To be disappointed with the school re trip

[pisspants]

I understand schools and teachers are busy and that it is great they have tried to organise a trip. I am upset on behalf of my dc though. There's an upcoming trip, details of which went out in one email over a month ago, with no further mentions or reminders about it. This week a follow up email went out regarding more details about what to wear for the trip etc which was the first I knew of the trip. I checked the online payment system and was no sign of it on there so called the school and they say the deadline has passed as the bus needed to know numbers etc a while back so my dc will have to miss the trip. I appreciate I missed one email which was sent in the middle of the day whilst I was working so didnt see it. It then got buried amongst all the crappy emails I get every day from everywhere I've ever bought anything from. Because of that my DC now misses the educational trip that almost the whole year is going on? I know I dropped a ball by not seeing the email but I would have expected a follow up email as a reminder of a payment deadline or something at the least?

I'm shocked there was only one follow up email. We have endless reminders.
Can you ask for your child to be put on a waitlist in case someone is ill on the day??

Time to unsubscribe from all the rubbish so you can see the important stuff.

Suppose you had missed an email about a vaccination or exam choices.

Speak to the school to see if anyone had dropped out or drops out on the day so there may be a place spare.

Well YABU. I get thatyou're feeling guilty but you did miss the email. DS will live, if it's a book bus for how many places it isn't a whole class trip so he won't be the only one not going.

Understand why you missed email as I get 5-8 emails a week each from multiple schools/ colleges (3DCs) and can't read them all, as I'm working and frankly some are long waffly newsletters - so I try to scan read them just before bed. Sometimes I fall asleep before I do school admin as I'm exhausted, but that's on me.

Our school has a private parents fb year group page for each year- set up by parents. That's where people remind each other or copy important dates/ emails & homework set sometimes. That definitely acts as my fail safe when DCs are saying something not on a school letter - "honest mum it's a half day/ wear your own clothes.."

It's worth finding out if your school has one.

We regularly have parents complaining about a lack of communication.

"School sent out emails"
"I don't check my emails"
"It was also on the app"
"I don't have the app"
"And twitter..."
"I don't have twitter"
"And those who hadn't responded had a letter sent home"
"Oh my child never gave me a letter and I don't go through their bag"

I once recieved 9 different emails from school in one afternoon... it can be easy to miss the important one between the lists of raffle prizes, reminders of parking, wear blue pants day etc. Then there's the fact they sometimes neglect to put on the letter which class it relates too...
The really important stuff is usually a paper letter as well though... is your child reliable at handing over letters?

@JuliaSways

You need to filter your messages, block any spam and take control of your emails.

This isn't a school issue I'm afraid.

This. You have messed up. It is nothing to do with the school. Checking emails for gold amongst the dross is just the same as rooting around in the bottom of the book bag, that those of us who parented in the olden days had to do. Ignorance is not a defence.

I actually have some sympathy with you. My kids secondary can send just 1 letter. Or maybe 1 form to complete....that doesn't generate an email at all....you have to check the app to see if you have forms. But, if you have missed this it is unlikely that your child will be the only one.

Maybe email the school apologising and ask if there is any illness on the day could your child have the space?

It’s a shame
But fact that “sent in middle of the day” and “got buried” is pure excuse. It would have been the same for every single one of the other parents who did open, read and action.

If you're reasonable for being annoyed then there will be lots of children not going because they'll also have missed the deadline.

I'd go in very apologetic and ask if a child is ill on the day can your child have the spot.

@kittensinthekitchen

We regularly have parents complaining about a lack of communication.

"School sent out emails"
"I don't check my emails"
"It was also on the app"
"I don't have the app"
"And twitter..."
"I don't have twitter"
"And those who hadn't responded had a letter sent home"
"Oh my child never gave me a letter and I don't go through their bag"

If you turned up at each house, with the letter on a velvet cushion, there would still be parents who said they hadn't seen it.

Not the schools fault I’m afraid. They did email you and you missed it so it’s on you.

I work in a school office and am the lead for all admin relating to trips.

