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Original poster

School trip for Y3 child is £22. Is this expensive or is it just me?

69 replies

AngelicaElizaAndPeggy · 22/04/2022 17:35

I know they've missed loads because of covid etc etc and that the cost of fuel and things has gone up. But I've just spotted this on my parentpay and my heart's sunk a bit. It means that we probs won't be buying as much in our weekly shop next week but I'm sure for some families this will represent a real stretch.

OP posts:
tiredanddangerous · 22/04/2022 18:23

I would say that's very cheap as school trips go!

Leggingslife · 22/04/2022 18:25

What is the trip?

Aurorie11 · 22/04/2022 18:29

If you absolutely struggling to pay contact the Head. There may be a school fund that can help

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AngelaRayner4PM · 22/04/2022 18:36

All our trips have gone up exponentially because of the cost of fuel as coaches are so much more expensive. I would say nearly half of that will be the coach most likely, and the rest for insurance and then the actual activity or entry itself. It doesn't seem excessive to me, but equally these are difficult times and I sympathise with how hard it can be to find money at short notice. I think if you are really struggling you should approach the school. They often have a small fund for families who cannot afford trips and things like that.

MacaroniCheeseCat · 22/04/2022 18:38

I think it’s at the upper end of acceptable but it’s a reasonable amount of notice if a payment plan is available. We got asked for £18 with three working days’ notice recently, which I thought was unacceptable - there was no mention of payment plans until you clicked to pay. There was actually a reason for the lack of notice but that was only explained when I raised it in terms of lots of families struggling in the current economic climate.

ZarquonsSandals · 22/04/2022 18:47

If your child wants to go and you genuinely cannot afford it, let the school know. We often get things like this pop up and the wording is, when you examine it, that the cost is a voluntary contribution (with the caveat that if not enough people pay the trip won't go ahead). Our parent cohort is a mix of single parents on low wages and TOWIE types with diamante hot tubs.

Hallyup89 · 22/04/2022 19:21

Not expensive if it's a full day at an attraction,
and you have plenty of warning. The problem will be that not every parent will pay and the trip will be cancelled. Happened multiple times at my children's school.

artisanbread · 22/04/2022 19:26

I am a teacher and that seems like a fairly standard price. The vast majority of the cost of any trip goes on the coach.

Having said that, at my school, in a deprived area, we were just discussing how to make trips more affordable given the cost of living increases. We already subsidise pupil premium students but it is not just those children that will be feeling the pinch. It's difficult because children in deprived areas as a generalisation are likely to benefit more than those in "leafy" areas from the cultural capital that trips provide but are the least likely to be able to afford it. Pupil Premium funding doesn't go far enough unfortunately and I think a lot of people would be surprised at how low an income you need to be on to actually qualify for PP in the first place.

Hutchy16 · 22/04/2022 19:33

Not buying as much in your food shop
is a ‘real stretch’ surely if people are in a worse position than that they are families who would get free school meals and therefore free school trips

Heckythump1 · 22/04/2022 19:39

At least they're getting to go on a trip. My daughter is nearly at the end of year 1 and hasn't had a single school trip yet. :(

ReadyToMoveIt · 22/04/2022 19:46

Heckythump1 · 22/04/2022 19:39

At least they're getting to go on a trip. My daughter is nearly at the end of year 1 and hasn't had a single school trip yet. :(

Mine is nearing the end of year 2 and is just going on her first one… obviously covid hit while she was in reception. My year 3 has just been on her second ever trip.
Hopefully there will be more going forward!

CareBearsCare · 22/04/2022 19:51

My youngest is in y11 and the most I paid for a day trip at his state primary was £26 to the theatre.

What are they doing for that trip? Is that the only trip this school year?

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 22/04/2022 20:14

I don't think that's expensive. DD yr 4 had a trip to a quarry that was about the same price.

ChoiceMummy · 22/04/2022 20:15

Heckythump1 · 22/04/2022 19:39

At least they're getting to go on a trip. My daughter is nearly at the end of year 1 and hasn't had a single school trip yet. :(

Mine is Y3 and went on their first trip this year! So I'd say you have a couple of years before moaning and still 3 months of Y1!

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 22/04/2022 20:17

Just checked. It was £15 and there was another to a wood that was also £15

ZenNudist · 22/04/2022 20:20

Assuming a local day trip with a coach that's very standard.

At my school you could speak to the school about not paying if really tight but for £22 I'd just save up and pay in July just before the trip.

