To Be P***** Off at yet another expensive school trip

[meah]

Hi, my ds has is now starting yr 9 & dd yr 8, in yr 7 a school trip was offered but cost was in the £300s (i forget exactly how much) being so expensive i couldn't afford it and it left both kids gutted when well over half of the kids in their yr got to go. ive just recieved another school trip email (not sure which yr not that it matters) offering a ski holiday trip, abroad for 6 nights for £680. which would be fantastic if i where loaded!! Why cant schools offer school trips that are affordable to all like they're supposed to instead of making those whos parents cant afford it feel left out!!!

Laqueen - yes but the school aren't offering those are they. It's all well and good for a parent to buy their child whatever they like, like they can buy them a holiday. Outside of school. Shouldn't be provided by the school. Like those bags and pencil cases you've mentioned aren't.

Ermmm how about because this is a school, not a rich kids holiday club?? I agree the children who's parents can afford it shouldn't miss out, so let their parents take them away during the holidays. A school is a place where opportunity should be equal to all. If that means capping it at £250 then so be it!

Holidays aren't being provided by the school as the holidays are paid for by parents and the teachers aren't paid by the school to go. All the school offers is an option to collect 45 odd pupils and arrange a trip together hence getting a volume discount.

Spoons - offering then.

Schools should not offer things that they know only the kids with well off families can afford

IME it wasn't the 'rich kids' who went on these trips either, they were generally off to more exotic destinations in the school holidays. There were always several students who were taking their first trip abroad, some who had paid for their own trips, some who never got to go away with family due to disabilities within the family. It was not a 'rich kids' club at all.

So they shouldn't offer 1 to 1 music tuition?

People have to be free to spend money the way they want to spend it to my mind people spend a ridiculous amount on babies. I had my neighbours old pram for free, babies don't care if they have second hand clothes. I saved lots of money at that stage - you can get toys and books at car boot sales. 6 year old don't need laptops , under 11 yr olds don't need mobile phones - no one of any age needs a TV in their bedroom.
I am then a bit miffed, having made huge savings, to be told that I can't spend it later on.
Start a saving scheme when they are babies - get things second hand and put the difference in the account. Don't give in over the latest trainers - get cheap ones and put the difference in the account. A new baby doesn't need many Christmas presents (if any) : put it in the account.
If you don't want to do any of this fine - but some of us have and want to use it for educational extras - and not just give them to the elite - where it seems to be OK because Joe Bloggs at the comprehensive can't see what is happening at the private school down the road!

Agree with LaQueen. You will never eradicate all the myriad differences between kids at any school. Anyone assuming schools are genuinely a level playing field are quite deluded.

And of course at the comprehensive you can't aspire to university because not everyone can afford it!

Haven't read all the comments but all I'd say is a ski trip isn't compulsory. Nice to do but not a right.

I remember when I started at secondary school going along to a lunchtime meeting about a ski trip. I thought it would be great to go and then I found out the cost. I didn't even mention it to my parents (you had to ask the teacher for a letter to take home, which I didn't). I knew my parents couldn't afford it. Friends of mine went and they were still my friends when they came back. Instead I learnt to ski when I was 20 and could afford to pay for myself.

I also didn't do the French school exchange trip either for the same financial reasons (and lack of space at the family home to accommodate a pupil).

No one has suggested you can eradicate the differences at school.

Only that schools provide trips, which the vast majority of pupils can go on.

In my DDs primary school they did have a fund for parents who couldn't afford trips. Anyone could ask for help from it. As others have suggested, this should be done in secondary schools too.

Exotic of course you cam save and buy educational extras, but extras which have to be paid for should be provided by the private sector.

Younseemmto be disparaging 'that private school down theroad' but wanting the same things as them- to buy your child an advantage. You just want it semi private, within a state school.

Schools can't eradicate financial discrepancies but they can avoid offering advantages to those who can afford it.

Because some kids have expensive shoes or a pony at home doesn't mean schools can throw their hands up and declare a free for all offering any extras to the rich kids with a ' oh come you all knew they were rich anyway didn't you!'

LaQ you should have noticed none of my arguments have been around avoiding children's disappointment, but about fair opportunities within school being right.

Well, some people can't afford to buy school photos. Should we stop those?

Personally I think it's great that schools offer these trips. I could probably find the money for a ski trip for one child, even though I can't afford for the whole family to go skiing. It's a great way for some children who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to experience skiing.

I think schools should provide more modest trips, that don't put financial strains on families and which they can subsidise for those whose means it is still beyond.

Eg not skiing trips to colorado.

"but extras which have to be paid for should be provided by the private sector."

Why?

Schools are just functioning as a co-operative, why pay more money for the same thing if you don't have to? Co-operative principles are a great thing to teach in schools imo.

YANBU. That's a ridiculous amount for a school trip. Trips should either be affordable for everyone, or with funding available for those who couldn't otherwise afford it. Sure, richer people can do more expensive things in their spare time, but activities organised by a particular school should be available to all pupils.

Equally financially accessible.

Or as equally financially accessible as they can possibly make it and a strive to be so.

Even a trip to the local zoo can put a strain on some families.

Some DC at school will always have mere than others. Maybe parents with flash cars should park around the corner when collecting, a DC should be banned from talking about where they went over the summer.

Life's not fair. If schools can offer opportunities to some DC that they wouldn't otherwise have, I think that's great. If there was a £3000 school trip around the world, my DC wouldn't go (I couldn't stretch to £3k) but I wouldn't begrudge the other DC the opportunity.

This "my DC can't have it, so they shouldn't either" mentality is a bit childish, IMO.

Not read 25 pages of posts, but I went on the school ski trip. I paid for it myself with a job I got at the supermarket. I really, really, really wanted to go. My parents and siblings have not been skiiing before or since. I am really pleased I had the chance. As well as really wanting to go, I was also terrified. Being with familiar faces helped.