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school trip advice
Comments
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vippymini wrote:right my dilema,
alisha has come home from school with a letter for a school field trip. its for 3/ 4 days at a cost of £190 per child about 25 mile away.
personally i think its too much at £50 per day especially as they want £50 by wenesday.Hubby has said no but i agree but dont if you know what i mean
the price they set is not the final price as that could go up if kids drop out, yes i may be able to get help but thats only up to a third...
what would you do as i really cant afford it....
We have started to get similar issues and my daughter in only in year 2. Some advice we were given was that if the trip was in school time or needed for educational purposes they could only ask for voluntary contributions. As of yet we have not had the courage to test this theory (yeah go overdraft!!!!!).
Have you contacted the LEA to ask the official rules on this???
If you get any concrete rules etc please let me know;)If i need it I can't afford it
If what goes around comes around, i've started a BIG circle0 -
we always used to get a paragraph added to letters saying that if people couldn't afford to pay their child wouldn't be excluded, but if there wasn't sufficient support the trip wouldnt go ahead.
That was always for day trips. For overnight trips, we were told that if you couldn't afford it your child could remain in school and activities would be provided.
To be honest, there is never a full take up, at primary school, for overnighters. There are always some kids and some adults who are too clingy to be separated. There are also kids who have medical (ish) reasons not to go. Upto 10% of kids of that age still wet the bed occasionally and probably wouldn't want to risk a trip away.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages, student & coronavirus Boards, money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0 -
My youngest is in Year 5 and is going on a residential trip Mon.- Fri. in April this year. When I first saw the figures, I thought that it seemed expensive. However, we had a meeting before any deposits were paid to view the itinerary and discuss any concerns. When I saw exactly what they'd be packing into the week in terms of excursions and activities, not to mention three meals a day, plus bedtime snacks and an en-suite room, it worked out to be good value. I really think that the social benefits to be gained from participating in such trips are worth thinking about too.0
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If you cant afford it you cant afford it
Im betting your child wont be the only one that doesnt go.
My son was in yr 5 last yr and they had a trip which was 2 nights away.there were about 25 in the year that didnt go ,either because of financial reasons or just because they didnt want to go .
This year ,yr 6 ,they are off on another trip 2 nights again in june,we have had the meeting about it before xmas and i already know that a few in my sons class arent going for whatever reason.
so dont feel bad that your child cant go and think that she will be the only one,as im sure she wouldnt be
£190 is a lot of money and if you dont have it,she will understand if you explain to her ? esp as they want £50 by wed !!! :eek:0 -
Our children have always gone on school trips in primary school. However in Y6 they go to France and this is £260. We only let our daughter go on that one if she agreed that it was her birthday present. She was quite happy with that. She's now in Year 8 and just been to Germany with the school, we paid for that but the deal was that she asked other peole for money for her birthday and that had to be her spending money.
School trips are expensive. The coaches are expensive, and so are the places that they stay in. There are bound to be other children not going and you also have to think about what you do for one of your children you have to be prepared to do for the others.0 -
If it's a simple case that you cannot afford it, then you should be honest with your child and say that is the case. School trips are invariably expensive, and I have 4 boys who all want to go on one or another.
My 2 eldest have done the trips to Kingswood and Dovedale (Derbys.) which they thoroughly enjoyed, DS2 went to Kingswood France, but DS1 didn't go to France 2yrs before because it was a campsite, and I'd heard from other pupils it was not monitored well enough by adults at night. I got the discount as I was on qualifying benefits (usually CTC, or IS). I seem to recall the discount is given on the accommodation costs, but not the travelling expenses.
The price will be high because usually the staff/parents who volunteer to accompany these trips do not have to pay for their own fee, but is taken out of the groups combined fee.
If you think you can afford the trip, but are unsure about value for money, then contact the school and ask about the accommodation facilities (is there a website?) and itinerary for the trip. Some can be flat out with activities, which are all supervised. Going away from home can be a positive experience for those children who are ready for it. They often don't get a chance to get homesick because they're so busy.
If she goes, hide some midnight feast goodies in her bag, and don't send her with any expensive clothing, as it can get lost, or in my DS1's case, had his footie shirt pinched from under his pillow.
My boys would definitely agree they are glad they went, and didn't want to miss out on the adventure. Payment was made in installments each month - about £20/30, and the £50 is really to ensure your commitment to your child's place, since it's non-refundable.
It gets much more expensive once they're in senior school. Ski-ing is out of my reach, as was a trip to Catalan at a cost of £600 for a week. The exchange trips are fine if you have room to accommodate the return visitor, and have the time to devote to entertaining your visitor and doing what you can to show them the sights while they're here. I found it hard a a single parent to 4 boys to do this, and felt the lad was a bit bored.
HTH.One day the clocks will stop, and time won't mean a thing
Be nice to your children, they'll choose your care home0 -
Wow that's a lot of money for a school trip at Primary level.
DD primary school only took them away for overnight stays in Y6. They went for 2 nights and 3 days and the cost was £60. It wasn't educational as it was their farewell trip. The note did say if you could discuss the financial arrangements privately with the head and no child would be excluded on financial grounds. Only one parent thought the £60 was too much AFAIK. I think £180 is stretching many peoples budget and the school should rethink. I would talk to the head about it as they need to know parents feelings about the cost of trips.~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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The other thing to bear in mind is that school budgets run on the financial year, not the academic year, and provided the books balance by the end of the financial year the trip takes place in, the school should be fine about this. If you wanted your child to go on a trip therefore but couldn't afford to pay the full cost before the trip left, the head should be amenable to an approach saying that you will pay by instalments provided you could agree to be paid up by the time he or she has to balance the books. If not, take it to the school governors for a decision.0
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My son went on a similar trip in year 6, 3 days £110.00. His days were packed & he came home exhausted but v happy. Now a year 7 & went to France in October, 3 days, £140.00.
£190.00 does seem steep but as pointed out do check what you get for your money. If you cant do it so be it - my parents made sure my sister & I had one trip each in senior school (all they could afford) & I dont feel deprived or scarred by it!NEVER ASSUME! :rolleyes:0 -
My Son Went On Trip 3 Nights £75, He Goes Again In April This Time Its £110 Its Basically Down To The School; Head And Guvs Etc It Sounds As They Have Not Looked For The Best Price Our School Is A Village Primary The Rule There Is No One Should Be Excluded Due To Cost If You Cant Afford It Then Say To The Head That Is Why He Cant Go And Ask Why Is The Cost So High So Much Money Is Given By Gouvernment Funds For Trips Ask Has Any Of This Money Been Used By The School?? It Sounds As Though The Head Has Used That Money For Something Else And Expects Parents To Pick The Full Bill Up For The Trip , I Know At Our School All The Parents Would Not Pay For That Trip Our Head WoulD Ask For A Survey As To Who Would Go On It And Once The Parents Saw The Price It Would Be Cancelled0
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