To think the school were neglectful?

[frogshead]

Dd (8) went on a school trip yesterday in a heat wave, 40 minutes each way walking to and from a museum.

I sent dd with 2 bottles of water and she didn’t drink either of them and a hat which she didn’t wear.
She arrived home with a headache and has had diarrhoea since.

I know this was partly down to her but she is juts a child and nobody encouraged her to wear her hat or drink anything all day.
I applied sun cream before she went so at least she had that.

What did you want them to do, pour it down her neck? Absolute nonsense. Ops dd just needs to do as she's told.

How do you know she didn't wear a hat or drink though?

And if the child refused? Which some do believe it or believe it not what do you want them to do pin her down and put it on her?

And it was probably preferable to walk in the fresh air (and if they went in the morning it wouldn't have been so hot at that point) than to sit in an unbearably hot and stuffy classroom with no air-con and windows that only open three inches (health & safety - in case anyone jumps out from the ground floor).
And there still would have been children who didn't drink at regular intervals back in school.
Fuck it, go in and complain about that too.
I need a holiday.

The fact that a child wore no hat and drink little drink. I’ve been a parent volunteer on countless trips. Each adult it responsible for 7/8 kids usually. Even the “naughtier” kids do what they’re told at 8.

Also, she's unlikely to be suffering from dehydration or heat stroke so it's pretty irrelevant.

I'd be interested to know if all of the other 8 year olds managed to drink just fine.

By the way, big thanks to all the sensible parents on here who acknowledge and appreciate that school staff DO take care of their kids.

If you say so.

Would you have made sure the other 30 were given one to one treatment as well?

I am sure they would’ve been told to wear hats and drink, just like they would say use the toilets. Have you asked your DD why she didn’t?

How unsafe was your daughter?

Actually, that's a very good point.
Presumably, if the staff didn't remind everyone to drink plenty and wear their hats, then loads of other kids would also be unwell?

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect school to enforce sun hats.

They can’t force children to drink, though. Why didn’t she, did she tell you?

And you have no idea if the staff did indeed try to push the fluids but this child didn’t for whatever reason. Are the school staff supposed to line the kids up and walk up and down watching them drink?
No. they’re junior school kids. Reminders should be enough.
Oh and as others have said, how does the OP know any of this? Just on the say so of her daughter.

" They should have stopped regularly and watched the children drinking"

One by one?
Checked that they actually swallowed?
Counted how many millilitres each child consumed?
Temperature tested their water?
Wiped their mouths dry afterwards?

Am I being facetious? Yes, but only partly, because all of that will come next if we are ever more accepting of the unprecedented learned helplessness we are seeing on a daily basis.

How many teachers to how many children?

Was your DD thirsty and hot? Why didn't she work out for herself to drink water & wear her hat?

Did you put her hat on her head and remind her to sip water when you dropped her off? Does she usually disobey your common sense directions?

Why didn't you or your DD's other parent volunteer to help on the outing?

Do you know that the teacher didn't say to all the children "Hats on, sip water" ?

YABU - the school were not neglectful - your DD needs to develop some common sense. And you need to be clear with her - next time she's hot & thirsty, drink her water.

Our kids secondary school made sure kids had water on trips. HoH insisted my kid took an extra bottle of water school provided despite them being sent with multiple bottles already.

I hope your pupils' parents are more grateful - and sensible - than the OP.

I do actually think it's worth bringing it up with the school. Not in a blamey way, but just to let them know. If parents don't tell the school, then the school won't have the full picture/knowledge about these kinds of activities in the heat and if any kids have been adversely affected, and thus won't be able to make proper informed decisions so easily in the future. You can tell them you're using it as a learning opportunity for your daughter, but feel they ought to know this happened.

While I agree with pp that an 8 year old should be taking some responsibility, the truth is, they are still very young and often do need extra input.

This happened to my 11 year old actually. Same... Nearly an hour of walking each way in the heat. She did drink and did wear a hat, but still had unpleasant heat effects, same as your daughter. I didn't mention it to the school (this happened last heatwave in over 30 degrees heat), but kind of wish I had told them, just so they know.

I do wonder at which age parents now stop expecting their children to be babied.
I'm much older and a nana now but, back in the 90s, when my children were this age they didn't have water bottles all the time, we trusted them to get a drink when they were thirsty, and everybody survived!

Bringing what up with the school?
The OP has no knowledge of what actually happened beyond her dd quite likely blame-shifting.

I'm wondering whether DD might have been thinking that if she drank water she might need the loo, and perhaps she doesn't like using toilets outside of home/school?

"If/might/perhaps."
Doesn't mean the teacher is at fault and warrants a complaint.

It's ridiculous to say the teachers should have to prompt or even force children to drink on a hot day.

If she wasn't thirsty, which I find very hard to believe, or she was too busy doing other things then frankly that's her look out.

She'll know now the consequences of not drinking enough for next time.

If the kids all have drinks, the teachers have checked that. They'll have said keep hydrated at the beginning of the day anyway I'd imagine. Then the rest is down to the kids own common sense at that age.

Just from a comfort perspective how could someone deny themselves water for several hours when it's over 30 degrees?

“Sipping” water is not the answer. Having a substantial drink before setting off is what works. You really don’t want a line of children walking along focussing more on sipping from their hand held water bottles rather than watching out for lampposts, dog shit, other pedestrians, street furniture, uneven pavements, adult scooter riders, people on mobility scooters or the child in front who has suddenly stopped to open their water bottle and sip.

And the person who suggests stopping half way for a drink has never tried to find a cool, shady and above all safe space to halt thirty children - away from the road, not blocking shop entrances or peoples drives. Not to mention that stopping for ten minutes is an additional ten minutes the children are out in the heat rather than being in the cool air con of the museum.

Also some children see any stop as a toilet break, but that’s another issue!

Stop blaming the school and educate your child! Utterly ridiculous you’re blaming the school.

and yes you’re right it’s neglectful that’s you’ve not taught you’re daughter to drink when it’s a hot day. Have a word with yourself and step up and parent your child.