classes per year)

OP posts:

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