Do School Trip Fees subsidise non-payers?

jellyhead

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

If it's an educational trip, they should go. If it's just a 'jolly', no (but those who've paid should - not the whole thing get cancelled).

If they are cancelling, presumably that's because they didn't get enough in voluntary contributions to cover the coach fare, so I don't know if the trip should go ahead or not really.

How about not having a 'jolly' during school time in the first place?

In my eldest's 13 school years there's only been one 'jolly'. It was a trip to a theme park instead of the usual museum, and he didn't actually go but he wasn't the only one. The school made the trip invitation-only, so those with poor attendance or recent poor behaviour were not invited.

If school want to organise trips for fun that non-payers will be excluded from then they should organise them for outside of school time, or during the last week of summer when there's a 'fun day', 'activity week' etc. where the other children are also doing something 'jolly'.

School doesn't need to take my kids to Alton Towers but I like them to take them to museums, etc. with organised talks and activities based around their learning.

I think the kids whose parents don't shell out for trips have enough opportunities in life to realise that their parents are poor - no expensive birthday parties, no swimming or violin lessons, etc. and they don't need it rubbing in their faces at school too.

I have no problem with school using a pot to fund the children whose parents haven't paid for educational trips. I'd rather that than the trip not go ahead. I like my child going on these trips and I have always thought they were good value.

I probably get more than my fair share of school subsidy anyhow, to pay towards my son's music lessons. The school is charged £100 per term for it but they only charge me £25. On the surface it seems like a nice idea, school helping children to have music lessons they wouldn't otherwise have had, but if you look at those who actually take up the offer they are the children who already have private sports lessons, etc. and are not the poorest in the school.

Redouble

Having just had to sign a form saying I cannot pay for a visitor to come into school, for the first time ever, this thread has really hit a chord. If I could spare the money I would pay it, but if I did pay it, I won't be able to give my kids lunches that week so I had no choice

princessdon

Our school leaves then behind at times (dependant on the trip), but they don't pay for them. My DD has a friend on a low income who was excluded and I offered to pay, school said no without the parents permission and they wouldn't take it if they knew I paid.

I see both sides, CB and CTC are very high so they should be able to support and its also often parents who can't pay who do, Fsm entitlement doesn't mean unable to pay.

Quillion

At the start of term this September we were given a breakdown of the trips the school were going on. The price for each trip was 15.00. We were given a payment card asking for the first payment of 15.00 to be paid before xmas and the second payment of 15.00 before easter. They even issued a payment card so parents could pay off 1.00 per week if they wanted too.
I know alot of the parents from this school do not pay for trips as they don't work and have no money to send their kids on trips but are then regularly seen riding their horse. smoking a fag and wobbling home drunk from the pub at the weekend.
These parents will never pay as they know the money will come from somewhere to enable their child to go on all the trips. I feel sorry for the kids lets hope they grow up with better morals.

Janepig

jellyhead wrote: »

I probably get more than my fair share of school subsidy anyhow, to pay towards my son's music lessons. The school is charged £100 per term for it but they only charge me £25. On the surface it seems like a nice idea, school helping children to have music lessons they wouldn't otherwise have had, but if you look at those who actually take up the offer they are the children who already have private sports lessons, etc. and are not the poorest in the school.

DD/DS's school give music lessons for free, and you also have the instrument free for a while - I think it was about eight months after DD started flute lessons that she got one of her own for her birthday. It's a county-wide thing, not sure if it's an all Wales thing. DD has also spent odd days in a different school with children from other schools who play instruments getting ready for a concert that they did at the end of last term. DS hasn't taken up an instrument yet though - he says he wants to wait until year 5 when he can do guitar.

What does annoy me a bit with their school though is that they seem to always pick the same children for sports teams. It's not sour grapes as DD is one of the ones that seems to get picked alot, but (as you know JH) she does alot of sport outside of school so she's got the ability. The school then do well in various tournaments and it reflects well on them. But I feel sorry for the kids who don't do stuff outside of school as I don't feel the school gives them enough opportunity. There was a rugby tournament earlier in the week and I reeled off the names of he usual suspects and DD confirmed that they were the ones the school picked. All of whom play for teams outside school and who also get picked for football, cricket, athletics, etc.... Imo the school should be spending time training the kids who aren't lucky enough to do stuff outside of school.

