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!!!

So, we do away with instrument tuition and skiing trips.

Exactly who benefits from this?

The ones who benefit are the elite in private education (and then only a percentage of those).

They are already getting ahead with careers in acting-it leaves the field clear for music and sport too!

Exotic - we have been talking about STATE schools. That all children should have the same opportunities in STATE schools. The Elite don't come into it. Parents can choose exactly how they spend their money - they can purchase advantages for their children in many different ways in terms of private education, holidays and extra-curricular activities.

Exactly-parents can choose how to spend their money! But apparently the choice only extends to private education-if they choose that route the world is their oyster with everything on offer and it doesn't matter if little Johnny (whose parents are struggling with basic fees) can't access it all -but if you are in the state system it is all taken away and you are left with bog standard.

Why should my DH in his private school have been offered a skiing holiday and his brother in the secondary modern not? Why was it OK that DH's parents couldn't afford to send him and he had to watch others but not OK for his brother not to go and have to watch others?

It is a fact of life that DCs get more expensive as they get older. You can make massive savings when they are younger.

"Porto, why do you keep insisting that it is merely fundraising that is needed to ensure that all kids can go on a trip? It isn't. "

Money was the point of the OP. Other reasons the kids can't go - well I guess medical reasons might prevent someone going. What else should stop them? Parents? At my dd's school, if a trip forms part of the curriculum, you don't opt in. You don't choose whether to go or not - you go. All children in my dd's class will do all the trips. That is fair.

I am also not saying that music lessons and skiing trips should be banned. I am saying that all children should have the option to take part in all activities offered by the school and should not be penalised by lack of money. Fundraising might be part of it, being clear at the outset what trips will be taking place, and offering a savings plan over a number of years might be another. Our school does both for example. NO child is excluded - the trips are part of the curriculum. All children go.

In the UK parents have to consent to their child being taken out of school. Porto, you would prefer that parents lost that right?

Porto, generally schools give plenty of notice for big trips. If not for specific ones, we generally know come Y7 that there's a trip to France in Y9 and that skiing is offered every February to all pupils.

Although obviously when I say "all pupils" I mean about 60 will actually go each year. I don't fancy organising the logistics for all 1,400 to head off all at once

I dont think that anyone has said that children shouldnt be allowed to go on trips just that if the trip is educational it should be available to all. If the trip is a holiday then the state school should not be involved in arranging it.

You need to define education to be able to stand by this statement. Are we talking about a broad and well rounded education that provides life skills and experience, or are we talking about the education that is provided by the National Curriculum and can only be measured by a grade?

I think these trips are educational, but I don't think that they are so essential that they have to form part of what school has a duty to provide.

Why does it matter if the trip is a holiday? I disagree that the school shouldn't provide it of its a holiday. Holidays can be beneficial. There are things that can be learned on holidays, and for some children going with the school will be the only chance they have to learn those things. Why shouldn't the school provide it if its going to benefit students?

Why do you think OFSTED encourage schools to provide residential trips?

wot outraged says. I would be very disappointed if education is not in its broadest sense. (and actually our school uses the ski trip to support some children who would not be able to afford to go, 2 or 3 places out of 60 are given to those who need a boost, or perhaps even a bit of an escape....paid for out of the school's welfare budget).

If I had a baby this week I wouldn't buy them a single Christmas present, they are too young to understand, I would put the money in a savings account. I don't mind at all if people lavish presents on their baby, and buy a special Christmas outfit, it is a matter of choice, but I do mind if I can't spend it later on my choice.

I wish that schools would be more honest about why they offer these trips:

Notice of school trips 2013

Ski trip

This year?s trip will be accompanied by Mr Smith (Geography) and Mrs Jones (Girls PE). As staff and students are aware Mr Smith and Mrs Jones are both keen skiers and are having an affair so are looking forward to spending a few nights together away from the prying eyes of their respective spouses. Miss Evans (History) and Mr Stuart (Drama) will also be accompanying this trip as despite being novice skiers they both fancy their chances with the ski instructors.

Summer field trip

This years summer field trip is to discover King Solomon?s Mines. We are offering this trip because our Headmaster, Mr Richards saw the trip advertised at a conference and thought that the photographs would look good in next year?s prospectus.

As these trips aren?t educational they will be offered on a strictly who can pay can go basis.

So teachers who offer to accompany residential trips are having extra marital sex? I see. Offensive, much?

Do you have any idea what bloody hard work it is being a teacher on a residential? i.e. have you ever been one?

If the school had to offer funding it would just reduce what is on offer in the poorer areas, as it is the difference in schools were parents are wealthier is already huge with schools like my ds1 academy able to offer vast amounts of extra curricular activities. The school provides funding for children on free school meals for all trips but as this is 2% of pupils it is a lot easier. The introduction of being only able to offer if it is available for all would just mean less would be offered.

Ariel - at my school it was only the ski trip where this was the case (the extra marital sex bit).

At my DCs school the ski trip is offered because there are one or two teachers who are keen skiiers. They are desparate for the trip to go ahead so now offer the trip across all years. I am not so naive as to believe that they are doing this to spread the word about skiing - they get a free ski trip in return for chaperoning the trip.

The 6th form is currently offering a History and Law and shopping trip to New York. Because of course we dont have history or law (or even shopping) on this side of the atlantic. The 6th form offers these trips because it is trying to attract in students from the nearby private school. The bling trips help.

As I have said throughout this thread I have no problem with the educational trips. It's the holiday trips where I doubt the motives of both parents and schools.

You are not a teacher if you think they have time for sex on a residential trip or you think it would go unnoticed! Sheer hard work and no free time or privacy.

Oh well, on another thread there was a suggestion that a child protection officer should accompany every residential to check the teachers weren't grooming the kids. I guess if we're just shagging each other that's slightly better...

That is a shameful post Gnome. Really horrible.

You begin to wonder why any teacher, youth leader etc bothers to take any DCs away - there is always someone ready to make horrible suggestions on motives.

Haven't read the whole thread, but at our school they have a delicate way round it to say that the trip is restricted the first x that apply and that sadly they can't accommodate any over that limit, so there are many. many ,more dc that don't go than do.

As I have said earlier on this thread certainly at my school the school ski trip was a by word for inappropriate drunken behaviour by staff and students. Photographic evidence provided. And at my school it was a geography teacher and a girls PE teacher.

Say these things and it gets shouted down. Of course it never happens. All teachers are saints.

I didnt say it happens on all trips but it certainly did happen on the ski trip.

So a couple of teachers behaved unprofessionally (in time they weren't being paid for) and you think that means that it happens all the time? It doesn't. And even if it did, I'd still rather my children got to have school trips abroad.

Oh FFS on MN apparently if school trips aren't for the teachers to shag the kids it's because they're too busy shagging each other.

I've been on tonnes of trips, residential and not and there's never been any shagging, but plenty of hard work to make sure the kids are having a good time and not doing anything to embarrass the school or endanger themselves.

But these trips should obviously stop right now because there's a possibility that somewhere, somehow, a teacher might be having a good time. And all we should be fit for is getting kids through exams while being slagged off left right and centre by anyone who ever went to school.