School trip cost

[12bucklemyshoethree4]

Why are school trips so expensive now. Trip to go ape 40.00. Also a trip away 2 night stay . For 355 pounds. Its so expensive.

There's families out there using food banks. People may not agree but i don't think any child should miss out.

There's no consessions or voluntary contributions.

The price of hiring coaches has gone through the roof since Covid - that’s one big reason.

I believe the majority of it is the cost of coaches. My dc's school have now started to ask parents to collect/drop off if the trip is local enough to keep the cost down

Yeah it still never used to cost that much though. As the other poster says its linked with covid . But personally I think thats an excuse now I just dont think it should be so much.

The school isn't making any money from this. It's just what it costs.

I didn't run a day trip to London recently as it would have cost something like £200pp, for the day, and I just couldn't ask for that much. Once you've added up transport, insurance, activities, that's just how much things cost now.

The alternative is they don't offer the trip and nobody gets the chance. There would be just as many people complaining.

So who should be paying for it @12bucklemyshoethree4?

Who do you think should cover the costs OP?

Not quite sure what you’re asking OP? Schools don’t make profits on trips and there is no budget for concessions or subsidies. Would you rather they ran no trips?

EVERYTHING is more expensive. Not just school trips.

Are you saying that someone else should pay for it, or that no trips should be run?

Coaches. They have gone up disproportionately.

Trips are difficult.
Some people would struggle to find £10.
Other people can do £1000 easily.

But in the middle there are many many families who can cover the cost of something for 1 child to go with the school, but either don't have the money or the family time/set up, or desire (or all) to enable the whole family to go and who appreciate the individual child getting an opportunity.

What would your suggestion be?

if the entry price is set by the attraction and the coach price is set by the coach provider, how would the school deliver a trip for a smaller amount of money in your opinion?

Still probably cheaper than taking your child there yourself. As you'd have to pay for you too!

Coaches are expensive unfortunately.

Schools can’t afford to fund residential trips for all children, or even just for all children whose parents can’t afford it. So if the parent of that child can’t afford to pay and the school can’t afford to pay it, then who will pay? Do you think we should pass the cost on to the other parents and make their child’s trip more expensive to help fund those who can’t pay? Do we cancel trips altogether? What’s your solution to this OP?

You're right, but Go Ape as an example seems to cost about £39.95 on their site, so that one at least probably isn't a bad price.

That is just how much things cost now.

DCs' secondary have just said that they won't be running the customary end of term trips this year as they just didn't have the budget to subsidise them. They are aware that some families could afford the full cost, but many couldn't and didn't think it was fair that not everyone could go.

They'll be doing rounders in the park or something similar instead - a shame, but I don't see what else they could do.

I’m pretty sure our Go Ape is £40 anyway - those kinds of activities have always been very expensive. And £355 for a two night stay inc accommodation, travel and activities is not a huge amount really.

It’s complicated isn’t it - I agree all pupils should be able to go / not be excluded on affordability grounds… but I also disagree with limiting everyone else’s opportunities because some pupils might not be able to afford it.

£40 for Go Ape sounds pretty good value if it includes transport though. Prices have gone up and someone needs to cover that.

Using public transport / trips to local places within walking distance can be used to help keep costs low. Our school does visits to local churches / mosques / nature reserves as walking trips which means they are free. They also get the bus to the swimming baths for lessons which avoids the cost of a coach.

£40 for Go Ape is a really good price if it includes travel. I don’t think schools can win really, if they organise a free or cheap activity within walking distance then people complain that it’s boring.

i love that dd has options for experiences through school. I am
disabled and providing them
myself can be extremely difficult. Sometimes the school asks for donations to help cover costs for students that struggle to afford the outings and that is something I can easily provide so I am happy to help. Every family has different resources and restrictions.

I personally think there should be fewer trips and I have made the point to our school- which is a state primary and yet puts on a residential trip for every year group. Ie a residential trip in Y3, 4, 5 and 6. It’s madness! In response to the feedback they have reduced the distance and length of trips. But the cost has stayed the same 🙄. Not their fault - clearly the cost of school transport has rocketed- but I’d rather do less than make people feel pressured and squeezed!

I don't really know what your implying, what do you mean it's an excuse? Are you suggesting the school makes a profit?

Same here with the cost of coaches

It's just unsustainable

Go Ape is £40 regardless of whether you go with school or not?

"I don't think it should be so much"

Well that's nothing to do with the school is it?

Did you imagine that once Covid wasn’t an issue, the price would reduce? I can’t think of any example of that happening anywhere.

If you’re thinking that schools make a profit on trips, no they don’t. The coach companies and venues need to cover their costs and will probably make a profit, but that’s it.

It will soon be the case that spending hours trying to find the most cost effective way of offering a trip, doing the admin, risk assessment, planning and coordinating the trip, will probably make it unviable to continue to offer them.

Coaches: a trip 2 years ago that cost, say, £225 for a coach now costs £400+

School make no profit on trips, and finances would be audited to assure this.

There is not enough in school budgets to pay for classs trips. A two intake prinary school with 2 classes in eac year, so 14 classes, running trips costing, say £700 each as an example, would be appx £9800. No schools can cover that. Our school is cutting jobs as budgets (again) this year are dire: a top up funding that has been available in previous years is looking at risk, many schools will be significantly impacted by this. Previous year salary increases for teachers were not covered by a budget increase, it had to come from schools existing budgets.

But, book a local area trip (eg walk to park, local museum) you get families complaining it's a shit trip and where is the fun trip (even though they should be curriculum linked).

And as for residentials... we have used a venue where it wasn't staffed after daytime activities meaning accompanying school staff covered cooking breakfast, packed lunches, evening meals, cleaning, night duties instead of venue staff etc. A residential does not give staff a free night or much sleep!