To think that this isn't fair (school situation)

[whyisswangnotaword]

To cut a long story short, my child's school is holding a whole school trip to a beach to mark the end of the year.
It's been highly encouraged for all students to attend, albeit a little too encouraged and has come across to many as very pushy, which has been off putting.
We are not attending, due to my child's horrific travel sickness. I was called and asked if we were attending after already saying we are not - and then was further questioned as to why we are not going. That's not the point though -

We have today been told that any children not attending will be set online work to complete for the day that the school is closed for the trip.
I will be taking my child out for the day, most probably to the cinema due to bad weather .. because although she is aware of the reasons we are not attending and did not want to go due to travel sickness (it would absolutely NOT be enjoyable for anybody) it's still not nice for her to think of all of her friends out having fun whilst she is stuck at home.

Is it silly of me to think that it's unfair that the school are setting an online work day for the children that aren't attending?
I would agree with it totally if she were missing an educational trip, but it's not that. It's a whole school trips for the children and their parents to have a fun day at the beach.

@whyisswangnotaword I sympathise OP my DS is 13 and suffers with travel sickness. He is fine on a train or plane as he can get up and have a walk about. Have tried all the brands of tablets, bands etc which do help some but he is does still get sick.

I bought these as he was going to a school trip to Disney in Paris by coach and boat (he really wanted to go with his pals) and they worked and he wasn't sick at all. He also took a tablet alongside.

what a shit attitude to have?

Your children are being given the opportunity to have a fun day out with their friends, see a new place and potentially learn something new and your attitude is to just keep them home?

be careful or they may grow up as narrow minded as you seem.

Yup.

They'll be setting the work in order to avoid complaints from parents that work hasn't been set. (I'm a retired secondary HoD. We'd occasionally get complaints from parents about work not being given out on the last day of term.)

That’s really sad.

You know when primary aged children enjoy watching films like Harry Potter, there’s a reason Hogwart’s isn’t a 70s concrete school block?

They don’t need to “appreciate architecture” to enjoy being exposed to the sheer scale of the cathedral.

One of mine has loved stained glass since she was very young, it’s part of her GCSE art inspiration now.

It’s really sad that the school is making up for your lack of exposing them to many things, and yet you’re still denying them that chance.

What a shame.

Yes I always make sure she is looking up / out of the window etc, getting her to spot things. As she does have a tendency to look down or curl up when she's not feeling well on transport which obviously just makes it worse.
No tablets, books etc allowed on journeys with us. It's all alert at all times 😳

@whyisswangnotaword try over the counter piriton liquid for your daughter. Most over the counter travel sick ess things for kids are antihistamine based.

My daughter is very travel sick her hospital consultant suggested trying piriton it for travel as she was very travel sick but too young for the over the counter travel pills. It works really well if you give it at least 30 minutes before leaving the house. For a 4-5 year old, they can have another dose after 4 hours up to 4 doses in a day. .

What if you phone the school on the day of the school trip to say that your daughter is "sick". Would they expect a sick child to do the work which they have set?

Oh wow! I never knew about this, and we've tried a lot! Thank you. I will be purchasing for future use !

OP, why have you ignored the very first post possibly explaining why the school has set work?

If you don’t want her to do the work, say she felt sick and go to the cinema.

It’s not the big deal and drama you’re making it out to be.

Cathedrals are great fun!
St Paul’s London was our school’s main Church, and it was fascinating - The massive Wellington Hearse downstairs and the trip to the Dome - Plus Whispering gallery-
Children exposed to such wonderful places young do tend to have an adult appreciation of such places.

That's super @whyisswangnotaword and it seems a few others on your thread really recommend them too! Fingers crossed they work for your girl x

I also get travel sick but not nauseous .. dizzy when I look down.
I'm the same with games also! Minecraft especially makes me feel very unwell 🤢

I am fairly sure that parents have to go
on the trip because it is a beach and they are needed to take responsibility for their own children.
When my child went to a sea side resort on a language trip the school said they were absolutely not allowed on the beach as they couldn’t get insurance for it. They were allowed in the pool as it had a lifeguard.

Honestly we moan that schools aren't exposing children to the real world and real culture and then we have such a horrifically narrow-minded attitude when a genuine real-world cultural experience is offered..... (which will have taken a great deal of planning and risk assesment btw) The mind boggles!

Cathederals are beautiful and interesting whatever your age. My year 1 child would definitely appreciate this trip, in fact she loved it when we took her to our local cathederal a few months ago.

2.5 hours there and 2.5 back?? Is that right?! There and back on the same day?

Would be worth a shot if I was worried I'd be shouted at for not doing the work 😆 but I think it will be okay.
BUT school is closed entirely, and everyone has to be onto the coach for 7:30 AM so I don't think they'd even answer the phone !

I was just thinking of York Minster.
We took the kids there and there was a whole section set by with Lego and other activities. A competition to build or draw your own York Minster and some other stuff to do. Not a whole day out, but alongside not being in school, picnic with friends, maybe a play area, it's a great day.
Cathedrals are beautiful too, some kids are able to appreciate this.

@phishy I've not ignored it. I'm not worried we will get shouted at for not doing the work! I just was wondering why it was set if school is otherwise closed. That's all..
I'm mostly replying to the comments about sickness, as I'm up for advice with that, which a lot of people are giving me.

Yes that's right 😵‍💫

I wouldn't do any set assignments.
I completely get why you're not going; that's not 'fun' for a 5 year old who gets motion sick.
Call her in sick.
And I never say that.

And the school would get short shrift around here requiring every child in Reception to have a parent accompany them. People are scraping by in a lot of families, and/or have younger siblings at home, and there is zero chance most would be able to 'just take the day off' and come, too.

They are discriminating against your daughter.
They have arranged a school trIp and should have designed one that took every child into account.
If that’s not possible, they should have kept some staff back at school and had a fun day at school too (not doing work).

The people at the beach are not there for educational reasons - it’s a fun day out with parents and kids.

I would let school know that you will be arranging something fun for your child to do at home because the school has been discriminatory against your daughter for medical reasons.

Do not give the child phenergan. Unless there is some non drowsy version I haven’t heard of, it is a sedating antihistamine and so strong they sometimes give it out at night on psychiatric wards to help patients sleep. Sometimes GPs recommend it instead of sleeping pills because it’s not addictive. I took slightly too much once and I could barely lift my own arm. It was horrible.

My children were given the option of going! They didn’t want to go!

School Trips are such hard work for staff but so valuable to the children. However hard it is booking the trip, persuading other people to come so that the there are sufficient adults, watching the students discover somewhere they have never been before is one of the reasons that teaching is worthwhile.
School trips, school journeys are beloved by OFSTED. When they talk to students about parts of the school year they remember, it is so often school trips.
I cannot believe the negativity on here.
I remember a Geography teacher who did supply at a really rough comp. Field work was a requirement at GCSE.. There was a whole exam component based on Field Work.
The school covered the cost for any student unable to cover the cost. Yet loads of parents did not bother sending their kids on the trip even though the exam implication was made clear to them.
Some parents are really not on the side of educators.