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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to be pissed off with 'voluntary contributions' for school trips?

188 replies

Chundle · 08/09/2011 15:42

dd came home today with school trip form. It costs £19. They won't be able to go if enough people don't pay this voluntary contribution but those that don't pay still get to go blah blah blah. I'm totally not a snob- I live in a council house so don't have a ton of money but I always pay for my kids to go on trips yet it seems to me there's always a group of parents standing there laughing there tits off that they didn't have to cough off!
When I was a kid if you didn't pay you stayed at school and had a fun time anyway that was that and what's wrong with that???
I had to miss out on school trips as a kid and wasn't overly bothered.
My tin hats on I'm ready for a bashing

OP posts:
Claw3 · 09/09/2011 14:55

I always get letters asking for 'voluntary' contributions and stating that if not enough parents pay, then the trip will have to be cancelled. This one was for £5.50 and the PTA had contributed £200, i suppose the PTA is trying to cover any parents who cant/wont pay.

So in theory, it could be the well off parents who are not paying and the not the not so well off parents who are.

Zanywany · 09/09/2011 15:13

In my DC's school they have a list of the children who haven't paid yet, there names get crossed out as the parent pays. I picked up my DD (7Yrs old) from school one day and her teacher said very loudly in front of other parents that if I didn't pay and fill in the form soon then my DD would not be allowed to go on the trip. I have always paid but was a day late paying for that particular trip as the DC's had been with their Dad the night before so I didn't sort out their school bags with them. Felt very humilated that they demanded the money for a voluntary trip when I fully intended to pay anway and stated this on the permission slip

StopRainingPlease · 09/09/2011 15:51

I must be an old fogey actually, as I barely remember any school trips from my school days, certainly at primary school. Once a year we'd have a fund day out somewhere, and other - more educational - trips involved walking to the end of the road and counting traffic, or maybe walking to the local library. Are all these expensive trips really necessary?

Oh, and maybe we're lucky as we're in a city so for their trips the (primary) kids generally walk or get a bus. The school almost never hires a coach, and trips generally cost a couple of quid.

pointydog · 09/09/2011 17:37

teacher, that is not the case in Scotland. Go figure.

pointydog · 09/09/2011 17:39

I had a school trip once a year if we were lucky. Usually to some dismal place like the local reservoir. I remember that one. Well actually, I don't. I remember the bus trip to that one. Very exciting. Being on a bus with your schoolmates.

teacherwith2kids · 09/09/2011 18:12

Pointy, education is one of the things that is devolved in Scotland - so it is different in very many ways. It can be not legal in England, and legal in Scotland - that's what devolution means....

Animation · 09/09/2011 18:12

To be honest I don't understand why parents need to pay for trips. Why are "trips" any different to the rest of the school curriculum which is paid for by the state?

Animation · 09/09/2011 18:13

And if the state can't afford it - why do they put on trips - assuming parents can pay?

Animation · 09/09/2011 18:25

Sorry to get on my soap bow here but parents have a lot of bills to pay - just to keep afloat, not to mention very high council tax and ever increasing food bills. I don't like this attitude amongst schools and teachers - looking down their noses at parents who might be reluctant to cough up, and perhaps would rather spend any extra money on good FOOD!

These are hard times!!

Peachy · 09/09/2011 18:28

At our school if you do not pay you get lined up on the playground and your aprents called to take you home as they will not provide cover.

A PTA member tried to ban the children of aprents who couldn't afford it from seeing father Christmas as well: luckily as Secretary the Chair and I threatening a walk out half way through planning the seasonal stuff sorted that.

The only time we have ever paid less or not paid was when DS1 could only do one day of a resi trip due to his SN (one day and one night to be exact); some parents didn't like that. I don't care.

Talker2010 · 09/09/2011 18:32

mercibucket

Are you serious ... do you expect every child to go on every trip ... even if they do have no interest

Who exactly are we making stay behind ... if child or parent decides that trip is not of value surely that is their right

Why would you imagine that this would be illegal ... clearly no child is excluded because their family cannot afford to pay and that is the purpose of the "voluntary contribution" legislation

Peachy · 09/09/2011 18:33

Am presuming this is not in aplce in Wales since i have yet to encounter the term in RL usage.

Animation · 09/09/2011 18:48

And still talking about money. On a Saturday night we, a family of 5, usually have spaghetti Bolognase. Sometimes though, when I'm feeling particularly flush I buy steak - sometimes FILLET (20 quid). That's a treat for the family - nice and healthy. Good food IS a priority every time - and trips are way down the line.

GwendolenHarleth · 09/09/2011 18:50

My son takes his soup to school in a glass conical lab flask and heats the soup up over a bunsen burner

natation · 09/09/2011 18:50

We used to live in the UK and hubby used to be chair of governers of our children's primary school. The biggest "extra-curricular" trip which the children did was the annual Year 6 residential, costing around £250 for 5 days. I was shocked to find out (through hubby) that so many parents in a class of 25 failed to contribute to this trip that over £2000 was "taken" from the Parents' Association account to cover the short-fall and allow the trip to go ahead. Work out for yourself how many parents didn't pay - only 2 were on benefits, none of the parents were hugely rich. And the £2000 was the profit of the Summer fete - imagine all that fund raising that year paid for this residential trip to go ahead. I felt it very unfair, firstly that so many parents had taken advantage of the situation and got their children a free residential, parents who earned as much as we did, and secondly that the whole school celebrated the Summer fete thinking that the profits would be invested back into the school. The year after, the school residential trip was cancelled - the head could no longer "plunder" Parents' Association money as he no longer controlled it, not enough parents paid and the trip got cancelled.

