How much communication is normal on residential trips?

[LadyCrazyCatLady]

My DC has been away on a school residential since midday yesterday. Thus far, we have had no pictures/emails/texts or any updates at all.

When my 2 friend's DCs (2 different schools) went on their residentials, the parents received regular updates in the form of pictures on the school FB pages or texts for example to say that they'd arrived safely. We have had nothing.

Is this normal or something worth mentioning to the school to politely request some updates?

I expect the lack of updates is because the teachers are very busy ensuring the kids have an amazing experience, so I'm not sure whether it's a reasonable 'ask', but it's DD's first time away from us and she was very anxious - a photo of her smiling and doing an activity would really help us stop worrying.

Oh yes - and my friend was 'that parent' who complained that her daughter was in fewer photos than everybody else. I didn't have a child in that year, so maybe it was true, but I'm pretty sure the teachers had better things to do than check things like that.

I expect 'parents being more anxious nowadays' is multifactorial from genuine reasons to be more anxious to a change in culture with increased social media/phone usage to the 'rose tinted glasses' phenomenon (there may have been as many anxious parents in the past, but they didn't ask about it on social media).

I can't speak for parents as a whole, but I have individual reasons relating to my DD to be anxious. It's unlikely I'll be worrying as much about DC2 as she hasn't had as many struggles as DC1.

Please note that I haven't said anything to the school, I asked on here to guage opinions on whether it was reasonable to do so and have concluded that it would not be. Please don't feel sorry for our teachers - they are extremely appreciated.

None. If there was a problem
they would let you know.

I took a class on residential a couple of years ago and made a massive effort to send lots of pictures and updates. It was exhausting and all I got back was angry parents saying their child wasn't in enough photos, or they didn't like the other children they were standing with and so could I separate them. Or messaging me throughout the day asking whether their child had drunk enough water or was participating in enough activities. The following year we agreed as a staff to send a 'got here safe' group message and leave it at that! However if I had specific children with anxieties whose parents I knew were very worried I would send them a brief update. It's so tiring being on residential and we really are busy with the children so time updating just takes away from that!

My Y6 son is on the first day of his first residential trip. The school has set up a private online group for parents and posted about 30 pics throughout the day today. It's wonderful! Reading this thread makes me realise how lucky I am that my son's school is willing and able to do this. Technology makes communication easy nowdays, so I think you are perfectly reasonable to expect at least a few reassurance messages.

Nothing unless there is a problem. No news is good news!

I don't expect teachers to send anything. It's a hard enough job doing a residential in the first place. If there's a problem, they'll be in touch.

When DD was away they did post a handful of pictures which only included a handful of children so it caused more problems than it solved!

I remember one residential DS went on, school sent group photo but a couple of children didn’t manage to be in it (hiding at the back) which did cause a friend of mine to panic slightly when she couldn’t see her DC!

Same friend when our DC were at cub camp got worried when she saw a photo from that as she thought her son looked worried whereas I thought they all looked happy!

Oh dear @chillipopcorn1 , that sounds stressful. It's a shame that a few parents spoiled it for the rest!

We have now had some photos uploaded onto the school's social media. It looks like they're having a lovely time and I'm so thankful to the teachers for giving up their free time to enable the children to have these experiences.

We had very little from the teachers on DC1’s Year 6 residential trip.

One or two generic messages about having arrived, kids having lots of fun etc. No photos until they were back!

It’s the sort of thing where no news is good news. They’d be in touch quickly enough if something was wrong.

My son went on a school trip to France. In an entire week, he wasn't on a single photo of the many they posted, not even the group ones.

I didn't want to be that parent so waited until the coach came back to school at which point he appeared.

We got 0.

Our school does a "got here safely" message on the school twitter feed, then nothing until after they've all got back and a post will appear sometime later on twitter with a couple of photos (one group photo, not many others, probably to avoid some people saying their kid was left out!!)

I am feeling extremely old - remember sending DD off to Guide camp with a stamped addressed envelope which I received back, via post, containing a brief note saying they had arrived safely!

Zero.

Maybe a text if the coaches were significantly delayed for pick up.