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AIBU?

16 children not going on year 6 residential

203 replies

Restorer · 04/05/2013 11:12

Out of a year group of 40ish.

School doesn't know "reasons" for them not going, but it's likely IMO that most is down to cost. Some will be because they/their parents didn't want to be away from home.

The yr6 teacher, who will be at school with the 16, is planning activities for the week. She feels sad that these children are missing out on "experiences" and wants to do something everyday for the week. So far has arranged for them to go swimming at the local comp (free) a day at an outdoor activity centre (£32 each, plus transport) bowling (£5?)and a session at the local Wildlife Trust reserve (£4.50 plus transport)

The parents haven't been told anything about this yet, but AIBU to think that if you'd had to say no to residential because of the (£230) cost, you'd be annoyed/upset at the request for money for all these activities while the others were away?

The teacher means well and I support entirely the desire to provide experiences and fun for these children who are missing out, but I don't think she has any idea just how much £50 is to some families.

If you agree, do you have any ideas for ways to provide fun and experiences more cheaply?

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LIZS · 04/05/2013 12:17

16/40 is quite a high number. However you are being equally unreasonable in your assumption that most simply couldn't afford it . I'd disagree with the outdoor centre more because it is what the children have avoided doing by not going (for whatever reason) so they may not want to go plus it will be too pricey for some. Most wildlife centres have outreach teams who visit schools so think she ibu to focus on offsite activities only. Maybe a community based day , such as weeding/delittering a local garden or churchyard, packing bags in a supermarket etc

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KingscoteStaff · 04/05/2013 12:17

Our school are paying all or some of the residential fee for 15% of our cohort. Our head feels that the experience is so valuable for them (first time away and first time out of town for lots of them) that she feels it's a good use of school funds.

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notfluffy · 04/05/2013 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Babyroobs · 04/05/2013 12:24

From previous experience I know kids get so much out of the yr 6 residential, gaining experiences that many won't get elsewhere. In our school most of the kids that stay behind do so because they don't want be away from their parents. The school funds those that can't afford it and parents have a year to pay in instalements.

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Jbck · 04/05/2013 12:25

£230 seems v expensive, DDs recent trip was about £115/£120, can't recall exactly.
Doesn't help immediate problem but a thought for future years, need it be so dear.
Only a handful of children didn't go from DDs school, about 4% so not really enough of them to do big activities but they did dvds with popcorn, trips out of school but free things, museums, library type stuff. Helped in younger classes to give them a change and a bit more 'fun'.

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ilovechoc · 04/05/2013 12:34

Cheap in comparison to our school's cost. £450 last year!

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infamouspoo · 04/05/2013 12:37

how much? Blimey. ds wont be going on the Y6 residential then.

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Restorer · 04/05/2013 12:43

Jbck, when and where did your dd go? I'd be really interested to know for next year, because i negotiated very hard to keep the price as low as it is. We could have got it cheaper before SATS, but not good for year 6.

There really is no spare cash to help children other than fsm this year
because we took the decision to employ an extra teacher to keep class sizes small.

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ilovechoc · 04/05/2013 12:44

4 nights and only 1 hour away! Parents were allowed to pay in instalments.

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HollyBerryBush · 04/05/2013 12:48

Normally these things are traditional and on the school calender so in advance parents know about it.

£230, known about in September, with the trip, usually in early July, is 10 months, 40 weeks, a fiver a week if thats the way you have to pay. it's a shame that people don't budget accordingly for it and their children miss out.

Again with the take up if there are a year group of 40 and 16 don't go, the cost of the 16 may be passed down to the 23 who are going. I'm surprised the whole trip is still going a head if nearly 50% of the year group can't go.

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Myliferocks · 04/05/2013 12:53

My DC's school does residentials every year for every year group.
My DC have stayed behind before while the rest of the year group go away.
The school run a really good alternative week that sometimes has sounded better than the actual week away.

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lljkk · 04/05/2013 12:54

yanbu, this has come up at our school & I was a bit shocked to hear about the costs, too. DD is going on the residential but someone I know (who can afford the residential, her DD just wasn't interested) was saying that it was silly money when they had booked a holiday that week, anyway, they had to explain their DD would only be around for one day.

I am sure that DS2 won't go either, when he's in yr6.

What happened to larking around with the reception kids for a week?

Either 10 or 14 of 44/45 aren't going on our trip.

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Restorer · 04/05/2013 12:57

Holly, a school is not allowed to charge paying families extra to subsidise others.

