to think that a school shouldn't ask for a voluntray contribution for a school trip to a place where the entry is free?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

HT has form for this.

Wondering whether to raise it at PTA or do my ususal ignoring of it?

Do they have to have transport? If not then, no, no payment should be needed!

How do they get there? Is it a secondary school? If so, cover costs.

How are they getting there?

Does the place charge for adults?

Is there a fee to cover the resources they'll use?

Depends, do they incur any expenses?

Depends. If the place is free and they are asking for £10 then YANBU. But if they are asking for say £3 towards the coach then YABU.

We had this once with our new headmistress (she who is known as the bulldog amongst the parents after the famous insult!) , until it came to light that the PTFA were paying for the coach and entrance was free! Needless to say, it hasnt happened since!

Asking for £8 to cover "coach and entry admission", I've just checked (as suspicious) and admission is free.

It's probably a standard letter and they've not given much thought to the wording but £8 return sounds about right for a coach.

Admission to the general public may be free, but they may also make a charge for educational visits - perhaps they have an education officer who's providing a programme for them while they're there.

Good point Sinkingfeeling - that may be it.

Ds1 is going to. Country park for a trip and we have been asked to contribute £7. I now entry is free but tey will be pond dipping and den building and I know that these are charged for as I used to go their on school trips a few years ago so that and the coach would account for the sum, could this be possible in your case? (the activities are led by a ranger, hence the charge)

Just pay the £8 they will have a great time with their classmates

I wish DS1's trip was £8. The trip itself is going to cost me £11.60 (?!) and then they say that the DC will need £5 spending money. And no hint of fucking 'voluntary' on this form - just a 'gentle' menacing reminder that as this is a 1-form entry, if EVERY DC in the class doesn't pay, then the trip will not go ahead as they will not be able to cover the coach costs.

The reason for this is because the first year this 1-form entry was at school, the school didn't run a trip. The majority of the parents who are rolling in it and can afford it found out that it was because the coaches seat 65, and the school couldn't cover the coach hire on the 'normal' charges for 30. So these mums told the school that they didn't care if they had to pay double as long as little Johnny got his school trip. So the three parents in the class that are either on benefits or very very low incomes have had to pay double for every trip, and the letter threatens that if we DON'T pay, then no-one in the class can go.

Fuckers. And because the majority of the parents can pay double and are happy to do so, we get lumbered with skinting ourselves even more to do so.

And we can't send less than the requested spending money, as they get picked on by other DC telling them that their parents don't care about them enough to give them spending money.

I have this in DS2's year too, but because it is a 3-form entry, thus requiring 2 coaches. And as the precedent for paying double had been set, we now have to pay extra (though not as much as double) on his trips too. It works out to an extra 33% per child to what the parents of DC's in 2-form entry years do.

I just crapped out and have DC in BOTH school years where we have to pay extra.

It still fucks me off that my friend only had to pay £5.80 for the trip last year, yet I will have to pay £11.60.

The combined cost of the trip AND the spending money was less for her than on the trip alone for me, just because her DS is 5 months older.

Every other chuffing school year bar DS1's and DS2's is 2-form entry. And has been since the school expanded 7 years ago.

YABU

I've just booked a class trip.
The cost of the coach to travel to somewhere in the same county was £320. Divide that by 30 children (if it's a full class) and that's over £10 each, without any entrance fees.

Schools don't set the coach prices.

You are entitled to ask for a breakdown of all costs. Schools are not allowed to make a profit. Ours usually runs at a loss due to non paying parents.

I asked our school for a breakdown and they wouldn't give it

CouthyMow - it's statutory to put 'voluntary contribution' on the letter. They're breaking the law not putting it on. A school I worked in got into big trouble not putting it on one of their letters. They're within their rights saying it would be cancelled if not enough money comes in though.

It is because of the coach prices, the coaches alone cost that much it says on our school letters.

Coaches are huge money.

My dc's go to a small village school and trips are either quite expensive - £10+ (even though the PTA put money towards them as well) or they sometimes manage to find another small school to share the coach with.

I love that at dds school they call it a voluntary contribution when it bloody isn't.

They send the letter asking for the money and then send little reminder slips until you pay and all the letters say that if they do not have enough voluntary contributions trips will be cancelled.

If you don't then pay the teachers will ask you about it.

I wish they would just take the word voluntary off the letter.

At least dds school caps the price at £6.00 and the pta pays the difference.

Out of interest I've just googled DDs next trip. It is around 20 miles away and costs £15. Entry to the attraction is £3.50 which means the coach is costing £11.50.
On top of that, I've had to buy her a dress and a shower cap. It is bloody expensive.

They have to put 'voluntary' in- all schools do- it isn't a choice!
I expect it was a standard letter.

That is so daft, CouthyMow. Surely with a bit of thought and planning they could runctrips for more than one year group even if they then separate to do different things when they get there.

We live in London and we've had several trips organised for DCs when they have asked for contributions of around £4.00 even though they are going to free museums and travel on the Tube is free for them. Did once ask what we were paying for but didn't get a straight answer. Just wondered whether we cover the teacher and parent volunteers' travel costs?

There is some resentment amongst parents that because the contributions are voluntary (but then they chase parents up who haven't paid so not so voluntary after all) but some parents try to get out of paying, those who do pay are actually subsidising the children whose parents choose not to.

It's a murky area

I've just payed the invoice from PTA funds for a coach 2 miles down the road and back which is £135, they aren't cheap.

My DS is going somewhere which costs nothing for entrance but it's £10. The Head said it's the cost of the coach plus an Educational officer whilst there.

Coaches aren't cheap, and with the cost of diesel rising rapidly I would have thought coach prices would be too.