School trip: is this a rip-off?

Voyager2002

My son (13) came home from school all excited. After trying his best to be good for the evening, he gave me a letter about a forthcoming "residential". It is a trip to Spain, Barcelona in fact, which is odd because they do not learn Spanish in his year. In fact the trip is offered by the Design and Technology department, and so includes tours of a Chocolate factory and a Pasta factory. As well as this "educational" content there is a visit to a theme park and a city tour.

My first reaction is that it is a terrible waste to take them to Barcelona without spending a significant amount of time on the art and architecture there. It really seems to be just a holiday with a tiny educational content as an excuse. And considered as a holiday I find it really expensive -- about 330 pounds for four nights (half board). But my son is really excited at the thought of going away with his friends, and thinks that Spain sounds exciting (he has never been there, although he has been to places like China, USA and the Philippines).

Any comments?

Bossyboots

On the face of it, it might seem pricey but there are a lot of "on costs", like travel expenses, insurance, staff costs (they will have to cover the absent staff at school), entry to the various places and accommodation.

I don't think there is any comparison to a well organised school residential trip in another country. It is a vital period of independence from mum and for seeing what people are really like.

My children both loved their trips abroad. I felt the experience of the independence and travel was important enough and any "culture" of the country that was experienced was a bonus. My daughter is keen to go back to the Vatican. She may never have had her interest piqued in this were it not for a school trip as it would no otherwise have been somewhere we or she would specifically chosen to go. The bulk of the trip was recreational though and in fact on the afternoon she went to the Vatican half her group went swimming instead.

If you can afford it, I would swallow the thought of the cost and let him go. Apart from anything else, if his friends come back full of it and he has missed out, he may resent you for it.

recovering_spendaholic

I think alot of school trips fall into this "mostly fun but a bit of a link to learning" category. I think that £300 is not bad given that I have just paid £800 for a five night trip to Russia for my 16 year old.

sarahlouise210

I take the view now that if we all went away for a few days it would cost a fortune ...if I let the school take her away I only pay for one:D I agree that school trips are totally different than a family holiday for a child - they are exciting and the children feel grown up and independant and enjoy the experience with their friends - if you can afford it then I would say it is pretty good value for money (though there will be extras such as clothes, spends etc)

Savvy_Sue

sarahlouise210 wrote:

though there will be extras such as clothes, spends etc

:rotfl: Take your point about some spending money, but do yours not already have clothes to wear out of school? Can't see that anything extra will be needed for a trip to Spain, and when mine have been on ski trips we've been advised to hire salopettes etc (although actually I've been able to buy almost as cheaply as hire, and they've done more than one year!)

lil_me

With what is included I think that is a really good price. I know my sons school only offer trips at cost to parents. No profit is made and staffing costs come from school budget. I know when I was 13 I would have prefered to go to a theme park and chocolate and pasta factories than to view architecture and art but somehow I am sure without being overly obvious the staff will include other educational things with the visit, they just tend not to tell the children and sneek it in gently.

pjala

270 for a 1 week trip staying with a local family, plus they flew there.
Good value, they are learning spanish, its their first language (rather than French). Organised by the sports dept, and the child has a return trip to the UK!
Lots of local sports stuff organised, I wanted to go too!

Prudent

I don't know of any school that makes a profit on their trips. You have the added bonus of all the staffing costs being carried by the school, unless they get in supply cover which is rare with trips. They are employing the teachers anyway, teachers do not claim extra pay if the trip is in school holidays. It does seem a lot for four days, but if you are on a low income most schools will discretely offer you a subsidised rate if you ask.

My daughter went on a residential trip in the autumn (not with the school) which was pricey for me as a single parent. We agreed it would be her Christmas pressie from me. Could you come to a similar agreement?

purplepurple

D&T is all about looking at / analysing things, trying to improve on existing products and designs, trying to make products aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. As well as the obvious products, we do an awful lot about structures etc with our pupils. In Barcelona you can't avoid seeing the most amazing, beautiful buildings and structures.

It is a stunning city, one of the richest sources of design you can get. Your son will be inspired as soon as he gets there... the creative juices will start flowing (so to speak!). Even the pavements are the most incredibly ornate slabs I've ever seen!
Sounds like a great trip!

Pupils also have to learn about industrial processes, how products are manufactured (ie pasta and chocolate) and in turn, how their own products can be made. There is no substitute for a first hand experience in a factory. Books can describe it, but they can't tell you about tastes, smells, sounds etc

If you're worried about the educational content, ask the D&T teacher to give you a list of the many, many objectives we have to cover in D&T at Key Stage 3. A trip like this could cover tonnes of them without your son knowing!

If you can afford it, I'd send him. Apart from the educational experience, as others have said, the social / independence side of it is just as important.

inkie

Lets put it this way - my DD is going for 2 weeks full board to switzerland for £420 with her guide unit. I would say that you are being ripped off.

Amba_Gambla

I don't think you can put a price on school trips.... the experience is priceless.....(good or bad)