If it is an educational trip that all pupils will be expected to go on then we would need permission (or a no) from all the parents so reminders would go out.

If it is an optional trip with a set number of spaces and it fills up after the first email is sent out then parents who didn't reply wouldn't get a notification. Some will ask to be put on a waiting list which is fine.

If its the first option then that's very unusual.

If its the second then unfortunately you missed it. If there's still time could you ask to be put on a waiting list?

Seems unlikely your child would not have mentioned it at all. You need a method of checking for school emails each evening.

Is there a waiting list?
There's a good chance someone will be ill. I would discuss this possibility with the school and get the consent form filled in just in case.

It doesn't help for now but is there a class WhatsApp or are you friends with any of the other parents to have a group chat? Always comes in handy for reminders

I have spoken to the school and asked to be on a wait list. I have 2 dc at 2 schools and combined 20 years of schooling at 3 different schools and this is a first. It was a very hectic week that the email was sent. I appreciate it's my fault mostly but when is a whole year thing I do think a reminder should have been sent. What's annoying is it's a generic email about a letter you then have to view on an app so makes it easier to miss. Anyway, is not the end of the world. Good to get the collective MN mind, I am less pissed off with the school now

@CornedBeef451

That's so annoying.

I'm struggling with information from schools now as I have 4 apps across 2 schools, plus emails, 5 minute videos on one of the apps containing one sentence of vital information plus the occasional paper letter.

Oh, and the primary uses 2 ways to prebook hot dinners somewhere between 1 and 4 weeks in advance based on the patterns of the moon or some such thing.

I feel like I am constantly trying to chase bits of scattered information and have so far missed DS' last primary Christmas lunch booking, one primary parents evening, I have had to chase information for a trip I had paid for but had no idea when it was or that I needed to pick DD up at 9pm, (the one paper letter this year) and DD had a surprise double vaccination yesterday as I had filled in the consent form weeks ago with no date given and then missed the mention of the date on one of the apps, or was it in an email, or on the school website calendar?

I just found out DS has topic homework which we have never done as it is only on the year group section of the school website. Luckily it is voluntary as neither of us knew about it and we're just vaguely confused that sometimes children would turn up at school with papier-mâché models of the solar system. I just thought they had very keen parents.

This is harder work than my actual full time job.

Sorry, rant over, but I feel your pain and would be very annoyed in your position. I would have expected the school to send another email or whatever for a while year trip.

And yet all the other oarents seem to be able to cope.

I'd be disappointed too. I'm on top of school admin but if I missed one message I wouldn't expect my child to miss out with no reminders at all (and I know the school do send them as I've received them even if already booked on).

there is a year facebook group but nothing went on there about this

Was there not a paper permission slip form to sign as well that would have flagged all this information, payment and due dates as well? Very unusual not to have to sign a form for a school trip.

no paper letter came out, I've not had anything in paper from the school for a few years now. Usually it's a Google form you complete online and then pay on parent mail the letter goes onto parent mail with a link to the permission form

@HoppingPavlova

Was there not a paper permission slip form to sign as well that would have flagged all this information, payment and due dates as well? Very unusual not to have to sign a form for a school trip.

It doesn't work like this any more. Usually paying on schoolmoney is taken to mean you give consent for your child to go

@sunflowerdaisyrose

I'd be disappointed too. I'm on top of school admin but if I missed one message I wouldn't expect my child to miss out with no reminders at all (and I know the school do send them as I've received them even if already booked on).

This ^

My DS was invited on a school trip, didn’t want to go, changed his mind on the morning of the trip (he was a teen) you can imagine the call I got from his school, they were not happy, he did get to go though.

@pisspants

I have spoken to the school and asked to be on a wait list. I have 2 dc at 2 schools and combined 20 years of schooling at 3 different schools and this is a first. It was a very hectic week that the email was sent. I appreciate it's my fault mostly but when is a whole year thing I do think a reminder should have been sent. What's annoying is it's a generic email about a letter you then have to view on an app so makes it easier to miss. Anyway, is not the end of the world. Good to get the collective MN mind, I am less pissed off with the school now

Not “mostly”

“Totally”