Condover Hall

Abbafan1972

My youngest DD is in year six and the class are going to Condover Hall next June. For those not familiar with it, it's an activities/team building trip.

I had been waiting for the letter to come through as the teacher weren't sure if they were going or not.

The trip is Mon - Wed (2 nights), I was shocked to see the price of £170. I think this is expensive for how long it is, what do you all think.

I wanted her to go. When my oldest DD's class went (same school) it was about £90 I think, she didn't go though, as she wasn't ready to be away from home.

I don't think she's the only one that's not going.

Do you think I'm being mean for not letting her go?

meritaten

hmm - its expensive - but what do you think your DD would get out of it? tbh - if she is a 'team person' anyway, then it isn't going to make a lot of difference is it?
I get the impression you don't think its going to 'enhance' her education. if so, then you are right not to send her. School 'trips' should be about adding to education.

Georgiegirl256

Abbafan1972 wrote: »

Do you think I'm being mean for not letting her go?

If you can afford it and she wants to go, then yes maybe a little bit.

£170 does seem a lot, but I take it it covers all meals etc?

JodyBPM

I'm paying £160 each for my two to go to a PGL residential over half term, Tues-Thurs and I thought that was fantastic value - strange how people's perceptions vary.

DD did a similar trip with the school in yr 4, and it was £130. She had such a great time, and it was a fantastic experience for her. She really loved the activities and the independence of being away with the school without us. They get a lot for the money too, all their meals and activities as well as accomodation and travel there.

Obviously it depends on how affordable it is to the family or what sacrifices would need to be made as to whether its a reasonable amount to spend out. But I think its a fair price for what you get.

Guineapigsqueaks

If you can reasonably afford it and your DD wants to go, I would say pay for her to go. My DD went to Condover Hall a couple of years ago when she was in Year 4. She had a fabulous time, did so many activities and was very well fed. I paid a similar price for Weds-Fri. We were able to pay in installments over the year, not all at once, which helped. I felt my DD got such a lot out of it, including special memories. The Y6 for my DD is Manor Adventure, Mon-Fri, £285! She goes next week and is very excited. I know she'll love it, my DS went a few years ago and thought it was brilliant. This is why all my shoes are from Primark :-).
Hope that helps.
Guineapigsqueaks x

double_mummy

my big one year 3 has a trip to go away for one night that is £140 it is about 5 minutes away from my house so i have no idea where the price has come from and a minimum of 40 students have to sign up otherwise it will be cancelled

they also need a whole load of camping stuff which will probably be another £100 on top (unless i can borrow it from somewhere) i have until the end of the month to decide if i want him to go - i cant decide if he is too little yet which is why i think they have kept it local but if he was a year 5 or 6 i would let him go in a heart beat

i think its down to you as a parent but its only 30 quid more than mine with an extra night away lol

onlyroz

I paid about £150 last year for my son to have *one* night away on a "Tudor experience" trip. I thought that was extraordinarily expensive but I paid up. I think that these trips are likely to end up as some of the most memorable childhood experiences (my own school trips certainly where) and so if you can afford them it's probably worth it.

Lets_say

double_mummy wrote: »

my big one year 3 has a trip to go away for one night that is £140 it is about 5 minutes away from my house so i have no idea where the price has come from and a minimum of 40 students have to sign up otherwise it will be cancelled

they also need a whole load of camping stuff which will probably be another £100 on top (unless i can borrow it from somewhere) i have until the end of the month to decide if i want him to go - i cant decide if he is too little yet which is why i think they have kept it local but if he was a year 5 or 6 i would let him go in a heart beat

i think its down to you as a parent but its only 30 quid more than mine with an extra night away lol

Blimey, I'm single but if I were paying £240.for one night in total I would be expecting fluffy feather duvets in a 4 star hotel and cava at the least on tap. I can't help feeling some of these school organisers think that doting parents equal cash cows.....

Spendless

I'm paying £155 for 2 nights next year for my yr7 child on a similar sort of experience. Last year was less around £135 I think for 2 nights. Though it does look slightly on the expensive side, from the posts of people who live further south of me, it probably is around the 'norm'.


If you can afford for your child to go and she wants to, I'd let her. I've found yr6 residentials to be cheaper than Secondary school ones, and more kids in yr6 go on them.

FBaby

Unfortunately, it is not a unreasonable price for this kind of school activity, even if I agree they are extortionate. It comes down to what you can afford and how much your DD wants to go. My DD wanted to go on a trip that I thought was really expensive for what it was, so we agree it would be part of her Christmas present.

kingfisherblue

Although it sounds a lot for two nights, you have to consider what is included. As well as accommodation, food and activities, I assume that there will be a coach to take the children and bring them back. Coaches cost a fortune. I run a Rainbow and a Brownie unit, and for a day trip, the coach costs between £280 and £380, depending on where we go. The lower price is to visit a campsite that is fairly local to us, maybe 20 miles away if that.

Activity centres also have fully qualified staff on site at all times. The equipment needs to be checked regularly for safety, and maintained or replaced when necessary. Insurance isn't cheap either.

Many hotels charge a similar amount for two nights, but your child is getting so much more than a hotel provides.

The experience is fantastic for children. I wouldn't normally choose somewhere at that price for my Rainbows and Brownies, but earlier this year we did have the chance to go to a similar centre to celebrate one hundred years of Brownies. It was a bit cheaper, but had been heavily subsidised through grants and fundraising. We had to pay extra for the coach, but we did a bag pack to pay our share (three units went from our town and we shared a coach).

The girls did a wide variety of activities and were kept busy from first thing in the morning until bedtime. The accommodation was comfortable if basic, but was very clean and well maintained, with en suite bathrooms in each room. They have asked about returning, but as it wouldn't be subsidised, I think it would be too expensive for many families, especially as some girls are at the age where they are offered similar school trips.

I don't know whether teachers are charged for these trips, but if they are, I would imagine that the cost is split between the children. In our case, we were charged but our division and county Guiding subsidised us very heavily - without the volunteer leaders, the girls wouldn't have been able to attend, and I couldn't have justified spending so much on a weekend away with the girls when my own children couldn't go. However, we do participate in fundraising throughout the year to help with activities.

If you do decide to let your daughter go, maybe you could pay in smaller instalments. My son is going to Belgium to see the battlefields and graves next year. I've arranged with his school to pay a smaller amount more frequently, as this is more affordable for me. Maybe your daughter's school can offer a similar payment option.