School trips

Oldernotwiser

moo2moo wrote: »

Sorry to be a kill joy but coach trips aren't cheap either. £1000 gets a coach for 2 days. Add to that accomodation for 2 drivers and parking permits and it meant that an overnight trip in the UK cost £150 per child without any excursions. The longer the drive the more drivers required, so the amount of accomodation increases. Add to that the Ferry costs (£500-£1500 for a coach to Europe) and the fuel and you'll very quickly find its much cheaper to fly, although you're still sourcing a coach to get from school to the airport.

Well, I've taken groups of students away on coach trips that have been much cheaper than this. Surely if it's costing £150 per child, then taking only 10 children gives you a price of £1,500 and why would you take a whole coach for just 10 children? There's also the possibility of travelling independently by coach, both in the UK and abroad which can be very economical. Teachers often choose to fly because they themselves find it more comfortable and this is also the reason that school groups stay in quiite decent hotels rather than budget accommodation and Youth Hostels.

There's no incentive for teachers to keep the costs of trips down. If I were being cynical I might also suggest that high prices for school trips can exclude some of the more "challenging" children and whilst I might have some sympathy for this strategy, it's disingenuous to pretend that it's impossible to do things more cheaply!

spentapenny

My son's first high school trip is costing almost £400 and that's for a coach trip. Only around one in 6 children can go because there's only one coach, and oldernotwiser there are some challenging children going, including the worst bully in his class. We were given group lists and it seems that my son's class make up the majority so maybe the other 6 classes weren't sold the idea quite so enthusiastically lol!

We were given a week to pay the deposit although it was only £70 - but that was just before christmas.

santashelper_2

hm71 wrote: »

That is quite cheap given the price of our schools trips, but it may be worth a call to the person in charge of finances. My dd had a maths trip this year and hubby was off work for 3 months due to an op & money was V.tight. the school assisted me with the deposit and I paid the balance-she had a fantastic time and although it seems expensive- I could have booked a weekend at the same place for half the price, but all her activities were planned in line with the maths curriculum and they had to colate results for each activity on pc's. I wouldn't have even begun to know how to do this during the weekend and she has benefited very well from the trip.

So if this was a maths trip surely the perfect opportunity to provide the class with an exercise to do some research to see how they can get the best deal for the best price which would be very educational for every day living when they leave school - is it just me or do you get the impression the obvious seems to slip the minds of teachers nowadays.

Kimitatsu

Hi

I used to work for a company that organised school trips and to be honest that is in the right ball park. As a UK tour company you have to ensure that all UK laws are complied with (even though it is on the continent) and the Local Authority (quite rightly) makes you jump through hoops to ensure compliance.

Bear in mind that this is a door to door service, where all of the accomodation has been checked, they will all be housed together on the minimum 1st floor (school trips cannot be housed on a ground floor with access to the outside in a hotel) they will have a tour manager or guide, all of their meals will be included, flights, transport, entry fees and the cost of the teachers going.

When you put all of that together then actually although its a bit of a shock it is quite reasonable, and they really DO get more out of it than going with the family. I have been on several trips taking from 9 to 18 years out, and they get a whole different perspective on the world, really something that money cant buy them in this country.

I have just paid out £130 for my 9 year old to go on a 3 day trip 50 miles up the road, so I actually think its quite good!

Reggie_Rebel

foreversomeday wrote: »

I am curious - what do they do on a maths trip?

Drop them off in Manchester with £20 each and see how long it takes them to get home. Once home they have to calculate how much it cost them per mile and per hour (or day or month) to get home

Kimitatsu

Reggie_Rebel wrote: »

Drop them off in Manchester with £20 each and see how long it takes them to get home. Once home they have to calculate how much it cost them per mile and per hour (or day or month) to get home

Or see how many parents you can get on the phone within the hour complaining that their darling children have called to say they have spent their money and can you come and get them.

Could run all sorts of maths questions from a day like that - adding, subtracting, division, multilpication,probabilities, mode, median and mean, oooh the possibilities are endless :rotfl:

Mrs7ones

DS1 starts his A level Geography course in Sept, and has already been informed by collage of a £900 trip to Iceland :eek: ......
He's also alrerady been informed by me ''no chance!!'

silvercar

Mrs7ones wrote: »

DS1 starts his A level Geography course in Sept, and has already been informed by collage of a £900 trip to Iceland :eek: ......
He's also alrerady been informed by me ''no chance!!'

Do check with the college, my son had to go on an A level geography field trip as it was part of the course work for the A level. Without it he would have had zero for part of the course work.

If there is no way he can go on the trip, he may have to accept the risk of getting a lower grade or choose a different subject!

Lunar_Eclipse

Whilst the warning has been on the low side and the headline figure not cheap, it does seem good value having seen everything that the trip includes.

Additionally, the insurance will be a significant element I would suspect. I have just paid £13 for my 6 year old to visit our local forest on a short school trip next week, less than 2 miles from our house! It covers a coach and insurance. For legal reasons, interestingly we cannot transport them ourselves.

I am a big fan of school trips and outdoor education in general. Even a 'non-educational' annual skiing trip that another poster mentioned will be highly invaluable from a personal development point of view for most children. Education is about developing the whole person afterall. Difficult for those who believe in them but truly cannot afford them though.

hm71_2

foreversomeday wrote: »

I am curious - what do they do on a maths trip?

http://www.pgl.co.uk/PGLWeb/Schools/Secondary-schools/adventure-study/courses/Mathematics

Don't know if this helps, but it is a breakdown of the activities and how they use maths. Also do other subjects as well.