Who is being unreasonable - children taken to park during summer camp

[Jimmies]

DS5 is doing summer holiday camp. Run by same people as do his after-school club. The holiday camp is held at the school, in the same hall/area as the after-school club.

Started from 9am this morning. DH dropped DS off at 10.30am (!) but found all the children and the staff had gone to a playground 10 mins walk up the road. So weren't at the school at all.

We weren't told there would be any trips out of the school.

I think if he'd been dropped off on time - it would have been mentioned they were planning on making a little trip. It's only 10 mins walk away, there are only 10 kids.

DH is furious. I think he's been v affected by yesterday's news and is saying no way can they just take kids to the park without us giving explicit permission for them to be taken off site. All the info and marketing of the club was about being at the school doing activities on site.

He wants to pull DS out of the holiday camp (which would NOT be good for DS at all). I want him to stay in the camp - it's with all his friends.

What do you think? I am under-reacting or is he over-reacting?

He's over reacting. If he'd dropped him on time, he would have been informed.

1. How do you know the ones who were dropped off on time weren't asked permission?
2. Wete you expecting they just stayed in one room the while time, potentially all day everyday?

Does the school have a policy that they don't need parental consent to take the children within a certain distance of the school E.g.
For local area walks etc? Lots of schools do. It may be that the club can use the school policy as long as it's only children from that school attending.

If he'd bothered to drop him off on time, they'd have asked for permission (if you hadn't already given permission when you completed the booking).

He's being totally ridiculous.

Hmmm, I think he is overreacting personally. He may well have been told at drop off that’s rehab the plan was if he had gotten there on time.
I don’t think a holiday club taking the kids to a small park nearby is anything to write home about.

It’s a non event. DS wasn’t taken to the playground without permission, because he wasn’t there to be taken, and if DH had dropped him off on time he’d have been made aware of the trip and asked if he gave permission or not.

It is quite likely that if dh had dropped him on time he would have been informed/permission asked. If he'd said no then they'd have kept him on site.

It is very normal for holiday camps to include going to the park to play outside games etc and normally this would be part of the standard permission - ie it's not considered a trip.

Off topic, but bloody hell your dh dropped him off late!

Why wasn't he dropped off on time? DH was 1.5 hours late!

If he'd dropped on time they probably would have told him they were going to a nearby park.

Why did he drop him that late??
If he’d dropped him on time I imagine they’d have informed him of the plan. He’s being totally unreasonable considering!

Most likely the adults were told on drop off that morning. Did you sign anything when you registered him for the club. Does DH normally act like this? Does the club say that you can drop off after the start time?

He's over-reacting.

When he hands his kids over to someone else, they are then in loco parentis and if they want to take kids on a supervised visit to the park, they can.

A professional holiday club will have risk assessed the trip.

My local park is always full of kids in holiday camps. He should be grateful DS is out having fun and fresh air with his friends.

He should have got ds there on time.

Your husband is being unreasonable.

Why was he so late, not fair on your son or the club tbh.

This wouldn't bother me at all. It's nice they're taking them out and about a bit, and realistically it's likely where you'd take the kids if you were off with them yourself.

My son's at holiday club today and I wouldn't be at all bothered if they said they'd been to the park.

Can you imagine being het up in a stuffy hall all day in weather like this? I'd be pleased they took my child outside to a nearby known park.

He's massively overreacting.

Your husband is being massively unreasonable!

Your son was very late to the club, I'm assuming your husband didn't inform them he would be late?

If they were on time, I'm sure they'd have mentioned a trip to the park but like others said, this is normally covered in the standard permissions.

Is he normally this anxious?

Jesus, who cares!? It's a walk to a local park.

I think a camp that goes to the park is vastly superior to one that stays at school.

I think 10:30 is very late to drop off for holiday camp and you'll probably find they have a policy about the last time for drop off so they know numbers.

I think you may well find you've already signed a permission slip allowing local outings if you use the after school club. And that if not, it's very likely they would have gotten agreement at drop off.

BUT, they certainly shouldn't be bringing them off school premises without permission if that is what happened.

@Jimmies - I completely and utterly understand your husband's concerns after yesteday's events in Southport, but the other side of that coin is your child being locked up in a hall all summer - a pretty bleak prospect. The fears are understandable and justified though x

10.30 am is very late, I would have expected a call to ask if your child was going.

But I don't think a trip to the park presumably locally is unfair for the children, more so missing out for someone who hasn't shown up

Your DH is massively overreacting and needs to calm the fuck down.

Just imagine being stuck in a stuffy school hall during the boiling hot summer holidays! Of course they should be outdoors, at the park, by the river, in the woods, anywhere other than trapped inside! What a strange thing for him to worry about. It's his fault for taking the child in late. They could've said sorry, we can't take him now as the activities have already started.
It's fully supervised. They didn't just release them out on their own to wander the streets?
I hope he sees sense.

He's overreacting, but I can understand why. I wasn't happy about my daughter going out today and she's 16. Obviously I let her go, but it's just so scary imagining being on the other end of that phonecall as a parent. So I really do understand his initial fear response being anger, because I can imagine all the worst case scenarios flashing through my own head too.

Cut him some slack in regards to his emotions I think and give him chance to simmer down, but don't withdraw your son. We can't stop the world and get off when bad things happen unfortunately.

He's lucky they took your child at all if he was so late without prior notice. Wouldn't happen here. It's not a drop in club. Random adults turning up whenever they chose is a safeguarding issue for other children.

Perhaps he should take a look at the issues he creates rather than an authorised, risk assessed trip to the park.