School trip £600!!!!!!!!!

smk77

DCFC79 wrote: »

how is disney related to physcis,

The designers of some of the rides need a fair understanding of physics...but that's about it!

snugglepet20

I went on a GCSE History trip to Berlin in 1999 and it cost £385 if memory serves, so £600 is probably about right 11 years on. It was actually really educational, if depressing, with visits to various concentration camps; Belsen etc and seeing Hitlers bunker site and various Nazi stuff. Really helped with coursework (an A for me ) so much better than a ski trip or Eurodisney where you learn nothing! Will not mention the vodka in the hotel vending machines .

However the trip information was sent out at the beginning of the year for a summer visit and you could pay in installments of £50 so everybody got to go as there was time to pay. Possibly in wealthier areas they just ask for all the money upfront.

willeynotwiley

BargainGalore wrote: »

I tell you why one reason there arent cheap at least in my area. Teachers and even there spouses get it for free well they do in my area as I know a teacher and her spouse both on very good money

As a member of staff in a school who does a couple of trips abroad each year I agree that staff do get to go on the trips for free - however given the responsibility of looking after other peoples kids for a week I think it's only fair ( having said that I'm NOT a teacher on £35k p/a!) Most school trip destinations give one free staff place for every so many pupils - even the local cinema - so it's not that schools are charging parents to pay for staff to go. The main reason they are so expensive is the high levels of insurance needed to protect staff from silly insurance claims against them. In my old school a member of staff had a formal complaint against them for giving a child CPR (as the trained first aider):( This results in many schools not taking residential trips at all! I know for many of the pupils at my school the trips abroad and in deed to theme parks are the ONLY holidays and days out they get!


My son recently went to Egypt to learn Arabic! While I agree this could have been done in the UK a lot cheaper (especially give that the local arabic school hires rooms in his school on a Saturday for lessons.) than the £700 we paid he had a fantastic time, met new friends from around the country and world, as well as understanding a foreign culture and learning a new language! He also gained a qualification from the trip - will look fab on his CV! Well worth it if you ask me.
We made a deal with our son that if he wanted to go he had to pay 1/3 of the price and save his own pocket money for the trip. He works as a paper boy on the huge wage of £7.50 p/w and makes weekly repayments - in my humble opinion this is teaching him the value of money.

I do agree that scroungers on benefits spoil it for everyone but until the government 'gets their finger out' and does something about it I'm not sure what we can do about it??? Send out letters saying you can only come on the trip if mum and dad work? :cool:

willeynotwiley

mountainofdebt wrote: »

I remember working with a girl once whose husband was a teacher and he was taking a coach load of children skiiing.

Unfortuantely on the way there they hit bad weather and got stranded. Whilst they were waiting to be rescued not only not did the teachers have to look after all the children, they had to bear in mind that one of the children was diabetic.

Once they had got rescued they had to spend a night or two in the village hall, with the towns folk bringing them food.

Personally I wouldn't want the responsibility as regardless of what was the cause of any accident, you can bet your last dollar the first question on everyone's lips would be 'and where was the teachers?'

Staff at my sons school were stranded in Portugal earlier this year with 18 kids because of the volcano! :A

lolly1981

my school offered a cycle trip to france..110 pound for a week but that was 1992 lol

my mum would never let us go on school trips..there was a reason why, i was at a school that in 1992 they took a group of 6th formers ona canoeing trip...they went out in bad weather, 10 went out and only 6 came back. in the schools defence it wasnt their fault they did all checks etc they followed the canoeing schools guidance as you would seeing as they are the experts. my headteacher gave up her job after having a nervous breakdown and the people who ran the canoeing school were given 4 years for each child (16 yrs) for manslaughter and neglect.

im not sure it will put me off letting my children go but then again im not sure till taht time comes!

snugglepet20

Lolly I remember studying that case at university for an example of corporate manslaughter. Hopefully that means it's very rare!

sweep9

Not quite as expensive but my friends daughter came back with a letter from school saying that as the kids had done well in their SATs, the school was going to reward them with a day at a local playcentre. Please send £12 to cover the costs!!

Cheek of it is that the playcentre only charges £6 per kid and they took the kids on the normal local service bus!!!

voiceofreason

Christ this thread's got some utter, utter tripe written on it.....

Mankysteve

While i fully support school trips and if set up properly are great educational experience especial for subject like geography & history. £600 is taking the Michael.

rev_henry

My school trips have been similar in cost, but NEVER compulsory, or made to feel compulsory. Last I went on was a week in Greece which was £675 I think. Its all very well for me I guess, as my parents can generally afford it, but when I went to private school about 10 years ago they never could. Having said that some of my best foreign school trips have involved variations on exchanges, which have always been very cheap - I went to Hungary for a week 18 months ago and all we had to pay for was the flights and for [STRIKE]beer and vodka[/STRIKE] souvenirs and the odd snack etc.
Its all very well for some trips to be expensive, but I think its totally objectionable if the school start pressurising the pupils into going for 'educational purposes.'