To be angry with holiday camp?!?!

[Woolwichchicken]

I’ve booked several morning sessions 9am-1pm with my daughter so I can do some KIT work on maternity leave. The camp is at her school but run by an external company.

they have taken her on an all day trip to central London, I knew the trip was happening but stupidly assumed she would be be going as I had only booked a morning session. I assumed some of the staff would stay at the school campus with the morning kids.

i know it might sound silly but I’m don’t feel comfortable with people taking her to central London as the camp is mostly staffed by people who seem to be teenagers. We went to pick her up at one and jo kids came out. They also aren’t picking up their phone, so now I’m having a full on panic that she is somewhere in central London.

As a disclaimer I know she goes in school trips, but that is with her teachers who are much more experienced.

This makes no sense. Why didn't you ask? Why have they not asked you if she's in for half day? Didn't you give her a lunch? Where are they actually going in London and how are they getting there?

But I paid to pick her up at 1pm! I didn’t think she would get a full day trip for half the price.

If it’s a camp that does trips and you signed her up for a trip day I’m not sure what you expected? If you didn’t want her to go on trips then why would you sign her up for one?

My kids’ camp has trip days but there’s no one left behind - anyone there is on the trip with the teenagers and managers who aren’t teens.

She has a packed lunch as they have lunch at 12-12:30 and she was supposed to finish at 1pm

How the heck did they take an 8 yr old on a trip to London without specific written permission to be off site with the child. Every time I have signed my DC up for something that involved being off site there were loads of forms to sign, instructions home about taking more snacks/water bottles/suncream/hats etc.

I think you were entirely reasonable to assume that since you had signed your DC up for a session that ends at 1pm (and paid), that she would be there for you to collect at 1pm.

Its very worrying that their paperwork is so lax that they either didnt communicate it properly with you (along with a new time to collect her), or didnt realize that she wasnt signed up for it and took her anyway.

Unless you've missed a lot of info from your post it seems incredibly gung ho of the staff.
No signed agreement/disclaimer?
No extra cost for the trip?
No asking you to pay for the afternoon session when you hadn't booked it?
First info was a text about the trip today?

My kids used to go on some trips with holiday club and the dates were set way in advance, forms had to be completed, there was an additional charge payable in advance. If they didn't have enough numbers or short on payment it didn't happen.

I wouldn't worry for today, but yes this is something to think about going forward. It depends how much you trust the staff and how competent they seem, but also how much you can depend on your child's streetwise/good judgement. I would be comfortable with my 8yo doing most things while being supervised by a responsible teenager, but I still keep an eye on some of his friends next to the road as there are a couple who can be a bit unpredictable.

I’ve haven’t sent my children to these style of camps as I remember being a teenager and being ‘friends’ with those that went being ‘camp leaders’ for the summer. They were nothing short of children themselves, still making daft mistakes and figuring out life. I understand your anxiety.

That said, I wouldn’t leave them in the care of a camp run by kids full stop.

This, we're here all jealous you've scored a free afternoon of camp

I think your assumption is reasonable - full day trip for the full day kids unless clearly communicated otherwise. There could easily have been one staff member staying back with the e.g. 4 half day kids.

This is exactly what I assumed!

I think they're fine in enclosed spaces where the kids can't escape, the camp staff just kind of work it out as they go along. I'd be wary of roads/water though, and I've never let my DC go to any where swimming/pool games have been offered as activities.

There wouldn't have been just 1 staff member left with the children.

Didn't she mention she was off in a trip tomorrow?

It all depends on the communication. If something was sent out, eg 24th July will be our trip to London, with an itinerary, I would assume you had to communicate with them separately if you didn't plan to attend. If they just mentioned something verbally it would not be as clear. You must have had to sign something though. Was there no paperwork for this particular trip, or when you sign them up for the camp do you agree to all trips?

I’m gonna discuss it with them, as at the end of the day I also want to spend time with her before I finish maternity leave (I have an 8 month old too), and I have made some plans for 1:30pm on the days I pick her up at 1pm. So clearly that won’t work if they’re expecting to take her on trips.

Really? No permission slip? No note with a run down of her day and she will need to bring/packed lunch/sun cream etc. I find that very hard to believe.
Your daughter wasn't talking about London tomorrow etc.

I'm with you on this. My son's camp do day trips every Friday and so he won't go in on those days. I don't want them taking him offsite but he is younger than your DD.

I think it would depend for a me a bit on where the holiday camp was based. if it was based in say Putney i'd probably feel different to if it was based in Coventry.

So you booked your child in on the day of a London trip but just presumed she would stay behind? That's absolutely bonkers.

Most holiday camps have itineraries for the week and you pick the days you think your child would like. Surely if the itinerary for the week said 'London day trip' you wouldn't bother booking that day because you only want half days/don't want child leaving the camp.

I don't think you can be angry with the camp when it is you who misunderstood. Although there does seem to be some poor communication by the camp regarding the day trip to London.

My son’s holiday care. Trip days all staff go and the centre is closed. This ensures there is enough cover for the children’s safety. They will have done a risk assessment.
This is standard so all parents know.

When your daughter comes back she will have had a brilliant time and her joy will mean you may be a little less cross.

I understand why you feel worried, I didn’t feel comfortable with my DD doing these kind of trips when she was young. Likely I was a bit over anxious but I just didn’t like the idea of it. But I don’t think there is a need to be angry with the holiday club as it would have been better to ask for clarification earlier rather than assume.

I mean you can discuss this till your blue in the face it will change nothing
i’m guessing it’s like the one we sent ours to and it was all covered by the original paper which says something very general like all organised trips
the logic you applied would be more relevant to a nursery for than this type of pop up childcare

it get your pissed off an assumption on both sides kicking off you might find there’s mysteriously no spaces if you ever try to book her in again

I don’t understand why you didn’t speak to anyone when you dropped her off.

Your assumption was reasonable - if you could book for half a day, it means half a day was an option.

Someone on their side has messed up.

You have done nothing wrong, you booked a morning, you expected a morning!

Why would she? Half day booked as normal.