Kids excluded from free trip

Grow up, the school cannot afford to take every child on a free school trip, the children were probably chosen due to perhaps doing well in school, no1 makes a parent donate so if you don't want to donate, DON'T, how is sending deserving children on a trip spaffing it up the wall?

They were secretive by only telling people about it after the event. There’s an assumption this is some sort of jolly for PPM kids but we don’t actually
know that.

Our school is selective about trips. Some are for specific subject areas and even then, they are invite only as limited spaces. My sixth former gets a bursary due to my income so hers are free but my younger child down get things free as I earn too much for free school meals.

I know that those on free school meals get their trips free at our school but usually bigger trips like residential are offered out to the year group, or in the case of French and Spanish those who take that subject and then it’s first come first served or names out of a hat type scenario. My kids do theatre trips quite a bit but again they’re not free but they are only open to certain kids. Either those doing music and drama at GCSE or younger years where the kids have shown a particular like of that area and are sensible kids to take out of school.

I do know as a teacher though that there are certain pots of funding available and that means kids going if they fit the criteria - could be send, could be free school meals. I think if it’s to do with free school meals they probably don’t advertise as many kids don’t want others knowing about their financial situations.

I was one of about a dozen to be part of a programme to "improve self-confidence". It involved taking part in various sports/physical activities (we'd end up encouraging each other, talking about what we'd done etc.)

Another thing, the most gifted and talented went to visit Cambridge Uni, got shown around, and had a brief taster of a few classes. Did a couple of little activities, had a quiz etc. and stayed overnight.

These were free, and I wouldn't exactly consider them unfair. The point is that not every student is eligible for every event - whether they are free or not. Just get over it.

Better ask your kids what they've been up to. Or maybe they just chose the kids they know that have the toughest lives.

I'm sure lots of people have already said this, but it will definitey have been special funding for either disadvantaged or SEND pupils. Schools do this all the time.

That said, I'm suprised they mentioned it in their publicity - my school never used to do this for those type of trips as you're making it clear to everyone that there's something different about this group of kids.

Schools have to evidence how exactly they use their disadvantaged pupils funding to benefit disadvantaged pupils, so it's not like they used money they could otherswise have spent buying classroom supplies for everyone.

But was there a hidden element like it was funded by pupil premium? And that would have driven who was sent?

Schools are absolutely brassic at the moment, so I cant see any other way unless charitable.

We are currently having this at my children’s school too. My daughter was invited but my son who really wanted to go wasn’t
According to my daughter the criteria was children who have poor attendance, have issues regarding having to see the school counsellor, children with additional needs etc. a friends son lost his dad and so was invited. Not just those on pupil premium although some of those will receive it too
I do think this is unfair in some ways to children who are doing well and not being rewarded like my son who really wants to go. But they can’t send the whole school
My daughter was invited as she sees a counsellor due to severe anxiety. She has declined the place as the thought of going makes her feel anxious as none of her friends are going so her place has now been passed onto someone else on the list
If there was an option for me to “demand” my son takes my daughter’s place then I would have done that but it doesn’t work like that. His best friend is going due to Neurodiversity and he wants to be with him but isn’t allowed. I can’t even pay for him to join.

😂

Honestly, can people use the brains they were born with for a second.
I work in a secondary school and there would have been a specific criteria for this trip.
At my school, it likely would have been care experience. Or maybe young carers.
So is the school supposed to broadcast the fact that these children are in care, or look after an unwell parent (for example)?

My dc school do trips like this. Sometimes my dc qualify and sometimes they don't, depending on the criteria of that particular trip. Usually when my dc don't go I am just grateful that my dc are not in that category.

Rewarding bad behaviour sends out the wrong message. Thats the problem with this. The well behaved kids will see it and wonder why they bother.
Chuck a chair at a teacher and get a trip to Alton towers

Is it your first time on Earth? Telling people they're mean doesn't change their behaviour - if anything, they are then worse towards The Poor Kid because the teacher has confirmed their lesser socioeconomic status and told them off about it. And we'd have MN threads about why the OP is barely scraping by on £172,000 a year whilst the feckless offspring of the feckless woman gets to go off on a jolly - with plenty of posters queuing up to put their very expensive boots in for good measure (and a side quest of disadvantaged/pupil premium including refugee children and the accompanying anti immigration rant)

I would never, ever want any child to be on the end of that. So no, disclosing information about another person's financial situation 'Be kind, she's Poor' is not appropriate in the slightest.

OP clearly thinks only their lived experience is valid and their DC is less privileged than "rich SEN kids".

DS then 11 went to Jamie's Farm, only a handful of students went and the ones who it was believed would benefit most were selected.

They probably think that grown ups generally understand that it is likely due to certain circumstances which they will be very grateful doesn't apply to their child and are also able to explain that to their child.

Out school does this once a year. A very kind local charity funds it for children who have had a particularly hard time that year, parent/sibling loss etc. so maybe if your child wasn’t chosen be grateful

Why should rich Sen kids get to go”
uhm……would you prefer your kids had Sen?

The children may be pupil premium or have EHCPs so funding would be covered in this case. You should be able to ask and find out though. Unfortunately being inclusive of some means others will be left out. Most families that aren’t eligible for free school meals struggle and don’t quite meet criteria. Holiday clubs and YMCA in my area are now only for free school meal pupils which equally isn’t very fair for parents who need childcare to go to work to earn a wage which is low but just over the threshold which doesn’t give them eligibility for anything.

I understand that the spending may have been ring fenced for a specific group of children, however, schools need to be sensitive in terms of how this appears to other pupils. The way funds are allocated isn't always as fair as it might appear, for example post code allocations means that some children who are not disadvantaged by any measure but who happen to fall into the postcode may be included, similarly where there separated parents the way this is worked out may mean that a child falls under the ring fenced grant or whatever but they are very well off. Therefore I think schools need to be mindful as to how they handle trips if they are only for a few. I think there does need to be some transparency as there are many families who are just above the cut off who are struggling more than those who might benefit if that was how the allocation of places was made.

Because living with a disability is shit and no amount of money makes up for that??
I do think a contribution to the coach cost should have been asked though! It’s unreasonable for school to ask for money one month then splash out on something the next month that only benefits a few.

Is it the Harry Styles concert by any chance? If so I can understand why you would be irked that not all children were given the chance to enter!

If it’s funded by Pupil Premium (which is likely), the school wouldn’t be transparent about it. That’s more or less labelling those kids ‘disadvantaged’. It’s not anyone else’s business!

“Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:

• pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals, or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM)
• children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales”

YABU to condemn the school without knowing:

a) how the children were selected (it could have been child carers, PP, names out of a hat)

b) understanding where the funds they used came from (within travel budget)

c) knowing how many other parents donate and how much. You aren't the sole funder.

I hope your DC did not feel your anguish.

1 thing though, the school shouldn't have done a huge piece about it, that was not in good taste. But then you would have found out another way and then been upset that they hid it all...

Yes but you’ve got to accept that one of the downsides of keeping it private is that people will think you’re giving these kids unfair preferential treatment. Often when it’s the bad kids who are getting the special treatment it is especially damaging for class morale. The class bully gets to go to Alton towers, well I’ll start bullying because Alton towers looks good etc

Are you sure that this wasn't a trip for kids whose parents couldn't afford it and that's why your child wasn't invited?