Paying for school trips

[Workinghardeveryday]

I was under the impression that no child could be excluded from a school trip even if it wasn’t paid for?

We got a letter on their first day of high school advising there is a school trip for RE in less than two weeks time.

I rang to give consent, to be told I had to log onto Parent Pay, make my payment of £30 each child and give my consent there.

I explained I don’t use Parent Pay and would give my consent over the phone or via email.

I was advised this is not possible the deputy head rang me, she advised she wouldn’t want my children to be excluded from the trip (twins so £60!!) unless I pay.

Thank you for this, it does state they cannot charge transport costs for an educational visit. Entry is free, so that leaves insurance costs which will absolutely not be anywhere near huge.

To answer comments regarding I don’t use parent pay, the twins have just moved up to high school, they are 11.

we have never had the need to use it before, all school trips were paid in the office. They are on packed lunch so do not require any money for school.

my eldest just left high school, in 5 years we had no need for it, so with respect it is not a necessity!

any donations would be given in cash, why would I need to use parent pay.

I did explain to deputy head I could not afford it, she sympathised but said it’s an educational visit they should not miss and ask family or friends to pay for them.

we are not entitled to free school meals.

How am I being difficult? I have never needed it!!

having twins you can appreciate I have just spent £650 on school uniform and all to go with it. Only thing I haven’t got are shin pads for them both, if they don’t have by Monday they get detention even though they have not needed them yet.

I didn’t buy them because my dd16 has not used hers once, total waste of money.

You'll need to get yourself on to ParentPay for future stuff.
I'm sure this cannot be the case - but are you suggesting that the school are overcharging, and somehow profiteering?

It is a lot to find

Agree the idea of using PP and putting some in periodically is a good idea

Thank you for understanding.

Thats all I wanted, some notice!

Sometimes mn leaves me stunned. I am the bad guy because I don’t use parent pay, told by school my kids need to go on a trip that will cost me £60 that I can’t afford, and somehow I am difficult and causing school problems because I don’t have a parent pay account I have had no need to have before!! Wtaf.

Why are you buying shin pads, dont the school provide safety wear for sports, is this a state school.

I did not realise bus costs were so expensive but I must be wrong after reading pp…?

Yes, bus and insurance costs are very high. Believe me, schools have to account for everything!
Your children should still be able go, so speak to the subject head about the costs.

It’s just a normal high school, they have to have them, mouth guards too. Football boots, a box for boys, the list goes on and on.

even socks for pe have to be logo’d

I spoke to the deputy head who referred to the head ☹️

So is it that you're very low income and can't pay or don't want to pay?

And what's wrong with using parent pay? I think you can see now it's very very common in schools. You don't even have to download an app - you just go to the website. If. You need help registering I think school would help or we can?

Parentpay is far preferable to100s of children bringing in odd bits of cash!

Sometimes mn leaves me stunned. I am the bad guy because I don’t use parent pay, told by school my kids need to go on a trip that will cost me £60 that I can’t afford, and somehow I am difficult and causing school problems because I don’t have a parent pay account I have had no need to have before!! Wtaf.

You are being difficult though, because although you may have never needed to use parent pay before, you clearly do now! Yet you are still refusing and expect that lazy choice to be accommodated by already stretched school staff. Why do you think you are different from all the other parents?

If your twins have only just started at secondary, what makes you think you won’t need it at all at some point over the next 5-7 years? Are you planning on never being able to afford their trips or experiences? What about the occasions where you might need to buy a book or piece of equipment though the school?

You also haven’t helped yourself with the way you’re almost accusing the school of trying to make a profit out of you. If they tell you how much a trip costs then that’s how much the trip costs. They are not going to charge you more than it costs them, and yes, coach costs are massive. It’s fair enough to question it, but question it before you complain.

You are coming across as the bad guy because of your attitude, not your inability to pay.

@ClocksGoingBackwards

okay, if I am coming across badly I apologise. Not well today, temperature feeling pretty poorly.

my dd16 has just left the same school and always took cash for trips, art supplies, gcse books etc, it was never an issue at all. Consent was always over the phone.

it’s hardly lazy, I need to get the cash out and take it to the school, much harder than pressing a few buttons!!

I'm surprised they still take cash, especially at secondary. I'm a bursar and we have avoided cash now for several years. Our three closest banks have closed, which means travelling to a nearby town which I just don't have time for. We can now use the Post office, but again it is time.
The main reason though is our insurance only covers a small amount for our safe so we simply cannot have too much on site.
Out of 400 families we only have one family who refuse to pay online.

If you can't afford the trip, you can't afford it. I would put something in writing by email and offer to pay £1 for each child and let them figure it out.

If you don't have a smartphone or internet access to get onto the Parent Pay website, the school will have to figure out a way to get you on. Can your older daughter help?

I would give your daughter's shin pads one each to your twins so they've got something to wave at the PE teacher, if they are not actually going to use them. do they have PE at the same time, can they swap over at breaktime?

Unfortunately, £30 does sound right for a coach trip an hour away. I would add a complaint to your email on the absurdness of expecting parents to pay £30 during a cost-of-living crisis weeks after paying for uniform.

Sorry, you are finding things so tough.

Oh, forgot to say, we would have to have two staff going to the bank/PO for security reasons so it is just not practical.

There is usually a hardship fund available as well, if you are struggling.

it’s hardly lazy, I need to get the cash out and take it to the school, much harder than pressing a few buttons!!

You only need to get the cash out if you’re paying tbf, and as you’re not, it’s irrelevant.

You still need to use parent pay, because they no longer take cash or consent over the phone. You’re just being awkward for the sake of being awkward if using parent pay is ‘just pressing a few buttons’.

So what's the issue with parentpay? Can we help?

You can see 100s of people "ringing in" consent is a nightmare yes?

I have not once said I won’t use pp actually.

I said I don’t and never have and never been asked too, then went onto explain why I don’t use pp.

my thread was created about my worry of my children missing an education school visit the school state they really should attend - and they really want to, yet you and others have picked from that the obvious more important fact that I do not currently use pp.

yet, posters are saying I am lazy (why exactly, see above) and awkward.

are you just bored and after a Saturday afternoon argument? No thanks

This is why trips can cost so much because the parents that pay for their children end up subsiding those who don't or won't and it's unfair on parents that do pay

If your child is eligable for pupil premium the school gets funding by to cover it otherwise pay up!!!

Some people

Just because some of you have £60 at the click of a finger you can't assume everyone does.

Not all people earning decent wages will have that lying around - especially in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

Schools can run trips. They can request a contribution.

They should work out what they can afford to pay themselves for those who can't afford it.

They should NOT be speaking to the OP as they did and suggesting that they ask friends an family to pay. That's just so rude.

Thank you!!! She also said she understands I would be extremely embarrassed by making the call. I could have cried I felt so humiliated.