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Original poster

£1800 for a school trip

468 replies

Patchw0rk · 25/05/2023 14:55

Is it just me, or what are the school thinking?!

DC desperately wants to go of course- all their friends are, of course 🙄and we could possibly afford it with a lot of hard work (on my part, overtime!) but we could take the whole family away for that.

DC is 13 so old enough to understand about money really but so wants to go. It's a week skiing in Canada. I want them to have brilliant life experiences but it's just so much money.

I just think school have lost the plot. Could they really not have come up with something more reasonable for a y9 trip?

OP posts:
Thebigblueballoon · 25/05/2023 14:57

What kind of school is it?

purplecorkheart · 25/05/2023 14:59

The school have utterly lost the plot. That is a huge amount of money to ask parents to fund. A 13 year old is not going to be able to earn that amount.

Mischance · 25/05/2023 15:00

It is a lot of money indeed.

My DD went with the school on a netball team trip to Australia and it cost an arm and a leg, but we had the option of paying for it bit by bit, which is what we did.

I am CofG at a school and the PSA and fundraising help to subsidise trips.

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Waitingforsummertocome · 25/05/2023 15:00

That’s a crazy amount of money and will be excluding a lot of children.

SummerHouse · 25/05/2023 15:00

I agree. It's not fair. But we have just paid nearly this for DSs school trip. Perhaps that's hypocritical of me. I want him to have the opportunities I didn't.

Mrsjayy · 25/05/2023 15:01

Sking in Canada 😳 that's quite a trip! Is this a private or state school?

Mrsjayy · 25/05/2023 15:02

Our school went to Italy skiing it was senior years, dc had no interest in skiing so they didn't go I don't think it harmed them not to go.

Piffpaffpoff · 25/05/2023 15:03

Our school (comprehensive) did a European ski trip this year and it was £1650 so, relatively speaking, £1800 for Canada sounds like excellent value. We paid monthly for 18 months beforehand so it was more manageable but still a lot.

Original poster
Patchw0rk · 25/05/2023 15:03

It's a state school! We're in a nice town but also has big pockets of social housing etc too. (Sorry unsure how to word that)

OP posts:
Original poster
Patchw0rk · 25/05/2023 15:04

SummerHouse · 25/05/2023 15:00

I agree. It's not fair. But we have just paid nearly this for DSs school trip. Perhaps that's hypocritical of me. I want him to have the opportunities I didn't.

Yes- me too.

OP posts:
CrowningAround · 25/05/2023 15:05

My friends daughter is going to South Africa next year with her school, it is costing £2500. She goes to school in a predominantly low income area, the school itself is on the edge of a massive council estate (that I live on!). Insanity

Crikeyalmighty · 25/05/2023 15:07

I think schools need to get a grip on reality - sounds to me it's what the accompanying teachers fancied

I really don't agree with any trips over£500 unless school are paying!

TeenDivided · 25/05/2023 15:12

I think it is OK.
Only a few will go. There is possibly more guaranteed snow?
There will be families that can afford this that couldn't afford to take the whole family, or circumstances dictate it isn't feasible.

To some £200 would be just as unaffordable, do you ban those trips too?

It won't be a jolly for the teachers they are on duty 24/7.

Fedupofdiets · 25/05/2023 15:12

Lots of state schools offer these sort of trips. DD did ski America in year 9 with a night in NYC at the end of the skiing, yes it was expensive and we paid it off over an 18 month period. Never regretted it she loved it and still talks about it now.

Allezvite · 25/05/2023 15:12

That is a lot, and also a bit mad to go for a week (presumably) to Canada. So much travel time! They will get max 5 days skiing.

Soubriquet · 25/05/2023 15:12

That is insane. No way would be able to afford that for my dc

DorisElward · 25/05/2023 15:15

You can say no. That would also be educational.

Highfivemum · 25/05/2023 15:16

That’s a good price. My DD is going to France for five days staying in a hostel and it is 900 pounds. !! Paid for it over the course of a year.

123sunshine · 25/05/2023 15:16

School skiing trips are always expensive. Our school ski trip for next year is £1,400 and whilst this is cheaper than your Canadian option, this involves driving by coach all the way to Austria whcih takes approx 24 hours. My daughter did the trip this year and whilst she really enjoyed the skiing holiday, the coach journey was hideous, not helped by the much reported problems at the French /Uk border. Fankly withthe many horror stories reported this year witht he travel problemns I wouldnt send a kid on a coach trip sking Some schools had to abandon their trip due to huge delays. Not all kids get to go on a skiing trip due to the huge costs and also their won't be enough places for all kids. Obviously if your child wants to go and you can't afford/don't want to afford to send them, or they don't get a space as trip is oversubscribed, its disappointing, but they wont be the only one disappointed.

HeidiWhole · 25/05/2023 15:17

These types of trips seem fairly commonplace these days! Our local state comps (not affluent area by any means) have just had trips to both Canada and California Shock

edwinbear · 25/05/2023 15:18

We're paying £1,700 for DS's school ski trip to France next Easter, he'll be Y10. Ski trips are expensive by definition, it's why he goes on the school trip rather than 4 of us going! But £1,800 to Canada, whilst a lot of money, seems really good value. DH and I used to ski in Canada before we had DC and had money it's fantastic!

TwigTheWonderKid · 25/05/2023 15:18

That's crazy and I'm amazed the school governors authorised the trip in the current economic climate.

CaptainSeven · 25/05/2023 15:21

Oh my gosh. Expensive but good value. Probably guaranteed snow.

It's a fact of life that not everyone can go to things. I couldn't afford Beyoncé tickets - perhaps no one should go because I can't?

For some families this might be the only way they can afford for their children to have that experience. 1 person rather than 4.

Okay they might have 2 children but unless twins they can probably budget for it.

Those families that couldn't afford £200 just won't even try.

Have you got lots of notice? Can you pay it up?

It IS expensive but I think it's good value.

balzamico · 25/05/2023 15:24

It does sound crazy. However, on the converse side, our (state) school doesn't offer any trips ahead at all because of the risk that it would exclude lower income families.
I benefitted hugely from the two trips abroad I went in with school and I'm really sad my dc won't get that opportunity

Usernamen · 25/05/2023 15:26

I presume the school will subsidise the trip for students from low income families?

I see nothing wrong with school trips of this sort - they sounds fantastic, as long as there is help for the families who have no chance of affording it.