Daughter goes on school trip and stands outside freezing most of the day. Complain????

[FloralFlowers]

Hi all

Just like to get some opinions before I go writing furious letters

My 6 year old when on a school trip to the Zoo today to watch a nativity type animal show.
It was 0 degrees but we were advised the trip would still be going ahead, despite the weather.

She was well wrapped up, two layers of everything,hat scarf gloves and ear muffs.

She came home (early!) with wet feet and freezing cold saying she had stood outside and walked around all day despite crying (along with nine of the other girls and two boys) and asking to go inside.

The class trip then came home an hour early, which just added further to her upset as I wasn't able to pick her up.
Do I make a complaint that they were kept outside for most of the trip??

I understand it was a zoo trip, and the weather was unexpected, but if a quarter of the class are crying due to cold (and my daughter doesn't have a tendency to make things up and is pretty honest), would a school normally continue with the trip???

I didn't get chance to speak to other parents as my daughter was one of the few left at the end of the day, so didn't get chance to check the stories out.

What would you do in this instance?????

Thanks all

When a teacher is ill or unavailable and cover isn't there, classes are often split.
So an extra 15 should be manageable.

In extenuating circumstances perhaps - not when parents decide they don't want their child to attend a trip.

Post at 18.11.06hrs - "Usually they don't have this trip, it was a new trip that was scheduled last minute".

But the OP didn't say she tried to cancel her DD's place, she must of been happy for her to go. It is parents responsibility to make sure their children are dressed properly, so if she thought her DD would be cold she should of asked for her not to go.

I would have thought parents refusing to allow children to go on a trip at the last minute is pretty extenuating circumstances.

I know - I was referring to earlier posts which said that it was up to parents to cancel if they didn't want their children to go.

Personally I believe that school trips of this nature should be inclusive, and not dependent on parents being able to afford the correct gear to keep their children warm to the extent it would seem was required here.

Most schools probably assume that parents have the correct clothing for their children for the time of year.

I think it's a lot of pfaff about nothing, tbh.

It's -55 in Siberia. Only they get to kill the zoo animals and wear them as fur

As Goblinchild pointed out we only have the word of an upset 6 year old to how cold it was and how long they were outdoors.

I do like my evidence verified and stories of horror unpicked to find the truth.
It's a flaw, I know. Takes all the fun out of instant judging.

So if parents cancel at the last minute the school accommodates them ...extenuating circumstances

our school does outdoor play down to -20.
and if it goes below -40 parents can decide to keep their children at home.

i'd just get her a better pair of boots for next year tbh. and a couple of cheap fleecy neckwarmers and a decent hat.

dd2 quite often cries on the way to school because it's too cold (it's about 200 yards - she's 7) so i wouldn't set too much store by the fact some children were apparently crying/ complaining.

i think as long as no-one came down with hypothermia then they were probably ok - no teachers will have deliberately kept them outside whilst they were all turning blue. sitting around watching a show in the cold is always difficult. maybe suggest next time the children make 'sit-upons' in advance to insulate their bottoms a bit.

I'm quite surprised by this thread - must be because I have lived in France for too long and don't know how to tough things out like a Brit any more.

Where I live now it would be considered madness to do a school trip to a zoo in winter.

Beachcomber you may be interested www.mindstretchers.co.uk/nature-kindergartens.html

^Children from the age of 2 years spend the majority of the day outdoors in all weathers, either in the very naturalistic garden or in the woodlands where they build dens and bird hides using tools such as saws and loppers, make fires to cook their own snacks, climb trees and generally explore the wonders that the woodlands have to offer. Finding a treasure trove of fungi led to an in depth investigating into the different varieties and their characteristics. Children explored slope and gradient by designed their own slide on a slope using a variety of materials including mud and water!

Our winter weather allowed the children to discover the magic of soft white snow, the icy crystals of morning frost and the amazing ice sculptures nature left for them overnight. It is an exciting season for all and the children are very happy to be outside dressed in appropriate outdoor clothing supplied by the nursery. As part of an investigation about keeping warm the children made their own felt and this evolved into the creation of their own red felt hats to use outside.^

ooo, i've come over all 'last child in the woods'

?the ?Norwegian child? should live an active and outdoor childhood. Strong emphasis is placed on the relationship between young children and their wider environment, in particular the outdoor environment and more generally, with nature. Apart from being fun and healthy, being outside throughout the year is about learning to live in and with strongly demarcated seasons and extreme weather conditions... In short, being active and outdoors is both an issue of health and an issue of value, or identity.
? OECD, 1999

now very much part of the English Early years curriculum

The slightest drop of rain, and all the kids at our school get driven to school.

No wonder they can't cope.

In inclement weather, when it's just me and ds walking to school, it reminds me of that government nuclear warning programme of the late 60s.

There is absolutely no fucker about!!!!

Oh, don't get me wrong - in France kids go outside in the winter.

But they go ski-ing or sledging or ice skating or some other activity where they are moving around plenty and keep warm.

Maybe it's colder here though. Was -8 today in the middle of the afternoon.

I thought it was blardy freezing in the UK at the moment?

Yes, I think the school's approach may have been wrong, beach.

My school, given similar circ's, would have had the children running around on the central green to keep warm.

They are a bit gung-ho, though

Minus 17 here Beachcomber tshirt weather

my ds has these and they are brilliant. He has been wearing them in 2 feet of snow this week and his feet are dry and warm. The website has lots of snowboots including some for £10 and some for over £20. All very good quality and warm but the sizing seems to come up a bit small so order bigger.

If my kids went to the zoo they would be wearing thermals and salopettes, ski suits to keep warm. You can get all these things on ebay/gumtree etc. After last winter most people I know have bought thses things well in advance!!

My DS1 went on an outdoors trip recently. The weather on that particular day was very wet. Lots of rain and wind.

I dressed him according to the weather. When he got home he was fine.

However, the next day we had a letter home explaining that the children had spent most of the day indoors as they had changed the activities to avoid being outdoors too much. The tone of the letter suggested that parents had been in to complain about the trip going ahead because of the rain.

TBH I was a bit and that they hadn't done the planned activities outdoors because some of the parents had complained about the possibility of their children getting a bit damp.

On another note. DS1 would have loved a day at the zoo today. DD on the other hand would have been complaining and yes crying for most of it. Depends on the child.

I do think that if you are visitng a zoo you would expect to be outside. Its a pity the weather was so cold but its not something the teachers could control.
Making sure your child was appropriately dressed is down to the parents (sadly many parents dont bother) but I would expect a teacher to supervise and ensure that kids are wearing what they brought. If the kids dont bring suitable clothing then its not for the teachers to sort something else.

I would put it down to experience, may be if there is to be another day out in the snow, you reconsider your options.

Did you speak to the teachers by the way?

that's a good idea cat64.
one sleepign bag inside another?

tries to commit to memory for future