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Original poster

Is £30 excessive for this school trip?

119 replies

Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 16:21

My DD (year 9) has come home from school with a letter about an upcoming school trip. The price has concerned me and I’m trying to work out if it’s reasonable.

It’s to the Black Country Museum, which is 50 miles from us. It includes tickets and coach transport from the school. No food or activities included, pack lunches to be taken from home and spending money for the Victorian sweet shop.

£30 is half my weekly food shop or 100% of my weekly petrol. It just seems too much at the moment. Does it seem a lot? I’ve been on the website and an under 16 ticket is £9.95, is coach hire that expensive now due to rising diesel costs?

OP posts:
PurpleandPlatinum · 18/05/2022 16:23

It sounds like a bargain! Cost of coaches is astronomical.

Original poster
Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 16:23

It’s more of a bargain to buy the £50 family ticket and let my other DC benefit from the experience and have a family day out though.

OP posts:
JuneOsborne · 18/05/2022 16:25

Our school has a policy that no child will be left behind if their family can't afford the trip.

Talk to school.

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Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/05/2022 16:25

We paid £6 today for a school trip purely for the coach hire. The school could have been subsidising it but that adds up to £3600 for her year group...

Ask the school for a breakdown?

user1471538283 · 18/05/2022 16:25

I think with school trips you pay a proportion to enable the staff to go as well.

thebabynanny · 18/05/2022 16:25

I think £30 is too much for a school day trip. If they coaches are astronomical they should be looking at trips by foot or public transport.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 18/05/2022 16:27

If it's too much for you then it's too much but it will be to cover coach hire and insurance.

Clymene · 18/05/2022 16:29

It will cover the cost of the coach, insurance, staff/helpers tickets.

Does your daughter get FSM? Our school always helps people out who are struggling financially.

If you'd rather spend double and take the family instead, just say you're already going. There's no obligation to go on school trips.

Imtryingveryhard · 18/05/2022 16:29

At our school if you have an annual pass for a venue the school trip is going to, you can use that and just pay for the Coach/extras. We had it with Chester Zoo. Ask your school if this is ok, can’t see why not.

Danikm151 · 18/05/2022 16:29

They will have a group booking discount so the price per child will be cheaper than £9.95

it will be the coach cost

TeenPlusCat · 18/05/2022 16:29

Coaches are v. expensive.

Remember if you go as family you also have to pay for 100 miles of fuel and wear & tear on car.

Normally these kinds of trip have some kind of museum educator included too?

JudgeRindersMinder · 18/05/2022 16:29

I don’t think it’s an unreasonable cost, especially given fuel prices for a 100 mile round trip. Affordability is a whole different thing though, and that’s what it comes down to for the individual

Original poster
Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 16:30

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/05/2022 16:25

We paid £6 today for a school trip purely for the coach hire. The school could have been subsidising it but that adds up to £3600 for her year group...

Ask the school for a breakdown?

I’ve emailed the school for a breakdown. I estimate there will be about 300 kids so £5000/ £6000 on coach hire? If it’s that much then it’s crazy how much coach costs have gone up, last year we paid £12 for entrance to a farm park and a similar distance by coach for my primary school DC.

OP posts:
Whattodo121 · 18/05/2022 16:33

Coaches cost an absolute fortune! State schools are not allowed to make profit on school trips so they won’t be ripping you off, they’re not allowed to.

Beck01 · 18/05/2022 16:33

Personally think its too much.

Every summer i organise a friends/family coach trip from London to a Seaside Margate/Bournemouth etc so within 2.5 hours from London - 80ish miles. We pay £650 on average and that works out £12 per person for a 55 seater. Coaches include insurance.

Schools get a better rate. Even to cover the cost of teachers doesn't justify it

Sirzy · 18/05/2022 16:34

The school visits will probably have extra costs per head for the educational things they do on top of the normal visitor experience.

I don’t think it’s expensive at all, but if your going to struggle then talk to school and they will have a way to help.

ChessieFL · 18/05/2022 16:34

The school will probably get a different experience than a child going on a family day out. They will probably have museum staff doing activities with them all day which may end up costing more than the standard child ticket.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 18/05/2022 16:36

Schools don’t make a profit on trips. They also don’t charge extra to cover someone who won’t pay. That is just the price.

You could have a conversation with them rather than asking for a breakdown of the costs-state you can’t afford that but you would like to make a contribution…the trip won’t go ahead if enough people don’t pay as schools cannot swallow the costs anymore-budgets are just too tight.

PeachPizza · 18/05/2022 16:36

Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 16:23

It’s more of a bargain to buy the £50 family ticket and let my other DC benefit from the experience and have a family day out though.

Surely the £50 family tickets doesn't include the transport?

£30 for a day out 50 miles away is cheap!

SheWoreYellow · 18/05/2022 16:36

Ask school if there is a fund for parents who will struggle to pay for this. There should be.

MintyGreenDream · 18/05/2022 16:36

It's all to do with insurance and coaches

ImAvingOops · 18/05/2022 16:37

I think it's too much. It's not your responsibility to subsidise staff costs either, if that's happening. Schools can sometimes be very free with other peoples money and not at all realistic about some families budget constraints.

Id rather pay for the family ticket and take all my kids.

yesthatisdrizzle · 18/05/2022 16:37

Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 16:30

I’ve emailed the school for a breakdown. I estimate there will be about 300 kids so £5000/ £6000 on coach hire? If it’s that much then it’s crazy how much coach costs have gone up, last year we paid £12 for entrance to a farm park and a similar distance by coach for my primary school DC.

Show quote history

70ish seats on a coach I think, which would have to include teachers & helpers, so they'd probably need 5 coaches at £800+ each - that's about the going rate - plus entrance fees and insurance etc.

Do speak to the school and tell them that you are having difficulties, you won't be the only one.

ModerationInEverything · 18/05/2022 16:38

We live less than 20 miles from a theme park. The school trip is £14 for the coach if you have an annual pass. £30 for 50 miles and entrance doesn't sound too bad to me.

00100001 · 18/05/2022 16:38

thebabynanny · 18/05/2022 16:25

I think £30 is too much for a school day trip. If they coaches are astronomical they should be looking at trips by foot or public transport.

Ha ha as if a 100 mile round trip on public transport will be cheaper than coach hire...