Trip was booked in Sept when there was high expression of interest and then high drop out rate when faced with the reality of paying for it. Would you cance for the majority, whose parents had paid, because their classmates weren't going?

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mikkii · 04/05/2013 13:01

My DS has just had a 2 night 3 day residential, Y4, it cost £185. We can afford this, but I know some parents can't school are sympathetic and asked parents to talk to them if cost was a problem, especially where also Y6 siblings also die to go to France.

I really like the fact the teacher wants to organise fun things, but £32 for one day is too much. My DC's holiday club once took them to legoland for £10, also did london eye with aquarium for £10.

You don't say where you are, but perhaps the school could approach local theme parks etc and ask for special consideration?

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mikkii · 04/05/2013 13:01

Sorry, really bad typo, DUE to go to France

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ihearsounds · 04/05/2013 13:05

Sometimes it's not down to cost.
We do a residential every year. Our school is different though, and the school fully fund the students to go.
However, still not all go. This year, a class of 7, only 3 are going.
One is because the equipment needed is there. Only just found this out, despite being assured that it would be.
One doesn't want to go because of anxieties.
One doesn't want to go because it's not something that she finds interesting.
One because mate isn't going.

Other reasons for mainstreamers not wanting to go is because of bed wetting and not wanting their mates knowing. Additional needs that you wouldn't be privvy to knowing. Parents not wanting their children away from them.

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Chesntoots · 04/05/2013 13:09

I can remember in junior school being the only one not to be able to go on the residential trip because we couldn't afford it. What made it worse was that the next terms work was based on the place they went to. You can guess how much that sucked...

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OrangeMabel · 04/05/2013 13:18

Do away with residential trips, including ski-ing and whatever at high school. I think children from poorer families will already have got the message that Life Is Unfair without school ramming it down their throats.

£230 might be the difference between the family having a holiday together rather than one child going away with the school for a few nights.

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AmberLeaf · 04/05/2013 13:25

Restorer I do the same job as you and yes I agree its the working poor who are struggling more than those on FSM

No, not struggling more struggling as well as those on FSMs.

It just seems worse, because you expect work to mean you are much better off.

My son didn't go on a yr 5 residential because I couldn't afford it, its not just the the cost of the trip, it's the cost of stuff you need to take as well, it all adds up. There are sometimes discounts for those on FSMs but it isn't as much of a discount as it used to be.

When my son didn't go on the residential, the school had things on about 3 or 4 days out of the 5, I think only one of those had to be paid for and it wasn't much [about £5 I think] the rest were all things that were free entry, school subbed the travel costs [London transport so not much]

Secondary trips are worse, £3-500 plus other costs.

A nightmare for everyone that is either not working or not on a high wage.

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verygentlydoesit · 04/05/2013 13:25

Our PTFA have funded 6 children in Y6 to go on their residential trip. None of the 6 are FSM children. Our head teacher asked for this funding at our last meeting, I was dumbfounded when she said that she felt sure that at least 3 of these 6 children's parents could afford the trip but knew that school would fund it if they pleaded poverty.

She rightly didn't disclose their names but I was a bit that she was so blatantly judgey about them.

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Restorer · 04/05/2013 13:27

LOL very, I have another thread ATM, about our struggle to get an PTA going

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Fairenuff · 04/05/2013 13:29

I actually think the trips can be helpful. My ds went on a ski trip with school. If the trip had been cancelled he would not have had that ski experience at all because there is no way we could afford to all go as a family. This way, we only had to pay for one, instead of four of us.

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LilyBolero · 04/05/2013 13:33

DS1 didn't go on his Y5 week residential. He just really didn't want to go, so I didn't force him. Retrospectively I should have done, he would have loved it, but given that he might have spent the whole week unhappy, I wanted it to be his decision.

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OrangeMabel · 04/05/2013 13:34

So he would have missed out on a "ski experience" ... and? If you can't afford to go ski-ing as a family, what's the point in him learning to ski?

And before anyone accuses me of being chippy, we will be able to send our DD on school trips; I would just rather they weren't offered by the schools as many children will have to miss out.

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eminemmerdale · 04/05/2013 13:36

Massive bugbear this one! DS school have a trip every year. Last year (7) we paid for him to go on a residential (220), this year ithas been France (500), we simply could not do it, next year it is ski-ing (700) again, we just can't see a way. In year 10, the football team (of which he is the star) get to go to Milan - this will be near on a grand, so we have told him that we will save for that and only that. It's hideous :(

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