School trip

[PawsPaws]

Has anyone else’s school cut back massively on the end of year trips? My son is in year 6 and for the end of year trip they are going to the local park, a park we visit most weekends and they’ve been to several times on school trips. The year before that my other son went to the beach with the school as the end of year trip and 2 years before that my daughter was taken to a theme park. I guess it’s a money issue. Just wondering what other schools doing for the year 6 children?

Eldest went to the Zoo and youngest is having yet another trip to the town library and yes they’ve been to the park recently too.

They normally do a big trip for year 6 so I’m more wondering about year 6 children who are leaving, feels a bit of a shame one got the beach, one a theme park and youngest gets the local park 😳

A park as in a normal playground? That's really shit for a year 6 trip. Ours are going to a theme park.

I suspect it's a combination of a number of things. School budgets are so tight that they can't afford to subsidise trips for a year group if not all parents can pay. Increased pressure on household budgets means that there are more that can't afford to let their DC go on a trip without the additional support. Risk assessments and planning for big trips take time and need sign off from the LA etc. Teachers are already working long hours and may be reluctant to give up even more time to organise trips and take children away, particularly overnight. Recruitment is difficult so some schools don't actually have enough permanent members of staff to supervise.

We were lucky - ours had some fantastic Y6 trips including a residential that they still talk about - I completely understand why you're disappointed with a trip to the local park.

Ours have the Y6 residential.
I think schools are very conscious of budget. If a coach is needed that's usually at least £20 a head on top of entry fees.
In some areas parents will pay but as payment has to be voluntary it could be that the school knows the proportion that don't pay and have worked out that they can't subsidise.
Could the parents arrange something after school one day. The PTA do a couple of leavers events at our school including a laser quest type place. It's an opt in by paying activity although school use pupil premium for those that receive it.

We live in London so we have quite a few nice big parks but yes it’s a visit to the playground in the park which we go to most weekends and they’ve already had trips there before so it’s not exactly exciting for a year 6 end of year trip.

My y5 isn’t going on a school trip at all this year. My y2 went to a wildlife park. My y5 didn’t have a school trip at all in reception or y1 because of Covid. So he’s not really been on many school trips at all in primary.

I’m reminding myself I’ll look back at these times fondly when he goes to secondary and there are multiple (expensive) school trips every year….

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I should have added that for us the y6 residential is in September which costs a lot, so maybe school is conscious of £££ hence no trip in y5. I hope they have a decent y6 school trip next summer though.

It’s more the end of year trip as mentioned as they usually do something special for the kids for their last year as an end of year celebration

There may be trips in secondary but no guarantee they will get a place despite us having saved up in advance. Our school does ballots for those interested but my dd never got lucky. For instance 20 places with 50 wanting to go. They don't even prioritise who hasn't been on a trip before so some go every year and others go on none. Plus she had no trips in yrs 7 and 8 due to covid. Luckily the yr 6 residential was in Nov as they left school in March and never went back due to covid.

Not in year 6 yet but my kids schools seem to have gone the other way. Both schools have some deprived areas in catchment, and are aware that days out over the holidays will be thin on the ground for some of their kids, so seem to be really leaning into making sure they all still get to have these experiences, with slightly more trips happening then previous years.

There does seem to be more going on public transport (brave teachers), relay drop offs in the school minibus, trips to places with free admission and pta strong arming local attractions into giving free or discounted entry (lots of special thanks/soft advertising in the news letter). We must be quite lucky but the staff here really do seem to be going above and beyond to make sure the kids aren't missing out.

Oh that’s interesting, I have a child in year 3 and I’ve noticed school trips are extremely rare now for all years she’s only had one this year I thought it was because we had a new head teacher a couple of years ago as that’s when they seemed to cut them right down so just wondered if other schools were the same.

Water park for ours. School funds a certain amount and PTA make up the rest. Parents drop off and pick up so several school minibus trips not needed which keeps costs down.

I think schools get inventive quite a bit now too. Our school does enrichment weeks. This year the whole school was split across two days at a local NT. The school did a few trips in the minibus and hired one coach for each day. Parents were also asked if they could drop off and collect. A few of us in year 1 volunteered to help and took our own kids / friends kids in our cars.

Yes it’s because a lot of the parents don’t pay anymore so there’s not enough money in the school funds - therefore our children miss out. My boys feel very aggrieved they get to do nothing anymore

such a shame they all have to miss out and they are asking for money for the trip which is free and also the bus there which is also free, I mean I don’t mind paying but the park is free and so is the bus there… different if they were actually taking them somewhere worthwhile

I have read the cost of coaches and insurance now is so expensive that schools are having to cut back on a lot of trips . You see a lot of “walking bus” trips now where they are walking the kids to activities whereas that wasn’t heard of as much when we was at school .

My son is in Y5 and we've been told a Mon - Fri Y5 residential trip to the Isle of Wight in June 2026 (we live in Surrey) will cost about £650.
I believe it's a PGL centre. I am confused as to why it's this much when my son went with Cubs (twice) on a 2 night PGL weekend which cost £100 each which included coach, activities, food, accommodation and even spending money. Do Cubs have some insane discount i don't know about or are his school just not good at budgeting?
To answer your question, my son's school doesn't seem to worry what parents can afford. State Catholic school.

My son didn’t go on his residential as it had doubled from the last year I mean I wouldn’t mind if it was the Isle of Wight somewhere we wouldn’t normally go but again it wasn’t

I’m confused. Did your year 6 child the option of going on a residential? I wouldn’t expect a residential AND a big trip day out. As you couldn’t afford the residential, it’s likely you weren’t the only ones and the school probably felt a big trip would be similarly exclusive. At least a trip to the park is accessible for all. I’m not sure why they’re asking for money though, unless for ice creams or similar.

Getting coaches in the summer term is incredibly difficult and extortionately expensive. Families just can't afford it these days sadly and schools can't afford to sub those who can't pay.

I think unfortunately it is just higher cost of living, which means more parents are stretched, and also means that trips cost more because activity places having to charge more because their general expenses are higher. Also schools are more stretched. If you have a situation where school can't afford to provide any or as much financial aid as in the past, parents on average can't afford as much, and activity centres have to charge more, you have to do cheaper trips!

That's rubbish! my year 6 has a trip to see a show they are going on a boat ride and eating a meal at a restaurant it was £50 though and they struggled to get enough students signed up for it.
My year 10's school has got around this by offering 3 different trips one was to a theme park at £50 a zoo trip at £25 and cinema at £5, which I thought was a good way of making sure everyone got to do something.

Our school has cut back on nothing but is passing full cost onto parents of trips, extra sports, swimming, extra class music lessons, craft supplies. They can do this as it's in an affluent area and almost all parents can afford it.

I could afford it, I didn’t pay it because it had doubled and I weren’t paying double for the same trip, just to clarify son also didn’t want to go. The residential is at the start of the year (October) and they have a “leaving trip” at the end of the year, I’m only referring to the leaving trip not trips in general, my other 2 children had residential at the start of the academic year and then a leavers trip at the end which is what I’m referring to. Also to add it was to the exact same place only doubled in price I’m not sure many parents would bother to pay that and most of the class didn’t go.