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Voluntary contribution towards school trips
Comments
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Did you tell the school as soon as you knew about the trip ? They may have thought you were just being disorganised or avoiding payment through choice.
Our school give penty of notice of trips and do says it volutary but make sure to point out that if you cant afford it you must speak to the headteacher ! If you just left it and didnt say anything that might be part of the problem. Better to write a note saying you cant afford it as soon as you know.Maybe you did though I am unsure from your posts ( I know you made an appointment to speak to the teacher ) Even a small contribution would be a nice gesture becauase there are people - Im not saying you are one - who dont pay just assuming it will come out of the school funds. Could you even pay a tiny amount just to show you are willing?0 -
Then all you can do is take it up with the head and if your not happy with the heads reply go to the governors. So how much notice was given in total? I would have thought they'd give at least a months notice, our school we get anywhere between 10 and 4 weeks, for a more expensive trip they usually give you at least 4 or 5 months notice.0
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The OP has not only been to DLP this year but also states that she has been 5 times in the last four years. Im sure that this will more than make up for her daughter missing one school trip!
I am a teacher and had to save damn hard to take my own three children to DLP this year and it will probably be a long time before we can afford to go again.
If you couldn't afford to take your child to the cinema would you expect someone else to pay for them??
School trips are not a RIGHT.0 -
Its not a case of the school have a view on this - by law they are NOT allowed to demand for payment for a child to go on an educational visit - they can only ask for a contribution and they must not treat any child whose family cannot or chooses not to contribute differently from other children. If the trip is for non educational activities then is different -ie holidays etc. Complain to the Chair of Govenors - about the schools treatment of your child and the last of communication from the head.
I have twice refused to pay -once for a compulsory residential that was £200 which I didn't have - with no option to make a smaller contribution, the other was when we are asked for £10 towards a trip to a free museum - they were going on the bus which cost 90p.People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson0 -
milliebear00001 wrote: »Just to be quite clear, the school in question is breaking the law by telling a parent their child will be excluded from a trip in school time unless they pay a contribution.
Just tell them you know the law, even if they apparently don't; the rules state you don't have to pay; you cannot pay; and you won't be paying.
It is NOT illegal IF the trip is not educational. The OP has not said what the trip is nor what it costs (as far as I can see).
We are running a trip to a theme park in a few weeks as a reward - we have asked for a contribution to the costs from the parents of those chosen to go. If the parents do not pay the child does not go as it is not an educational trip. However we are generally lenient and if a parent tells us they cannot afford an optional trip we will sort something out. Same as if Film Club goes to the cinema, parents are asked to pay. At the end of the day if not enough people pay the trip cannot happen.Save £200 a month : [STRIKE]Oct[/STRIKE] Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr0 -
Is there anyway you could have offered some monies toward the trip ?Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.0
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unless things are very different where you are, there is strictly no LEA contribution to the school discretionary fund.
Our is mostly funded through parental donations and lettings of the school premises.
The teacher was wrong to talk in front of the kids and you should at least make it known to the head teacher as this is not acceptable.
The school can't exclude one child for non payment and must be prepared to engage with you. However, school trips can be cancelled if funding can't be met
In the local authority area (Scotland) that I worked in the authority devolved money to schools annually to be ring fenced for school outings. The PTA topped this up with fundraising. The school could use for curricular and non-curricular activities at the discretion of the headteacher and the PTA.0 -
I would suggest that schools trips need to be advance planned better. A few weeks notice is not helpful to many parents that have in comparison to others meagre resources. Perhaps Martin's plan to have financial education etc brought into the curriculum is even more relevant.0
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Ouch!
OP is pregnant so she will need babygrows. She is asking about where to get good quality at a reasonable price because she can't afford to splash the cash. The Next half price sale is a good option for people on a budget, usually working out cheaper than buying cheap and therefore needing to buy twice because of the quality.
I totally disagree with this and is the exact reason why I get angry with those parents who say that can't contribute towards their kids school trip and risk the whole class missing out. How is buying Next clothes more important that contributing towards a trip? Next clothes even on sale is expensive and certainly not a priority. You can get kids clothes for a few pounds in charity shops and that of better quality than Next. Surely buying babygrows for a child not yet born isn't a priority either.
The big difference is that it is much more rewarding buying new clothes on sale than paying for something you can get other people to pay for instead. I really struggle to believe that any family entitled to tax credits and the rest are not able to budget for school trips. They know they are coming in the year, so it doesn't have to be a case of waiting until getting the notice, but maybe putting £1 a week aside for when it comes.0 -
My sons' primary school was a nightmare at giving enough notice for trips and for educational workshops within the school. If there was a workshop to be paid for, we would sometimes be told the day before and expected to send in the money on the day of the workshop.
I have always paid for school trips, even when it was difficult financially, but on one occasion, I just didn't have the money. My ex had just left a few weeks earlier and I had very little money for everyday expenses. There was very little notice of the trip. I saw the school secretary (whom we had to pay any monies to) and explained that I couldn't afford it at that point. However, I knew that my beenfits were due to be paid into the bank the following week. I offered to pay as soon as I received the money in the bank. The school accepted this.
OP, obviously the Nat West fiasco has made it very dificult for many people. Is there any possibility of offering to pay for the trip after it has taken place, bearing in mind the circumstances?0
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