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.

I'd like to know where the OP is supposed to magic up 60 quid for these two kids to go on this trip. Some of the people posting here obviously have no idea how badly affected so many people are by the current cost of living crisis.
Where's the magic money tree so she can go and get herself a bit extra to pay for this? I'd like to know and I am sure there are millions of others who would like to know too.
Can't believe how many posters are going on as if this 60 quid is nothing and the OP is entitled for wanting others to pay for it. She's not entitled. She can't bloody afford it.

You have a valid point here. The parents charge will be covering the cost I bet, not the school.

I do know when all 3 have been on an activity week away, the kids slept in dirty basic dorms, while teachers got a very plush en-suite room, very pretty. Kids got very small portions of very basic food, teachers got starter and main of a completely different meal.

Their costs added to kids fee confirmed by teacher attending.

Thank you, that is exactly how I feel.

it’s not fair!

Why should teachers be paying? They're working and their presence on the trip is a necessity.

So it's not enough to volunteer their time for free, you think teachers should pay for residentials too? Or should the school reroute money from other budget areas so that running a residential means art supplies can't be bought or devices can't be replaced or a TA job must be left unfulfilled?

Of course the parents should fund the costs associated with the week of free morning, evening and overnight childcare they are receiving.

I can't believe anyone actually believes that teachers would like to spend a week, supervising kids and on call 24 hours a day - for NO EXTRA PAY - instead of being home with their own families.

Talk about fucking entitled. And lacking in gratitude. It's not a 'jolly' for the staff and people are not fighting and begging to go. They do it to give the kids they teach a good experience. And it you expect them to fork out money from their own salary to babysit your kids for free you've got a hard neck. They are already donating all of their free time for the week, basically.

OP, I get that you can't afford £60, times are hard.

Could you offer some? Even £20 would mean the schools fund would need to cover less and have more funds for other families when they need it.

Just get a Parent Pay account - you're going to need it.

You’re not 3 OP. Saying ‘it’s not fair’

Fairness has nothing to do with it. There are costs to meet and schools have no money.
Their teachers have been given a 5% pay rise with no additional funding and their energy costs aren’t capped. Energy costs for one school in the Guardian went from £100k to £500k.

In the meantime they could do without time wasting phone calls and cash to deal with from people who can’t be bothered to use the right app.

Well if the teachers don't go, the trip doesn't. And since there are very limited circumstances in which I would pay to accompany a school trip, I suspect the answer is no. Which, of course, you know.

When I took a group of pupils away on a residential I of course didn't get any extra pay and had to sleep in the dorm with the pupils and ate the same food as they had.

I will set up pp, I never said to them I wouldn’t.

conversation went something like:
‘Hi it’s, x and y’s mum. Please can I give consent for them to go on trip to abc?’.
‘No, you need to log on to pp, pay and give consent there’. ‘Oh I don’t have pp, I am struggling to come up with the cost of the trip’.
‘Then they cannot attend’.
‘Please can you ask someone to call me back to discuss further’.
Then Deputy Head rang me.

The pp hasn’t been discussed at all, only on here!!!

What have I done wrong please? How am I a difficult parent?

How is it fair that the other kids are going on an educational visit that school have explicitly said they should go to for their education, apart from mine?

Are you actually joking? Or do you not understand?

I offered to pay for one, it was a no.

I will get pp going forward

No the school are trying something different. The children are going unsupervised and they’re also saving some money by getting the tallest child to drive the coach as they are the only one who can reach the pedals.

@Workinghardeveryday honestly OP I don’t think you are aware of the costs of transport and insurances. I’ve just paid £18 for a free entry place down the road…less than a 15 mins journey from the school. The coach companies have hiked their prices a lot.

What?????

I appreciate what you have said. Of course I am grateful the teachers are doing this!! I have always personally thanked the teachers who have given up their free time to look after my children. We send thank you cards, and twins baked a cake.

my point was, their costs are covered by the parents not the school.

Lack of gratitude? Entitled? No I am certainly not.

Get parent pay, apart from anything else you can give consent on that for trips etc. they inferno will have installment options for paying for trips, it this is done via parent pay.

for now, I’d email the RE teacher, cc’ing head of year. State you can’t afford the trip, if you can afford anything towards it, put that amount in your email. Ask if there’s any other option. Could you drive your kids directly the the location and bring them home from it?

Each school has to publish it's charging and remissions policy on their website-that will tell you what this particular school can and cannot charge you for.

Coaches are hugely expensive -could be up to £500 a coach.

Get parent pay, it’s clear it is now needed. One benefit is being able to pay on credit card if you have one which helps with the unexpected.

If you can’t afford it in one go ask the school if you can pay half now and the rest on payday for example.

Give the unused shin pads you bought your 16yo to one twin, if their lessons are together and they can’t share them ask on Facebook if anyone is passing any on or ask your 16yo if any friends have some they no longer need.

I feel for you, that must have been a nightmare!! It’s like being at work 24/7.

I hope the kids were good and stayed in bed and slept at the very least!

my point was, their costs are covered by the parents not the school.
The school doesn't have money for trips though. For the trip to go ahead, someone has to cover the costs of staffing.

You expect the school to pay from what budget exactly?

You are the absolute definition of an entitled parent. You think your child should be entitled to go free of charge because you can’t pay. Then you’re complaining that the school are jumping to grant your wishes. I’m not surprised you were embarrassed on the phone. You don’t want to pay your way, you have said as much. Unfortunately, if you can’t afford it, then your dc don’t go.

I have read your posts and they just get worse. You say to someone that they have a valid point that teachers don’t pay towards transport costs. You think teachers should pay from their own pocket and give up extra time (most trips leave before school starts and come home after home time). You then complain about the en-suites of the teachers when I’m guessing you weren’t there and have no idea. Plus, they have taken time away from their own dc to take yours on a fun trip. Do you think they’re having the time of their lives supervising your dc and making sure they have a great trip away? You should be grateful and yet you complain.

You should be embarrassed of your attitude and sense of entitlement. £60 is a lot of money for some, I understand that that is the case for you. However, that is just life. Not everyone gets to do everything. Instead of moaning, try and come up with a way to enable your dc to go on the trip. Expecting others to bail you out is not one of them.

And it should be the parents as it is their children (and them in some cases) who get the benefits of the trip / residential. In fact, running a residential, certainly at primary, actually makes things more difficult for the school with the number of staff out.

Yes, it is being at work 24/7. Well done for cottoning on. Yet they should still pay for the transport right? Plus accommodation and everything else.

Don't be ridiculous. The teachers have no choice and nobody would be going anywhere without them. My son had a school trip last week. I went as a parent volunteer to help supervise, do you think I should have paid?