Voluntary contribution towards school trips

emweaver

Every time DD has a school trip they send home a letter asking for a voluntary contribution. Now we have always paid but on the last two school trips we haven't had the funds to do so.

Last time the teacher called in DH the day before and said if he did not pay DD could not go, she said this infront of DD which made her cry.

Her next trip is tomorrow and today again the teacher called him in . He explained how he is on the sick plus had no wages this week due to the Natwest fiasco but she is still insisting we pay.

I complained to the school about this last time but they ignored my complaint. If its voluntary surely they can not force you to pay?

FatVonD

At my son's school we are asked for a voluntary contribution but warned that if enough are not received then the trip may be unable to go ahead. If you are unable to pay there is a tick box saying that you cannot afford to contribute and will be contacting the headmaster to discuss it but to please reserve a place in the meantime.

Nicki

Complain to headteacher and if no joy to chair of governors and if no joy to local authority. Schools are not allowed to exclude a single child from a school trip if they can't pay voluntary contribution provided the trip is wholly within school hours and is educational. They can cancel the trip for the whole class however if not enough parents pay and they can exclude a child from a non educational trip eg to Alton Towers or a residential trip where part of the cost is for out of school hours.

But if parents CAN pay even if not the full amount but an element o what is asked they should because unless most parents do pay, schools can't afford to run such trips at all.

azzabazza

Any schools I have been involved in have a fund which can be accessed by the headteacher to help fund small trips. I have not come across the 'voluntary' request. Normally letters were sent out to parents asking for a payment of, say, 10.00 towards costs. The full costs then met from the fund. Forms were available for parents to fill in to claim the full cost should they be on low income.

This fund consisted of an allowance from the local authority and funds raised through fund-raising.

I think you must seek an appointment with the headteacher or other member of senior management in the school to resolve this situation.

emweaver

FatVonD wrote: »

At my son's school we are asked for a voluntary contribution but warned that if enough are not received then the trip may be unable to go ahead. If you are unable to pay there is a tick box saying that you cannot afford to contribute and will be contacting the headmaster to discuss it but to please reserve a place in the meantime.

We did reserve her a space but there was no option for us to tick to say we could not afford it. It does say too if not enough people pay it will be cancelled but they aren't telling us it will be cancelled just that DD can not go but the rest of the class can.

emweaver

azzabazza wrote: »

Any schools I have been involved in have a fund which can be accessed by the headteacher to help fund small trips. I have not come across the 'voluntary' request. Normally letters were sent out to parents asking for a payment of, say, 10.00 towards costs. The full costs then met from the fund. Forms were available for parents to fill in to claim the full cost should they be on low income.

This fund consisted of an allowance from the local authority and funds raised through fund-raising.

I think you must seek an appointment with the headteacher or other member of senior management in the school to resolve this situation.

I complained last time made two appointments with her during the last week of term but she did not turn up, the receptionist said she was with another parent.

I have just sent another email to the school as I can never seem t be able to see her in person.

azzabazza

emweaver wrote: »

I complained last time made two appointments with her during the last week of term but she did not turn up, the receptionist said she was with another parent.

I have just sent another email to the school as I can never seem t be able to see her in person.

I think this is shocking. If you don't get a suitable response this time I think you require to escalate to the authority.

MX5huggy

emweaver wrote: »

I complained last time made two appointments with her during the last week of term but she did not turn up, the receptionist said she was with another parent.

I have just sent another email to the school as I can never seem t be able to see her in person.

Why did you not wait for her to be finished with the other parent?

When I go to the doctors I am very rarely seen at the appointment time, I have to wait for them to become free.

Catapa

The schools do not get enough funding to cover these trips. That's why a contribution is expected, even if it has to be called "voluntary".

balletshoes

at our primary school, if you don't pay you don't go, you stay at school with another class/teacher. Any time there is a trip organised in the school day, for whatever educational reason, we are asked to contribute, and we are asked if we want our child to attend. I personally don't know any parent at our school who would expect their child to attend if they couldn't afford to contribute to it. I don't think theres been a whole class trip anywhere where every child has gone, in 7 years of primary school with my DD's year.

FBaby

Are you saying that she already had two trips at least this year and this yet another one? What are we talking about, a £4 contribution or £20?

If we are talking large sums, I can sympathise, but a few pounds, surely there are things you can sacrifice to contribute towards the school trip. I can understand the frustration of the teachers when parents constantly refuse to contribute, the school gets lower, and children whose parents are paying risk to miss on a trip because others can't save £1 a week. It happened to my DD is year 2. It was only £5 contribution, we'd been made aware weeks in advance, and yet a number of parents refused to pay, hence the trip cancelled for everyone. I was a single working mum with less disposable income at the end of the month than I would have got on benefits. It really angried me that my DD had to miss out because some parents didn't prioritised a valuable day trip (or just took it for granted that once again, it would be paid for by the school).