How do you pay for School Trips

Finishrich

I have a couple of burning questions about this topic.

Premise:

My children are 15 year old twins, very good kids (so far, touch wood!), they only get a little money from me, £10 each in a saving account per month and when I get paid in my work I give them the odd fiver or tenner if I can afford it and no other expenses are pressing.

Otherwise, they work for their money - my son has been delivering newspapers at 6:30 in the morning for the last 3 years, come rain or shine. My daughter babysits the neighbour's child 3-4 afternoons a week for 1 hour after school.

The trip:

Their school has organised a ski trip costing nearly £500 each, it includes everything, equipment, insurance, ski pass, journey, food and lodging, but not the specialist ski clothes such as gloves, trousers etc.

Because they let us know well in advance, with a payment plan, we are just about managing to meet the cost, bit at the time and with a bit of struggle (not too much, thanks God I have had a fair amount of work recently).

Dilemma:

Should I ask my kids to:

a) contribute some of their money to the trip

and/or

b) pay for their own specialist clothing?

I am in a real doubt here, because although we are not struggling in general, thankfully, (husband in employment, me self employed with a fair amount of work coming in) we still find it quite difficult to meet this additional cost, on top of mortgage, expenses, house repairs (BIG expense, lately!) etc...

But I feel that I am giving them so little already! They buy their own games and music, pay for their outings with friends, never expect to be clothed with brand name stuff, and above all they are really nice, kind kids - I feel it would be bad to ask to give from their little earnings.

On the other hand, how can I make them feel responsible around money? When they get paid  by their jobs they fritter it like there's no tomorrow (for example, my son NEVER waits for a ps2 game to get cheaper, he buys them straight away, at £40+ when they come out, and my daughter never ever waits for a film to go on video, she goes and sees them as soon as they come out), but because they earn it themselves I do not interfere.

Help please! Thank you.

Caterina

Caterina
Check out some of the auctions on ebay for ski clothing etc, I got some bargains there last year on skiing stuff for my son. Basically they'll need a ski jacket, salopettes, gloves and hat.
I'd get the kids to save a % of their earnings each week to put toward their holiday, even if it is just a small amount.

bj-sailaway

Our yr 6 group are going to Isle of Wight for 5 days £270! I have to let her go, as her older sister went 2 years ago - £180 then. School says it is the cost of coaches that has soared, and insurance. We could take our caravan or tent and go for a week as a family for less. One family has triplets and are adding the £810 to their mortgage. No help for them as they are not on income support, no, they do several jobs each instead. Our High school has cancelled all these holidays, the head wants to evaluate the real value of each trip before she asks parents to pay out. Good for her.

mohalluk

:-[

I just cough up - trouble is it is a once in a lifetime opportuinity for the kids - I am a single parent and it often takes up all the spare money for the year.

filigree_2

I have to wonder why on earth schools feel it's their place to organise holidays at all. Where on the school prospectus does it say "Sponsored by Thomas Cook"? I can understand the need for educational trips - I went on an ecology field trip that was integral to A level Biology. That was held in an LEA owned hostel, subsidised by the LEA and further subsidised for those on benefits - the trip cost £25 which was manageable (this was 20 years ago). There were sound reasons for that trip, but calling Eurodisney "educational" is laughable.

If teachers don't like the whingeing engendered by expensive foreign holidays, they can always just stop organising them. My council tax is as good as the next parent, why should my son get a substandard education because the teaching staff are off on the piste with the wealthy minority?

joedenise

Caterina

I think you should expect your children to pay towards expensive trips. If they are earning some money, they should save some towards the trips.

When my daughter wanted to go on a school trip at the age of 15 she had a part time job and saved quite a bit of her money.

We had said that we should match what she saved in a 6 month period for her spending money - she saved far more than she had ever saved before!

I think it is a good grounding to save. The sooner they start learning to save, the better able they will be to manage their money as adults.

Denise

loopy_lass

I beleive that some of the aove info is correct in so far that the PTA or school will part fund any genuine hardships cases, but i also beleive that if a parent(s) contacted the Lea or pupil and parent support there are some school trips which are deemed as educational which is funded by the lea or gov. for parents on low income or benefits.

Not 100% sure about this, but worth looking into if your in one of the above categories.

hth loops

silver_saver_3

If a school trip is taken in school time it is an educational visit. Some secondary schools take school trips out of school time, i.e. half terms etc. This enables them to charge the full amount. If trips are taken in school time parents on income support do not have to pay full amount, there is usually a small charge maybe to cover board. Headteachers and Governors of schools are aware of this, don't let them put you off, it's your right. The school is not allowed to subsidize from the other parents's contributions. Schools do not make this general knowledge as they know most trips would have to be subsized out of the school fund/budget, which they do not want, the majority of schools like school trips even if they pretend they don't. I know this from experience having worked in school for many years. Schools are not even entitled to charge for day trips, there is usually a clause on wording to parents which says payment is voluntary, but schools would not be able to buy books etc if they didn't charge. The only charge schools can make is for music lessons etc. everything else is free. Parents should ask to see schools policy these charges. In the school prospectus, it is definitely in LEA booklet and Governors' booklets. It is a good point to raise with any Ofsted Inspectors who come to schools. They are aware of the legal requirement of Headteachers/Governors on School Educational Visits. Schools just hope parents don't mention it. Don't be intimated by schools, every child has the right to be equal.

linwren

my granddaughters school sent a letter home for a school trip to france,skiing. £670.00 they want for 6 days per child(she'll be just 11) there are 28 kids in that class. that's about 18 grand !!! and they have the cheek to actually say that they aren't making a profit !!

silver_saver_3

Don't forget teachers/helpers dont have to pay for school trips themselves, so that's free accommodation/food and transport. School where I worked teachers usually took their children or relatives.

Savvy_Sue

my granddaughters school sent a letter home for a school trip to france,skiing. £670.00 they want for 6 days per child(she'll be just 11) there are 28 kids in that class. that's about 18 grand !!! and they have the cheek to actually say that they aren't making a profit !!

That's about what I'm paying for a 6 day ski trip for one of my kids next Feb half-term. Well, he's paying half, but he's 15 and has a couple of paper rounds.

Maybe I could get a family skiing holiday for considerably less per person. But since I have not the least desire to go skiing, this is the only way my kids will get to try it.

And I would ask: is this an in-school trip, ie during term-time, or during school holidays? If it is the latter, it is optional, it is extra-curricular, no-one HAS to go on it and not all children will want to. And if parents have to say sorry we can't afford to do that, then that's what has to happen if our children are not to grow up thinking they can have whatever they want, when they want it.

If it is an in-school trip, ie during term time, then I think parents are quite justified in saying no way, this is inappropriate, too expensive, can't be done.

I know some people have a problem with both kinds of trip, because there will always be children who would like to take part in the 'optional' activities but cannot do so because they cost too much. But I don't.