Is this a fib do we think?

Wednesday is PE day for my 4 year old son's nursery class. I asked him if he'd done PE today, expecting him to tell me yes, and then describe what 'games' they'd done, but not this time.

He tells me he missed it. Him and two other kids, because they went to the shop with one of the teachers. Wife nor I were not told of any planned outings. I asked my son loads of questions, doing the usual trick of asking in lots of different ways. He was quite sure of himself. He was adamant that one of the teachers took him and two other kids (he named them specifically) to Sainsbury's, the white shop, the one that mammy sometimes goes to on Fridays after we've been to nanna's. Lots of clear detail, even as far as what they bought and what for.

When they got back to the school, PE had already started, so he and the 2 other kids had to watch because it was too late to get ready to join in.

I'm not one of these that boldy claims that everything the kid says is the truth because butter wouldn't melt in his mouth and he never lies etc, but there was a lot of detail in there for a fib.

We weren't told of any outing beforehand, nor afterwards. Wife is going to ask at the school in the morning, but I'm not sure how to approach this. I don't want to go in pointing fingers, but at the same time if they are going to take my son out of school, I want to know when, where and why.

 

You're quite entitled to know what's going on Clueless. What seems strange to me is that the teacher took just three children. Why? I'd definitely get to the bottom of this if it was my child.

 

Sounds like he'd been selected as one of the brighter kids to go on an unplanned away mission to me.

Teachers had run out of coffee/tea/fags or something & took some kids on an outing. I know i'd be wanting to do that instead of P.E. if it were me.

 

I would be fuming clueless!day outings yes you can give consent too but random shopping trips with 4 yr olds is very perculiar to me maybe it was a treat but what kid likes shopping
Also what if you suddenly had to pick him up from school for personal reasons,its a bit concerning that they have removed him from the premises without your consent.
I can imagine my reaction if i was shopping in tesco and i bumped into my daughter when i thought she was in class

 

They're having a cake sale tomorrow (that bit is not in doubt, we got a letter for that). My son reckons they went to buy ingredients to decorate the cakes. Icing sugar, Smarties, and he said there was another thing but he couldn't remember what it was. Like I said, very specific for a fib.

 

If it did happen (and I'm still not convinced its not a tale), then it wouldn't be a problem, if they'd told us. I wont be at all pleased if it turns out to be true though, because they didn't tell us. I don't like the idea that the kids get taken off places without us knowing. I think while the kid is only 4, its right to know where they are and who they're with.

 

Sorry, I was making light of it, i'm sure once the teachers are in Loco parentis, they would do nothing untoward with regards to the childs welfare without a good reason.

 

If we wanted to take our kids shopping in the middle of a school day can you imagine schools reaction which isnt the point sorry,for me he should not of been taken off them premises without written permission however they make light of it tomo. You take your child to school and unless informed about trips and walks out then thats were they should be.parents need peace of mind x

 

Clueless, does the school have a registers for every lesson ? if they do, did the teather know he was missing from the lesson and marked it as he was not there, black mark against your child, Did the teather knows were your child was and marked your child for being at the lesson when he was not

I don't think i could walk into school and take my child out to go and do a bit of shoping with out a note to the teather first, so why should they

 

I suppose taking a child shopping if they are allowed to do the spending and giving and accepting the change etc could be classified as educational. However, it is the absence from school without your permission which is the main concern with the child being so young. This sounds to me as if a teacher has not thought this through and done it on the off chance of an opportunity to get the ingredients they need for the cooking lesson. Too late to stop it happening now but to stop it happening again is your main objective tomorrow. Just in case something should happen on such a trip out from school. Good luck with them seeing your point of view.

 

my lo comes up with very elaborate stories with lots of detail in nursery. When i pick her up i get told that she has been chatting about a trip that happened or a play date but it didn't happen?? She also accused a little girl of biting her one day when infact she was recollecting a memory and when i asked the playgroup leader why we hadnt been informed she said the little girl hadnt attended playgroup for some time.

 

Wife tactfully asked the teacher this morning, and the teacher admitted it.

We're not going to make a big deal of it this time, but I'm going to send an informal note to the head teacher raising a number of concerns I have with the school in general, all centred around totally inadequate communication. For example, guess how we found out that it's half term next week? Not on the local education authority website (last year's is), no letter from school, we found out off one of the other parents who also has an older kid.

This is common at the lad's school. Any event, we find out a day or two before, if we're lucky. The assumption appears to be that the parents don't care, which might be true in a few cases, but not in the vast majority.

 

I'm astonished on two counts:

1) taking a 4yr old shopping, is not a part of any curriculum I am familiar with
2) are you certain the school website doesn't have a list of "diary dates"? (Seems a bit antiquated if they don't? ) I was under the impression that they are obliged to set out their diary dates in advance.

Clue, get yourself on the PTA! Clearly they need the likes of you to drag them into the 21st Century!!

If not the PTA, then run for school Governer!