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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be disappointed with the school re trip

311 replies

pisspants · 17/03/2022 08:14

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?

OP posts:
luciferWasAnAngelToo · 18/03/2022 18:06

YANBU
My OH drives coaches, and numbers can be amended right up to the day of travel. Price at per coach not per person so it doesn’t really matter, school are being unreasonable.
I dislike the constant emails we are sent, and that there are rarely deadlines given is extremely unhelpful.

MamaTutu2 · 18/03/2022 18:11

@pisspants if this is an educational visit rather than a residential, they have to take all children regardless of contribution, that’s why they’re called voluntary contributions ffs! I’m a teacher and I think this is awful

elbea · 18/03/2022 18:17

You need two email addresses, one for important things and one for online shopping. Mine are linked but I don’t miss anything important that way!

Lulu1919 · 18/03/2022 18:18

How old is your child ?
Just surprised they didn't mention it ...or another parent- that would have jogged your memory.
Ask to go on a waiting list - depending on size of group there's a good chance someone will drop out with illness !!

TheCurrywurstPrion · 18/03/2022 18:23

You have my sympathies, OP. I’ve done the same before now. I often wished that the school would send out paper copies, or SMSs because I’d be less likely to miss either of those.

Hope that you can find a set-up that works for you, and perhaps that this time, you get lucky with a cancellation.

lilstarr99 · 18/03/2022 18:24

I work across four Primary Schools and YABU. The school has communicated with parents and it’s up to the parents to ensure they check all comms, newsletters, apps etc.

You need to be more organised.

fetchacloth · 18/03/2022 18:41

YABU
It's unfortunate I agree OP but not really the school's fault.
Many schools (mine included) still send their children home with a paper letter to announce a trip and get numbers interested, in addition to announcing it on the school's website. This is helpful for busy parents, whilst also engaging the children.
Maybe you should suggest this to the school for future?

Nocutenamesleft · 18/03/2022 18:41

@pisspants

Yeah I really don't understand it when is whole year whole school. Father not involved at all I am single parent so all falls on me. Not an excuse but have a lot of organisational shit to deal with for self, plus 2 DCs and their various activities etc. Anyway, lesson learnt. I have 49000 emails in my inbox. Had not heard of unroll me, sounds like a game changer! Otherwise will take me hours and hours to unsubscribe and delete everything in there
Unroll me isn’t available in the uk.
Hasselhoffsheadband · 18/03/2022 18:43

When I was a teacher and we did a trip, we personally chased up anyone who hadn't paid to check if they didn't want their child to go or if they had just forgotten. I wouldn't have wanted kids in my class to miss out because their parents were disorganised.

Objectively YABU, you dropped the ball, although as a parent I know it's so easy to do. But really I think it's a bit shitty that they didn't chase you up to remind you.

Hasselhoffsheadband · 18/03/2022 18:46

I don't know about anyone else, but since everything has opened back up I have found it really tricky to keep up with all the permission slips, payments for everything, clubs etc! I think I got so used to not having all that shit to think about!

catmothertes1 · 18/03/2022 18:54

@Plumbear2

School sent you an email in the middle of the day, in the hours that school operates. Its not their fault you didn't check your email.
Indeed. Does the OP expect the school to send her emails at 8pm because that is more convenient for her?
MonteStory · 18/03/2022 18:54

Whether or not the OP should have seen the email is kind of irrelevant. The child cannot be excluded from the trip if it is during the school day and you’ve given permission.

OP email them back and ask on what basis the child is being excluded, reminding them that non-payment is not a legal reason and no seat on the bus is just a bit unbelievable.

niugboo · 18/03/2022 18:57

If this is an educational trip during school hours open to all children they’re breaking the law requiring payment to go. They have to take him.

niugboo · 18/03/2022 18:57

@MonteStory it’s worrying how many people don’t know this!

TooManyPJs · 18/03/2022 18:59

@AngelinaFibres how do you know the other parents are coping? Have you contacted all the parents at the schools in question and completed a survey? If not, you have no idea how the other parents at the PPs schools are dealing with the school's communication so keep your snarky responses to yourself.

budgiegirl · 18/03/2022 19:04

If this is an educational trip during school hours open to all children they’re breaking the law requiring payment to go. They have to take him

But do they have to take him if they didn't receive confirmation from the parent by the deadline (regardless of payment). Perhaps the school needed final numbers by a certain date (to make the booking) and now they can't change the numbers?

OppsUpsSide · 18/03/2022 19:06

If it was my class I would have chased it up rather than have them miss out especially if it was just due to an oversight.

fetchacloth · 18/03/2022 19:07

@HSHorror

Our school payment system can send an alert t if there is something added parentpay
Yes that's correct, although some schools don't operate ParentPay, so may not be able to do this.
fetchacloth · 18/03/2022 19:09

@budgiegirl

If this is an educational trip during school hours open to all children they’re breaking the law requiring payment to go. They have to take him

But do they have to take him if they didn't receive confirmation from the parent by the deadline (regardless of payment). Perhaps the school needed final numbers by a certain date (to make the booking) and now they can't change the numbers?

Schools usually need numbers way in advance of the trip to organise transport, which is now very expensive. This is particularly important for residential trips that require two journeys on two separate days.
Leggingslife · 18/03/2022 19:11

Yabu. It's not the school's fault.

wishing3 · 18/03/2022 19:18

I can only speak for primary but it’s very unusual for this not to be chased up. The school should want to make sure all children are getting the opportunity.YANBU,and I’m a teacher.

Iusedtoliveinsanfrancisco · 18/03/2022 19:18

Your son didn’t want to go.

autienotnaughty · 18/03/2022 19:25

Educational trips should be voluntary contribution so no payment is not a reasonable excuse

pollyglot · 18/03/2022 19:28

I organised SO many trips in my teaching career, from one-hour outings to trips abroad. I don't think that parents have the slightest idea of what goes in to planning a trip for their little darlings. So many hours of booking coaches and entries, itineraries, juggling costs, H&S bumph, individual kids' medication issues, preparing worksheets and maps and handouts, clothing requirements, parental permission slips, checking weather reports...This on top of a normal, challenging teaching day/marking/prep/meetings. All a parent has to do is ensure that they check their emails. YABVU

autienotnaughty · 18/03/2022 19:29

@lauramaisyday

Thus is my pet hate about schools now. They expect you to be online 24/7 what ever happened to popping a letter out with the kids to. It's just laziness by the school and technically if it's an educational trip you are under no obligation to pay anyway if you look it up.
Agree completely. Our school will send a text about something that requires notice and organisation and give a couple of days notice!