Money Moral Dilemma: Should the school have paid?

Mary_Hartnell

neilpost wrote: »

We paid the £500 hire cost for a coach so that all of year 6 could go to the British Museum before XMAS, or the trip was cancelled....

How many children?

Roughly where were they coming from?

(Isn't "before Xmas" an expensive time when compared with (say) February?)

Adela31

I think that although it wasn't a trip and covered by that legislation, any stroppy parent could claim discrimination, it would be an interesting case. I am a mother and I work in a school. When I grow up properly I want to be one of those stroppy parents!

worldweary_2

If the trip or event is educationally relevant then the School may only request a voluntary contribution, the school should then calculate a price to take account of subsidising the few children that are known to be likely to be facing financial hardship. If too few pay up then the event should not go ahead. If the event is not truely of educational benefit it should not be considered by the school anyway. Also it may be that the children were removed not because of financial matters but because their parents may have decided that the event was not in their childs best interest to take part in (perhaps on cultural grounds). It is very doubtful that they would be removed so publicly for any other reason as in the very last resort PTA's etc raise funds to help with subsidising unusual eventualities etc.

KeepCalmAndCarryOn_3

What sort of school would single out and humiliate a child? Not any school I would want any of my children to be taught at.

Being unable to pay is entirely different to refusing to pay. Either way, the matter should be between the parents and the school. I don't think the children should even have been aware of the situation, let alone be publicly excluded.

Tony_Wood_2

As a parent of primary school aged children this has been a fascinating thread to read. Thanks for it.

Taking the subject a lttle further, could we apply the comments made so far to, say, Swimming lessons? I know one of mine has brought a letter home saying that they will be having swimming lessons next term and that there is a charge of something like 30 quid per term to cover transport and lifeguard presence etc.

From my reading of the thread, this is an activity that is provided during school hours, and is presumably part of the Government's curriculum (something about getting kids to be able to swim 25 meters by the end of yr2 and 50 by yr6? No idea if that is true as haven't done any research), so would this be a "Voluntary Contribution" or something they can demand? I know how the letter is written, lol ;-)

Tony.