To think this is too much money for a school holiday?

[outragedofsuburbia]

So this will be a week away in year 6. £485???? It is to a European country (I am being deliberately vague).

Have I lost perspective or is this shedloads? That is not the actual cost per head, there is some sponsorship and fundraising and if this does not go to plan it will cost more.

Are they staying in hotels and going to the opera?

Wow - for a year 6! That's madness.
Is it a ski holiday?
I know insurance for the kids is mega bucks which makes all school holiday trips really expensive.
I know I wouldn't pay it!

My current experience of residential trips - all by coach (and Chunnel)

Germany Y7 - 5 days £300 youth hostelling....
PGL Wales Y6 - 5 days £375 dormitories..
Spain Y7 - 5 days - £565 (?!?!?!?) cheap hotel
France Y7 - 5 days - £425 - hostel

Wait till you get to Secondary and they hit £1000+. A lot of this is to do with just how much more expensive everything is including the Euro. Even I have been shocked at how much more non-school holidaying abroad is costing now as opposed to a few years ago!

The Year 6's at the school where I work go to Wales for a week and do stuff like caving, mountain climbing, gorge walking etc for less than £200 per head. Wales is a European country

Bear in mind, also, that the costs for the teachers/supervisory adults will likely be being divvied among the kids.

It is a sort of specialised holiday but not sporty. They need special clothes though which will be extra. I know some other holidays in secondary school are more but they are more 'some kids go and some don't'. There is a sort of assumption that all or nearly all will go and it is a small school (state not private).

I think it is really divisive and although we can afford it I am in two minds about supporting it by letting my child go. They go away in year 3 and year 5 too although these are UK and cheaper.

Cozietoesie....ha ha!

officelady - I would be more than happy with Wales and my child would love it. They did a similar holiday this year though.

It is a nightmare when you have twins or triplets!

Year 9 and 10 GCSE drama trip. To new york. Lucky me I have dd and ds1 both eligible to go.
The cost?
£1600. EACH

Yes it is ridiculous but not uncommon - I paid just over £500 2 years ago for my daughter to go to Paris (staying with a host family and going by coach). As a parent you either pay it or just don't let them go unfortunately!

One of mine is in yr 6 and they did pgl which was £400 and then they got the chance to apply for skiing in yr 7 (middle school) and it was over a grand

I don't think they have any idea of how most normal families live. He goes to naice school in a very naice area and they seem to take for granted not all of us are rich. They get you to put things for auction at the fetes and things and you get the old trotting out of someones villa in florida etc and we cannot even afford to buy our own home here, let alone a second one abroad :o

Sounds right, I've just paid just under 150 for 2 nights in UK for ds.

i would say that is about average for a week abroad. transport, insurances etc.

my DS had only 5 days in France for the same price.
More recently a week in Iceland which cost £1000!

I guess the anwer is that your DC doesnt have to go. It is optional.

I wish they would do youth hosteling in Wales or similar, does anyone know why they don't?

What drama do they do in NY that they don't do here??!!

£1600 - holy cow!!!!!!!

Both mine do drama lessons, I am now praying they lose interest!

I think it's a lot for a Y6 trip. I think Y6 trips should be in the UK....I'm not convinced they get that much more out of being in another country at that age... I think it's mostly about managing away from home with out your parents, and learning a few new skills.

The only exception I can think of would be skiing, or going to a specific major city such as Paris or Rome.

Owllady - this is also in a very naice area and there seems to be no clue about reality. For instance I can't help feel that raising sponsorship to help send a load of (in the main) middle class kids abroad is a bit out of order when there are some kids out there who never go on holiday anywhere. I mean most of them will come back and then jet off on a family holiday.

DD1 had 10 days in India, helping out at a special school, white water rafting, staying in an ashram, visiting Delhi and the Tak Mahal, which was £1200 (or thereabouts). Her sister went ski-ing for a week and it cost more than that.

I don't think £485 is that unreasonable. Presumably the cost includes the teachers' fares as well?

I know what you mean outraged. The skiing trip for one was more than our holiday in Wales (haha) this year and that is for 3 adults and 3 children ! He is a good boy though, he understands that we just cannot afford it and his friends parents are better off. I do feel a bit sorry for him though, but it's just material.

There was a similar thread a while back

The mumsnet consensus was that making school trips less extravagant so everyone can go without putting further pressure on family finances, would deprive Amelia And Gideon of an opportunity -and we can't have that, can we

Op I think it is ridiculous of schools to organise these holidays, it is divisive and unnecessary and I diesn't as a parent who could afford it (although I would have to do much overtime the kids would probably forget they had a mother)

I speak as a parent...