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?

Coaches are very expensive these days. The money for the coach has to come from somewhere.

Uh?

I wasn't complaining about the cost of the trip, just how it was presented.

I'm fully aware coaches are expendive.

Couthy - our school is one form entry too, but we use a company with 36 seat coaches - would that be worth investigating?

Apparently insurance can ramp it up as well :(

The cost will be for the coach, the educational bits of the trip and probably the hire of the room where they will eat their lunch.

YABU.

We are in Greater London and so where possible all trips are by public transport. Preferably bus cos is free!

Dd is going to London zoo and we paid 6.75 I think, for travel card and reduced entry. Ds1 is going to hornimans museum by bus. £4 for activities.

The general rule the school has is that everyone is able to go. So where some schools to pgl in years 4 and 6 because almost all parents can afford to pay full cost, ours is a more diverse intake and so we only do year 6 trip because the school can (just) afford to subsidise one trip a year. The school cannot cover 2 trips i.e. years 4&6 in a year, so only one happens. I think this is fair.

Coaches are very expensive nowadays. £8 per child for the coach sounds fairly typical for a short journey.

our letters never have the word "voluntarily" on it. I just assumed that if I don't pay my children wont go??

A local school bought 3 mini buses and worked out they would pay for themselves in 20 trips or maybe more can't remember the number. Suggest that to the PTA .

"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."

I agree. The other option would be to hire a smaller coach, or not do any trips at all.

Chaos a 36 seater wouldn't be much cheaper than a 53 or 70 seater. The driver will get paid the same, the difference in fuel and running costs is almost negligible.

Is it a standard letter that hasn't been adjusted for an entry fee-free trip? £8 would barely cover the coach hire round these parts.

And another thought, are educational activities being provided by the place the trip is to? Sometimes the entry is free but anything educational organised by the venue comes at a cost.

Sorry if I sound arsey here but school trips take hours of planning, phoning and paper work. There is no such thing as 'a bit of planning' so 2 year groups go at once. Schools have no interest in making money out of trips and to be honest I'd be more than a bit fed up if parents complained about a slight wording error in a letter or started demanding break 'down of costs. It would strike me' as being told I wasn't trusted. Coaches, insurance and specific services at free venues soon add up. I've actually not run 'free' trips before because the costs of other things make it not worth it-a free 45 min lecture at a local uni for eg was going to end up costing around £15 a pupil.

You will be paying for coach for adults as well (teachers dont pay to go on school trips), cover (if its secondary) and insurance ( usually cheap, about 50 p per child). There may also be a charge if the museum charges for educational materials. They say 'voluntary' because schools aren't allowed to make parents pay for their childs education, they can only ask for money for extras that arent a requirement.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Sigh.

The school has form for this. They offered to get tickets for a local concert at a cost of £1.50 each.

Phone up the benue and they're free. Just pay postage. Which my friend did for 30 tickets each year for the past for years.

That's why I'm cyclical.

Utterarse.

Cynical.

[distracted]

Utterarse.

Cynical.

[distracted]