Do you let your child go on school trips abroad?

Gingham_Ribbon

I would say no. We just don't have that sort of money. Do they not offer alternative trips for those who can't afford to travel the world? Both the schools I went to as a child and the ones I taught in offered reduced cost trips to outdoor adventure type holidays in hostels or camping. We always had a great time and they were very educational.

What a shame if a school can't cater for all their students and focus only on the fairly wealthy.

anguk

My DD(14) went to France last year with the school, it cost about £300 and my DS went to Germany when he was at comp about 6 years ago, I think that cost about £200. We were able to pay for the trips over a period of about 7 months, so I would give them a set amount each week or a little extra if I had it, it was all marked off on a little card. We don't go on family holidays abroad so it was an opportunity for them to go, but they both knew I could only afford one trip each.

sticher

My son is in year 10 now and has just returned from a week long trip to Italy.

He chose this trip in preference to the one to China that the school was also offering because he said the China one was 'way too expensive'. Italy was quite expensive but they were selling it as part of the Geography GCSE course he is doing - Vesuvius, etc so we felt it would be worth it.

I have never said he couldn't go on any trip, but this is the first one he has both wanted to go on and got a place on. Unfortunately for him, he did not get a place on the skiing one, lol.

sunnyflower

All my kids are at secondary school. They get offered a ski-ing trip in yr 9 I think it is, about £800 :eek: :eek:

Mychildren didn't even bother bringng the leaflet home (brought them up well lol). MY feeling is that ski-ing isn't particularly educational, and if they get the urge they can wait till they are grown up and earning :rolleyes:

My friend is sacrificing their family holiday so her child can go. As it's a big school, it's only a tiny percentage that go anyway.

However, my daughter is doing GCSE German, so I happily coughed up £250for a trip there, and my younger son is going to France which is about the same. I think you just have to weigh it up. But would advise that you decide from the outset what is and isn't reasonable and let your daughter know before she even asks!!

sunnyflower

Oh, and call me a cynic, but these expensive hols are quite a good jolly for the teachers aren't they?

Janepig

sunnyflower wrote: »

Oh, and call me a cynic, but these expensive hols are quite a good jolly for the teachers aren't they?

They certainly were when I was in school - I went skiing when I was 13 and in form 2 in comp (year what that would be now I don't know ). How nothing calamatous happened to us while the teachers were out on the pi$$ in the village I'll never know. But I'd like to think that it certainly isn't like that now.

Jxx

Alex_of_Swansea

I wouldn't panic too much about it. It was always the same kids who went on these trips in school. Funnily enough, they'd all gone to the same primary school too. Kids don't miss out as most parents can't afford it.

Dick_here

sunnyflower wrote: »

Oh, and call me a cynic, but these expensive hols are quite a good jolly for the teachers aren't they?

Yes indeed, yet you still hear teachers grumbling about how they have to pay full whack for their holidays due to not being able to go away during term-time...

LondonDiva

hmm - a jolly?

On duty 24/7, at times expected to pay for yourself, organising the trip with no input from parents etc etc.

If parents think it's a jolly, why not volunteer to chaperone a school trip - even just in the UK? Then if you feel up to it, you can give up your time.

cazziebo

Hey spending a week or more with a bunch of hormonal adolescents certainly isn't my idea of a jolly! The teachers who give up their time should get medals.

The school my two went to ran brilliant trips - France, Ecuador, Belize, Holland and all were - honestly - centred around some aspect of education. The European trips were just a few hundred pounds and well worth it. One was for language and one was for history. The Central American trips were hideously expensive (about £1400) but I really believe that they opened the girls' horizons and gave them insight into another way of life. Paying for the trips meant huge sacrifices (and one of them was only possible because my dad had left us a few thousand "to spend on holidays not bills" Bless him.) but I think they were worth it. The deal was that the girls had to contribute a certain amount themselves - and the school helped by organising car wash days etc.

I suppose it does mean that a privileged few get opportunities that others don't, but I do really appreciate - and I'm sure my daughters do - the opportunity to travel to places they might not otherwise get to.