Jx

seven-day-weekend

Janepig wrote: »

DD/DS's school give music lessons for free, and you also have the instrument free for a while - I think it was about eight months after DD started flute lessons that she got one of her own for her birthday. It's a county-wide thing, not sure if it's an all Wales thing. DD has also spent odd days in a different school with children from other schools who play instruments getting ready for a concert that they did at the end of last term. DS hasn't taken up an instrument yet though - he says he wants to wait until year 5 when he can do guitar.

What does annoy me a bit with their school though is that they seem to always pick the same children for sports teams. It's not sour grapes as DD is one of the ones that seems to get picked alot, but (as you know JH) she does alot of sport outside of school so she's got the ability. The school then do well in various tournaments and it reflects well on them. But I feel sorry for the kids who don't do stuff outside of school as I don't feel the school gives them enough opportunity. There was a rugby tournament earlier in the week and I reeled off the names of he usual suspects and DD confirmed that they were the ones the school picked. All of whom play for teams outside school and who also get picked for football, cricket, athletics, etc.... Imo the school should be spending time training the kids who aren't lucky enough to do stuff outside of school.

Jx

Me, my husband and my son were all delighted never to be picked for the sports teams I think you'll find that those who are no good at sport are not the slightest bit interested in it. It would be like someone who is hopeless at Maths being made to attempt advanced Maths in front of an audience, how humiliating when they fail miserably.

Dunroamin

Janepig wrote: »

What does annoy me a bit with their school though is that they seem to always pick the same children for sports teams. It's not sour grapes as DD is one of the ones that seems to get picked alot, but (as you know JH) she does alot of sport outside of school so she's got the ability. The school then do well in various tournaments and it reflects well on them. But I feel sorry for the kids who don't do stuff outside of school as I don't feel the school gives them enough opportunity. There was a rugby tournament earlier in the week and I reeled off the names of he usual suspects and DD confirmed that they were the ones the school picked. All of whom play for teams outside school and who also get picked for football, cricket, athletics, etc.... Imo the school should be spending time training the kids who aren't lucky enough to do stuff outside of school.

Jx

I'm not sure about actually training them but what are they doing in PE lessons if they're not leaning to play the various sports? Obviously schools will pick the best players but involvement outside doesn't sound as if it's the problem here; quality of teaching does.

Toto

Dunroamin wrote: »

What would you do with the children (and parents) who didn't get involved in these fundraising activities - would you still let them go?

Of course, but then, I would ensure that all children were involved in some way. They could all discuss as a group ideas for fundraising, make posters, adding the raised money to the accounts (chart in classroom) etc, this could be done in class.

There will always be some people who do much less than others, that's life. But, I absolutely think that motivating children to find ways to provide for themselves is a really valuable lesson for their future.

jellyhead

Do they run any free sports clubs in school?

Ours has a football club at lunchtime once a week. I see older children playing netball, etc. after school with another teacher. This is the school teachers giving up their time to organise a free club though. There's a free dance club that's just started, and there are usually homework clubs, computer clubs, knitting, cooking, forest school (where they are allowed to climb trees!) for various year groups.

If they are oversubscribed they take different children each term to make sure everyone has a go

I love our school, they do so much interesting stuff for the children Mine goes to the school allotment now, they are allowed to dig in soil, pick up worms, harvest the crops, plant, etc. and it's excellent fun.

XRAT

This brings back bad memories.

As a family struggling to survive on one wage (my wife having chosen to give up work to provide care for our children.., and often step in for the parents who were at work who for whatever reason couldn't return when their children were taken sick or injured) my wife was often asked to go on school trips to provide an adequate child to adult ratio. We not only had to pay for our children, but my wife was expected to pay for her own place too! None of the working parents, earning money!!! could afford the time off work, and none thought to contribute to our additional costs.

Any of you parent govenors out there, please take note.