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!!!

[Mrsjay]

Do you believe schools shouldn't offer DofE?

Our school offers D o E for the children with special educational needs and not on offer to the whole school that is not fair imo, I have 1 dd who couldn't do it and another who could

I know that is not what the thread is about but its my own personal gripe ,

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Yeah, my DS is brilliant at art but as I am the most uncreative person ever I dont let him do it, makes me feel inferior.

God, it really stinks in here and my arse is squashed with too many on this bench!

[Pourquoimoi]

LaQueen, I think you're budging me off the stinky bench

[JackJacksmummy]

hanikam - secondary year 9. I think they organise a trip to Iceland for year 11. Unless I win the lottery, again she won't be going.

The school do put on alternative day trips for those who don't go so she won't be missing out completely.

[Mrsjay]

laqueen you are on a roll today

[Laquitar]

Some of you say that 'it doesn't matter if poor ckildren miss out cos they have to learn to miss out', and then you say 'why should my child miss out?'

[meah]

If it where a compulsary school trip that would be fantastic as compulsary trip are free. Schools are not not supposed to charge for any compulsary trips - but they do!

[QueefLatina]

I'm sounding like a stuck record now.

My DS is in year 11.
He has NEVER been on a school trip more than 2 miles away.
This is because the school never do school trips, nor did his primary.
It is an inner city school with a mix of family incomes.
The school don't do any trips because of the feelings of low income families, meaning other kids miss out. Never mind ski trips, they don't do anything apart from 1 trip to local museum in year 11 that takes 3 hours!

It seems unfair to me that all children miss out because of some others, there's no easy answer to it.

[Hullygully]

All or none.

Isn't it bad enough if life is a struggle without having your nose rubbed i it?

[SlightlySuperiorPeasant]

Queef you should join the governors!

[Portofino]

Laquitar - quite. If you want your kids to have all these fancy opportunities then pay for them to go to private school or send them on PGL type trips in the school holidays. Fine.

However, I think there is no place at all within a state school for the situation where 50% of the intake are excluded from activities because their parents cannot afford it. No place at all. All children should be entitled to the same opportunities WITHIN the school environment.

[ClippedPhoenix]

I'd rather a pint of snakebite with a whisky chaser and a fag if that's alright with you and your cumbersome posterior LaQueen

[whois]

QueefLatina are you sure they need do optional trips in the holidays? That is really quite sad then. I would never have learnt to ski of all this bull shit 'equality' (because it's not really equality is it?!) was in place.

My parents don't want to ski. They wouldn't have wanted to spend £2k on a family ski trip. They could, however, afford the £650ish for me to go with school. I went away with school every year from Y7 to L6, trips ranged in size from 12 kids to 100 kids in a school of 1500. People who didn't go hardly felt singled out!

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

That's a real shame, Queef.

And it's not just your son who has missed out; there will be many families on really quite low incomes that could manage, once in a child's school career, to allow them to go to France or wherever and have a ball.

[ClippedPhoenix]

Cheers Portofino

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

A snakebite - now that bring back memories of a dim and distant past

[Sirzy]

Schools should make sure that all children have the chance to attend most events whether that be capping the costs or having some system whereby the school helps fund trips for families on a low income.

However, they shouldn't not do "big" trips because some can't afford it. However, perhaps for such trips children should be encouraged to get involved in fundraising to reduce the costs for all.

[Mrsjay]

send your kids private so they can go on a school holiday really ? that comment made me want to sign up dd for the Skiing trip not all people are poor if they send kids to state school not all parents send their kids to every single school trip .

[ClippedPhoenix]

Doesn't it just Betty huh, raises a Friday glass to Betty and all on the bench for helping me pass a boring afternoon

[Hullygully]

If you did trips that were say, £100 and fundraised for them etc, and made sure every child that wanted to could go, you would be teaching the children this:

Everyone can work together for the common good
Everyone can have a chance to enjoy the same activities

You would not be teaching:

The poor kids that yeah sorry, you're poor so your life starts a bit shit and will probably carry on like that because where's your self-esteem and hope now?

And the rich ones that they are better and get more simply due to money.

[LtEveDallas]

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack Fri 28-Sep-12 14:43:44
Plus - I bet a lot of disappointed/deprived kids out there go on to be very driven successful adults.

Oh yes. My DH grew up seriously poor. He left home and joined the Army as soon as he could (no jobs in his home town) so that he could guarantee a wage, part of which he sent home to his mum so his you get sister wouldn't suffer as he did. In fact one of the (many) reasons his first marriage failed was because his ex wasnt happy that he still sent cash home.

It made him determined to have more for his children. DD (and DSD) have never gone without. In DDs case he provides his love and his time as I am the working parent, but we are cut from the same cloth.