Do School Trip Fees subsidise non-payers?

jemb

nodiscount wrote: »

Food isn't included. School say the cost is already subsidised by them so no idea why it's still £8.

I know it sounds mean but I don't want to be paying for the non-payers. I don't think it's fair but I understand that sounds selfish to some.

But if it's subsidised then none of the children would need to pay, so you wouldnt be paying for any 'non-payers'?

Faith177

To hire a coach for 30 people for my wedding it was £330 so i don't think £8 is bad at all

no.1swimmum

I do not think that £8 is excessive for coach fare you would be surprised how much it costs to hire a coach, included in the fee is the drivers costs. I work in a school and the price must be worked out expecting all children to pay e.g.

Coach £400 divided by 40 students = £10 each, there is a fund within the school to help any in hardship who just can't afford it, and those who don't pay (it must be a voluntary contribution) comes from the deparments budget, so normally we are hot on chasing those students who are reluctant to pay but can fully afford it - the other thing that is not allowed is to make a profit on a trip.
So for example one year our coach got lost from Essex to Alexandra Palace took nearly 3 hours!!! and he had a satnav - we complained and got our coach hire reduced we had to refund some money to all the paying students an odd amount like £1.37 as we could not make a profit on it.

If unsure ask the schools burser for the schools trip policy.

quidsy

My sons school charge a standard £10 for coach hire then any entrance fee is added. Fortunately there are no non payers in his class.

JimmyTheWig

nodiscount wrote: »

I know it sounds mean but I don't want to be paying for the non-payers. I don't think it's fair but I understand that sounds selfish to some.

What do you think should happen with non-payers?

Acc72

nodiscount wrote: »

I know it sounds mean but I don't want to be paying for the non-payers. I don't think it's fair but I understand that sounds selfish to some.

So, what do you think should happen to the children whose parents/guardian are unable or unwilling to pay ?

I don't have any children, yet an element of my tax goes towards schools - it doesn't bother me, but do you consider that "fair" ?

con1888

When I was at primary school if you didn't pay fully you didn't go.

Only one trip was exempt from this rule in a way and that was the p6/7 week long trip to an outdoors centre, parents who didn't get free school meals paid £110 and those who did paid £40. Again if you didn't pay anything at all, then your child would not go on this trip.

silvercar

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

What do you think should happen with non-payers?

Those that can't afford to pay should be subsidised, either by the overall cost of the trip for payers or by little pockets of money within the school budget.

Remember also that just because someone can't afford the full price, doesn't mean they won't be paying something.

Remember the children from the poorest families attract extra funding to the school (some of this funding is based on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals). So these children mean the school receives extra cash, some of which may be being used to subsidise the cost of these trips.

Those who clearly can afford to pay but choose not to and would rather sit on the back of the payers should be excluded from the trip.

trinity_enigma

con1888 wrote: »

When I was at primary school if you didn't pay you didn't go.

I was just thinking this. We just wouldn't have been allowed to go. And if I remember rightly you would hand in your permission slip with the money- I assume they still have permission slips so why would you sign that if you weren't willing to pay?

Having said that I do believe exceptions have to be made for those that simply cannot afford it particularly when it is an educational trip.

JimmyTheWig

silvercar wrote: »

Those that can't afford to pay should be subsidised, either by the overall cost of the trip for payers or by little pockets of money within the school budget.

If the money comes from elsewhere in the school budget, that strikes me as exactly the same as those who are paying end up paying. Because (a) everyone's taxes are being used to pay for them and (b) if the school is paying for other children's trips they aren't paying as much for your child's education.