Any parent who can afford even a small percentage of a school trip should pay, it's morally right to do so, immoral to take advantage of other parents' generosity in subsidising those who refuse to pay. Almost everyone can afford to pay even tiny amounts.

We now live in Belgium where we have to pay about 500 euro a year just for "free" education - you are charged for children to stay at lunch time, charged for books, paper etc. Parents have no choice but to pay. School residentials and day trips are frequent. Our children go every 2 years on a residential and many schools have residential every year from the age of 4 years old. This year I will pay 150 euro for a 5 day farm stay and about 600 euro for 10 days skiing/mountain studies. So for 2 children in primary, I will be paying 1750 euro minimum this year to go to "free" school. These trips are compulsory. Those who moan in the UK about a £20 school trip, think yourself lucky.

Animation · 09/09/2011 18:53

"I felt it very unfair, firstly that so many parents had taken advantage"

Well that's the great assumption isn't it - that parents CAN afford!!

TidyDancer · 09/09/2011 19:02

I'm not really sure where I stand on this one. I certainly don't begrudge genuinely low income families from sending their children on trips they really can't budget for, but I very much do begrudge the selfish arseholes who refuse to pay just because they can. Regardless of whether a trip is in school hours or not, it's obvious that if enough parents don't contribute, then the whole thing will be called off.

We've always paid, and it's not always been easy. Money has been very tight at times before DP started working after his PhD. But I wouldn't want to be the reason a trip has been called off. And don't think it's an empty threat to do that, because it's happened at DS's school.

pointydog · 09/09/2011 19:05

teacher, I know that Hmm

You really are patronising

natation · 09/09/2011 19:08

Well you see I knew those who had not paid... so some were genuinely could not afford much, but sadly some were more than able to afford. It's just Christian to help out those who cannot pay for something and quite unchristian to deliberately take advantage of the generosity of others (in our case everyone who attended the Summer fete that year and spent money) in order to get a freebee trip when they are able to afford to pay.

Animation · 09/09/2011 19:11

"but sadly some were more than able to afford."

natation - how do you know that?

BendyBob · 09/09/2011 19:35

With twins we have always paid the full amount x 2 for everything the school have wanted payment for.

Sometimes it's been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back wrt money for the month; but I've never complained to the school or pulled the 'I've got two to pay for' card.

Annoyingly some of the activities have pretty much been presented as a fait accompli to the children before we are even told about them too, so no room to say sorry we can't afford it, because they come home convinced it's happeningHmm.

Always the 'voluntary' thing is mentioned. If I ever heard anyone in the playground boasting about how they were getting something for nothing at others expense I'd def pull out.

Teachermumof3 · 09/09/2011 19:35

I'm not sure what all the parents who refuse to pay or who complain that the contributions are voluntary, but yet they are still asked for funds would prefer us to do?

Do they not want their children to go on trips? Obviously these trips are educational and enhance their learning, but they are expensive; usually because the transport costs are exorbitant. For my last school trip, the admission to the venue was free but the short coach journey cost £75. We aren't allowed to take them on the bus and it was too far to walk. The LEA has slashed our funding, so are unable to cover trips.

I am a bit baffled by the PTA paying for £2000 towards the Y6 Residential trip. This is not an educational trip-so those who couldnn't afford it wouldn't legally be required to go.

FootballFriend · 09/09/2011 19:38

GwendolenHarlet - is your DS a science teacher? Cuts in education and all that.

mercibucket · 09/09/2011 20:07

sorry ,talker, I read this part

''Parents at our school have 3 choices

  1. pay and child goes on trip
  2. parent explains there is a problem paying ... usually making a voluntary contribution or taking advantage of the instalments available
  3. child does not go on trip

which seems to me to suggest they have to pay or else not go on trip (making a voluntary contribution or paying by installments is still paying)

I see you later post that if they had to go as part of the curriculum, then they wouldn't have to pay but I don't understand what they are doing in school time that is not part of the curriculum. Are you talking about out of school trips eg holidays, after school, because I'd have thought you'd be on very shaky ground as a state school arguing that a trip that takes place during school hours is not part of the curriculum. Apologies if I have misunderstood.

marriedinwhite · 09/09/2011 20:12

My DC went to the local cofe primary where I was a governor and we had those letters. Believe me the school was well aware of who would have difficulty paying. There wasn't a lot of jiggery pokery going on but very leafy area. However, the school made sure that the children who might have faced hardship didn't suffer any humiliation or being left out. There was always a child who didn't have a packed lunch (forgotten - and often not the child from the challenged home) and always a couple of spares went with the coach - I know - I used to make them!