Not knowing if school trip is going ahead

Spendless

Another moan from me.-lol

Youngest's school has for years taken yr 6 kids on a residential in March. At Easter this year there was a line on the school newsletter saying that they had booked the next residential for October.

Just before May 1/2 term, I started asking parents if I had missed a letter about it as I'd seen nothing. One playground Mum told me her husband was a school governor and she'd get him to raise the issue at a meeting as there hadn't been any correspondance. After the 1/2 term hol we got a letter asking us to attend a meeting about it, scheduled for late June. At the meeting we were asked to write our names down if we were interested in our child going on it and anyone who hadn't attended would get a letter and asked the same thing. A letter telling us whether the trip was going ahead would come out at the end of the week with the actual cost -we were given a guesstimate at meeting but within £10 of what actual cost would be.

School finished in July with no such letter having come out. I bumped into school governors wife during the hols and again queried if I'd missed a letter about it, was told I hadn't.

DD started back this week and still no letter. Yesterday she queried it herself and was told that 'the teachers are having a meeting about it'

Ehhhh? Surely they know whether or not they are taking kids on a residential at the beginning of October by now?

Just_a_name_2

Hi Spendless, I agree, it seems that they are leaving it late to tell you about it all if a date has been set for Oct. If you get chance, and you go to collect your child from school one day, I would just casually ask their teacher for an update. I wonder whether there has been a change of heart, increase in costs, date change or any number of issues which could have affected the visit. But school should keep you informed.
Hope this helps,
JAN

Gigervamp

Why don't you just ring the school and ask?

maman

Gigervamp wrote: »

Why don't you just ring the school and ask?

There's obviously a problem of some sort. It could be there's not enough interest to make it viable, it could be there's a problem finding staff willing/able to give up the time to go/maybe there's a problem getting a booking at the venue. Asking at the school is the only way to be 100% sure.

It seems a shame that anyone who needed time to save/pay in instalments has much less notice than usual.

Let us know how you get on.:)

Spendless

I've just checked school website and there's a letter on there about it, should come out today. It's going ahead.

I didn't ring earlier as DD was told yesterday that there was a meeting about it and until that meeting had taken place I was aware there wouldn't be anymore info. I also wondered if someone could shed light on why it was so last minute, was wondering if there was something I wasn't aware of eg legislation going thru making residentials more complex or whether it really was just DD's school disorganised.;)

duchy

Any big changes at the school-new head, change of status , problems with governors -any of these could have delayed the decision I suppose - but I'd be pretty miffed at having to find money for a residential school trip in less than a month.

cutestkids

The last residential our school did we only got 10 days notice of the actual dates of the trip, we had known for several months that it was going ahead but the letter confirming the dates and times etc was 10 days before the actual trip.

Spendless

No new head or change of status. Unaware of any Governor issues. I know one changed last year as the others time was up and they didn't get re-elected. You could say we'd been aware since the mention on Easter newsletter and meeting in June but it's not the same as actually being confirmed. When son went 3 years ago we knew from November for the following March.

Spendless

cutestkids wrote: »

The last residential our school did we only got 10 days notice of the actual dates of the trip, we had known for several months that it was going ahead but the letter confirming the dates and times etc was 10 days before the actual trip.

When did you pay for it during the time that you knew about it or in the last 10 days? How much was it for?

Spendless

I've just checked school website and there's a letter on there about it, should come out today. It's going ahead.

I didn't ring earlier as DD was told yesterday that there was a meeting about it and until that meeting had taken place I was aware there wouldn't be anymore info. I also wondered if someone could shed light on why it was so last minute, was wondering if there was something I wasn't aware of eg legislation going thru making residentials more complex or whether it really was just DD's school disorganised.;)

de_g.

Do remember too that if the trip is part of the curriculum, rather than optional, the school cannot exclude your child from the trip if you are unable or unwilling to pay towards the cost, and the school must not pressurise you or any other parent who cannot or chooses not to contribute.