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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that expensive school trips should be banned

654 replies

Nicola10 · 06/06/2013 20:03

Year 8 pupils have, today, left for a school trip to France. Very exciting for them, yes, considering that they will be going to a theme park, as well as educational stuff. But, for the rest of the kids, whose parents could not afford it, including my twins, they have to do normal lessons.

The cost for each child is £400 each!

OP posts:
Darkesteyes · 07/06/2013 14:34

Clouds you are being ridiculous. People in low paid jobs have less job security and the threat of being replaced with workfare so they are more likely to have less flexibility in the workplace.

Ditto shop work Do you really think that a shop worker is going to able to book Saturdays off for fetes and fundraisers? The busiest day of the retail week? !!

Andro · 07/06/2013 14:35

defuse yes, I would. There can be many reasons why a family couldn't afford £600 for a trip - although again I'd be more likely to make a large donation to help cover the costs for more students.

Andro · 07/06/2013 14:37

As others have said though, increasing the cost for everyone else wouldn't work.

Turniptwirl · 07/06/2013 14:37

YANBU

Trips are a good thing but there's no reason for them to be prohibitively expensive and some I hear about are ridiculous!

BaconKetchup · 07/06/2013 14:38

How do we define what an expensive trip is?

CloudsAndTrees · 07/06/2013 14:41

Darkest, do you ever post without mentioning workfare?

Sorry, I forgot fundraising can only be done on Saturdays Hmm

JenaiMorris · 07/06/2013 15:02

Bloody buggering lost a really long post.

Anyway, I always wonder who on the threads who favours a ban is actually in a position of never being able to afford to send a child on any big trip in their school career.

There are always a few of us who recall not even bothering to bring the letter home and emerging unscathed, but rarely if ever any from those who really cannot ever get £500 together to send their child to France once and therefore want to stop anyone else from being able to.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 07/06/2013 15:03

Bacon - yup, figuring out where to draw the line is a problem. What's 'too expensive'?

I do see a £1600 to NY and trips to Barbardos as some sort of tipping point though. It is hard to define, I accept that for sure.

I agree generally with the point that more affluent parents will be able to provide all of the more higher ticket options if it is a priority to them and that schools should focus on prioritising trips which are most likely to be affordable to most of the students.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 07/06/2013 15:05

I can afford the trips and I support a ban like this.

I would absolutely hate to meet mums and sad kids in the playground who wanted to go but couldn't because of costs. I would hate knowing there are kids left behind unhappy and feeling shit. It would feel really divisive and unpleasant. It would take away from my enjoyment of my child going and I'd prefer to do it myself at another time.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 07/06/2013 15:05

I am talking about the several hundred pound/grand plus trips.

Biscuitsareme · 07/06/2013 15:10

same here LadyHarriet. I could afford these trips- given enough notice- but know for a fact that probably at least half of the children at my DDs school wouldn't. It would create bad atmosphere and divisiveness among parents and pupils, and it's not what a state school education should be like. Trips yes, to New York or Barbados, no.

BaconKetchup · 07/06/2013 15:11

What about a trip to somewhere like France like in the OP?

MrsDeVere · 07/06/2013 15:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 07/06/2013 15:13

It is more conceivable, I guess, that more people could afford it or given enough time could save towards it. HWereas with some of the other trips mentioned here they are always going to be out of reach to many if not most families at the school.

I totally agree, it's a difficult call. I'm not saying it's not.

JenaiMorris · 07/06/2013 15:17

But you won't meet "meet mums and sad kids in the playground", LadyH - these huge trips to New York, or the more modest skiing trips to the continent happen at secondary (as a rule). Maybe 40 a year out of a population of 1,500 perhaps will go.

I thought it was shit that 30 out of 200+ in ds's year recently didn't go on a £12 trip, but over a thousand pupils being left behind is hardly heartbreaking!

umbrunion · 07/06/2013 15:22

I think long haul trips abroad are ridiculous for school kids. ditto skiing. As an earlier poster said, what's wrong with fossil hunting on the coast or a youth hostelling in Scotland?

Technotropic · 07/06/2013 15:23

LadyHarriet

On the other hand I never went on any trips as a kid and would not be in favour of a ban.

I think it's great that kids have such fantastic opportunities open to them nowadays and have never begrudged not being able to go.

Technotropic · 07/06/2013 15:26

Anyway, for those that are seriously opposed to expensive school trips, why not join the board of governors and actively do something about it. Governors are often lacking in schools so there are usually many opportunities to get involved. You can then have a significant say in whether such trips go ahead.

umbrunion · 07/06/2013 15:26

My two oldest are at private school and their school doesn't go on trips. They tried to organise a trip to Paris inc Disney land and it was cancelled as hardly anyone signed up for it.

squidworth · 07/06/2013 15:29

But this post began about £400 to France, DS trip to Wales cost 300 which compared to the thousands is cheap but if you cannot afford or have more than one like OP their will always be that is too expensive. I hate the arguement if you can afford the trip you can afford to take them yourselves, no not always.

Technotropic · 07/06/2013 15:54

Squidworth

Thank you for reminding us about the original amount of money the OP was talking about. It all started to get crazy with all the talk of £1600+ trips that I forgot the original figure was no way near that much.

I feel for the OP as she has twins but I wonder if there would still be a problem if she only had one child? what about another trip costing £200 each? How are we defining expensive here? Is £200 too much for a single child given twins is quite rare in a class?

It all sounds far to grey for me so the simple answer would be to ban all trips. I would never sign up for such an idea but it seems that defining 'affordable' or 'expensive' is an impossible task.

BaconKetchup · 07/06/2013 16:40

All trips even within the UK, techno?! It would be really so bad to not have any trips at all.

bettycocker · 07/06/2013 16:49

After the trip to Japan, DS's school will be doing one to Kenya. It's going to be around £2000 I maybe? I asked DS if he wants to go and he said he would hate to go to Kenya.

I think it would be good for him, so I am going to start saving just in case he changes his mind.

My point being, that I need enough time to budget for a trip like that.

grumpyinthemorning · 07/06/2013 17:02

Join the board of governers? Yeah, sure, I can squeeze that in. Somewhere between work and college and childcare and housework...

Must be nice to have the time to get involved. I work all the hours god sends to keep my head above water.

Lionessy · 07/06/2013 17:02

No one would have to miss out if these trips were not offered. They really area NOT necessary. Better for the priviledged few to 'miss out' than 'poor' children to feel like shit because they 'miss out' IHMO.

Do children really need it rubbed in their faces that life is unfair and they have to accept that just so 'priviledged' children can have a bit of fun?

Honestly it smacks of the 'toffs' making sure the 'plebs' know where they stand at an early age and is a real impediment to social mobility.

I'm alright Jack and all that. This thread has really pissed me off and my DC have been on some of the trips.