Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.
@Hutchy16
Why, thank you 😊
The point is, it's not just one phone call once or twice a year. Teachers - and indeed school support and admin staff - are increasingly given more and more duties, put under more and more pressure, and given more and more expectations.
For a teacher to chase up a pupil who hadn't consented to a school trip, it would involve having to double check (possibly via the school office as individual teachers may not have direct access to the online record for this) for consent. Then double check the parent/carer hadn't paid for the trip (again, likely to be involving admin staff, taking them away from their other duties). They'd have to take said pupil aside and privately ask them if they were wanting to go, check there isn't a reason for them being unable to go - financial (check and see if this is a pattern, and if the family could need more support), parent is in hospital and hasn't got round to it (again, action to be taken there to make sure support is in place) maybe the child is being bullied by someone in another class and doesn't want to go (gotta deal with that now). Once it's been established they've just missed the deadline, it's on to trying to contact the parent/carer. Back along to the school office to wait for someone to be free to look up contact details for you. If you're lucky, parent will answer, it'll be sorted and they'll go make payment right now. Maybe they'll have a voicemail so you can leave a message. You might then get a notification via the office parent/carer has been in touch and its sorted. You might hear nothing, so need to check again the next day and follow up with another call. If no voicemail, you need to try catch them again later. Maybe parent will consent on phone, but forget to sign the form or tick the box online. Maybe they'll forget to pay, so you need to contact them again. While you're on the phone, they ask if you can have a look for Johnny's lunchbox, or oh can you just let the office know Sarah won't be in next Tuesday, she's got the dentist. Hopefully you'll remember that by the time you've been stopped three times on the way back to the classroom.
That's one child. There's another 4 who've not given consent yet.
This is during the time that teacher should be with your children, teaching them. If you're lucky, it'll be during their break time, or after school in their own time, planning time, the time when they've got to sort out their own children and their activities. Fingers crossed the secretary is still there at 5pm, so you can get those numbers you need!