to object to a voluntary contribution of £10 for a school trip to the zoo, when I am a single mum

Maybe it's because I was working in a PPP school that we had such blatant disregard for rules and regulations. It was secondary level of course. Don't know if that made a difference. All the schools I was placed in generally added £1 or so to the cost per person. Maybe they have changed the regs since I left teaching. Surely for the worse though if so?

It would for example explain the pressure I've heard being put on parents. And the PTA seems more and more to be drafted into educational activities when they are meant to have a para-educational role- eg buying the fun stuff. Subbing children who can't afford trips does not sound like traditional PTA remit.

I'm not knocking it, I'm just surprised and wondering how long it will be before low income parents have to present themselves before a board and expose every last financial detail to other parents from the playground before they can get funding for trips. Way to go to empower people who may already feel bad about their situation.

Mind you, when I was a child growing up in France, we simply didn't go on those trips if we couldn't afford them, so things have moved on somewhat.

what I mean is, say it comes to £10.42 then I would charge £10 and would not be allowed to ask £10.50. I was always told by my various Heads that to ask for the rounded up amount would amount to fraud as we are not allowed to make a proft from trips.

duchesse,

I am also a teacher and I have never addedd extra costs to individual payments to cover those that don't pay. In fact in all 4 schools I have worked in I have been told this is illegal. Correct me if I am wrong. IME the school sunsidises trips and the full cost is never just what the parents are asked to pay.

I have also had parents who caouln't pay. I do not need to know their finances. TBH I know who has money and who doesn't usually so they usually just pop in and say I can' afford x can I just pay y? Then I say OK!

Because the schools are not allowed to ask for the money to cover the trip so they ask for a voluntary contribution and hope that most parents can give the full amount.
What I dissagree with is how some children have their names read out/ written on a board so every tom dick and harry can see whcich parenst are unable to pay

Our school decided this year that instead of this they would write letters but the teachers still gave them out in front of all the other parents!!

why not just tell parents the actual cost rather than voluntary contribution?

Some parents will pay when they can't afford it - why should they pay for other kids?

the problem i have is two children at same infants school and the teacher says this is the letter for a trip then a week later whilst reading the register out she says, "oh you have not paid x" and "you have not paid y" then the kids come home and say we got to pay she keeps reading out our names.
i did go in once and state i could not pay that much and the headteacher offered me a weekly payment so i said i would pay just £10 between them they had to lump it

i felt bad for my kids and it is not right

I'm more with irishbird here. (but no schoolkids) PLEASE tell me the head of a school has better things to do wiht his time than discuss personal finances with puplis parents? Do I take it I would be some way away from normal to just retuen the permission slip with whatever I 'wanted' to contribute and let them got on with it?

As a teacher, I can tell you that most schools build a little extra into the individual cost in order to cover children who may not be able to afford it. You should speak to your child's teacher and explain that you will find it difficult to afford, and ask if you can pay less (or not at all, depending on your circumstances). They shouldn't get shirty about it, but I must say that I have heard of completely out-of-order reactions in certain schools. Unfortunately, in very low income areas, arguably where the children might benefit the most from them, the trips become unaffordable if few people can pay full whack. Good luck. Hope you manage to work something out.

Yeah but based on the trips DTDs have been on this year I would have had to put £30 each in a fund in Sept. Thats £60 for the 2 of them, along with new school uniforms, shoes etc.

I can afford £5 here, £10 there. £60 in one go would have been tough for me - so how would people like PG have dealt with that?

...but if they just tell people they don't have to pay, they can't chase up the forgetful/tight ones without appearing to harrass the financially strapped.

plus of course if you just didn't pay the teachers would know that you were either hard up or tight.

Pop a note in?

Perhaps I'm just used to it, but when dh was made redundant a few years ago and we needed free school meals I didn't feel that bothered about telling them.

Can't remember if there was a trip during that period though.

There isn't any way round it, is there, you either say you can't pay or manage it somehow?

Easy for me to say, as I've never been in the position of having to go to the office, but if contributions aren't forthcoming few, if any, trips would take place.

I would love my kids school trip to be £10.
DS1 has a school trip (5 days away) £280 and DS2s next school trip is £15. There seems to be a mufti day every sodding week as well. Then the high school he is going to in September have sent us a letter saying they are having a week away and would DS1 like to go..... another £290!!!!
Then there is the scouts, ohhhh don't get me started on that one, its a never ending stream of money

I think I am going to have to get a job just to keep my children social live going!!!

would you prefer schools not to do trips, irishbird?

or should they just use their magic money, that the year 2s grow on the school allotment?