RampantIvy · 22/04/2022 20:20

What is the trip?
A visit to the zoo - very good value
A musuem visit - quite expensive

ballsdeep · 22/04/2022 20:23

Goatinthegarden · 22/04/2022 18:19

I think that’s obscene. I teach in a Scottish school of mixed affluence and we have a policy of not asking for more than £20 per child from parents over the whole academic year (excluding the final year residential which we partially fundraiser for).

I’ve worked in very affluent areas and still we had parents who looked affluent to the outside world struggling to pay for school things. We don’t know a family’s financial circumstances, so I would never assume a family could just fork out.

This year (since August) I’ve taken my class on two museum trips, a botanic gardens trip, a pizza making class in a chain restaurant, an outdoor adventure activity, a cinema trip, the beach and a football stadium. I have asked for a total of £2-odd for bus money from parents (Scottish children now have free bus passes, so won’t even need to ask for that now). We’re also done several weeks of workshops with dancers and artists at their local studios.

We are lucky in that we’re based in a city centre, within walking or bus distance of lots of things, so zero transport, but there are plenty of free things available for teachers to book if they search hard enough. I have teaching friends across the city and we all share contacts and make the most of what is available. I needed to hire a coach for one of the outdoor activities and we were able to cover it from the parent council fundraising.

It is the cost of transport though. It is all well and good looking for free things, but when the cost of the bus is over 600 for 54 people, and there are over 600 pupils, money has to come from somewhere.

HorribleHerstory · 22/04/2022 20:26

here that would be expensive.for non residential trips I don’t think ours have gone over about £14 and they do three a year plus a theatre trip.

they don’t use coaches though, they walk or if it’s further afield they take the children by standard public bus or train all together

Topseyt123 · 22/04/2022 20:26

What is the trip? You don't say, but that is relevant information in order to say whether or not it is good value for money.

ReadyToMoveIt · 22/04/2022 20:35

HorribleHerstory · 22/04/2022 20:26

here that would be expensive.for non residential trips I don’t think ours have gone over about £14 and they do three a year plus a theatre trip.

they don’t use coaches though, they walk or if it’s further afield they take the children by standard public bus or train all together

That just wouldn’t be possible where we are. Semi rural, awful bus system (one bus an hour to local small town, that’s it), and nearest train station is 8 miles away. It would take them all day to get anywhere! Sadly they have to pay for coaches.

arethereanyleftatall · 22/04/2022 20:36

Goatinthegarden · 22/04/2022 18:19

I think that’s obscene. I teach in a Scottish school of mixed affluence and we have a policy of not asking for more than £20 per child from parents over the whole academic year (excluding the final year residential which we partially fundraiser for).

I’ve worked in very affluent areas and still we had parents who looked affluent to the outside world struggling to pay for school things. We don’t know a family’s financial circumstances, so I would never assume a family could just fork out.

This year (since August) I’ve taken my class on two museum trips, a botanic gardens trip, a pizza making class in a chain restaurant, an outdoor adventure activity, a cinema trip, the beach and a football stadium. I have asked for a total of £2-odd for bus money from parents (Scottish children now have free bus passes, so won’t even need to ask for that now). We’re also done several weeks of workshops with dancers and artists at their local studios.

We are lucky in that we’re based in a city centre, within walking or bus distance of lots of things, so zero transport, but there are plenty of free things available for teachers to book if they search hard enough. I have teaching friends across the city and we all share contacts and make the most of what is available. I needed to hire a coach for one of the outdoor activities and we were able to cover it from the parent council fundraising.

Wow!! This just goes to show how things differ from area to area. I have two residentials this year, £500 each dc, dd2 just did cycling proficiency £25, can't remember exactly but last week was a £20 contribution to dd1 - some helping with drama aid thing. I feel like, residentials aside, it averages about £50 per term for bits and bobs. That's fine and I can afford it, and the dc enjoy it. But my point is the regional variation is huge.

Windflower92 · 22/04/2022 20:49

What's the trip? I don't think we're that well off, and I teach in a very deprived area and would never describe that amount as 'obscene' 🤔I must be very out of touch!

MrsSkylerWhite · 22/04/2022 20:51

Sounds about right if a coach trip is involved.

Lemonsandlemonade · 22/04/2022 20:53

To be honest I was 😬 at cost of coach for a
trip I’m planning for pre school. £400 for a 9-2 trip of approximately 20 miles each way.

We have massively subsidies the trip.

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