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.

[WorrySighWorrySigh]

I think the problem with these trips is that over the years there has been a steady inflation of these trips. Back in the dark ages (when I was young) there were not the residential trips which are on offer now.

Schools get sold the 'big' trips by company marketeers who convince schools that their pupils need these experiences as part of their development. Plus I suspect that some HTs hear that XYZ school down the road is offering a particular trip and want to compete.

I dislike the suggestion that if there is a case of genuine need that the school may help out. I dislike the school dictating to parents how they will spend their money. Even £20/month may mean that families are having to do without something else without being in a position to get assistance from the school.

[lessonsintightropes]

I wouldn't be happy about spending £500 ish on a school trip - in terms of school trips, maybe, maybe a residential in this country, or camping or something - but abroad? Doesn't that erode learning you do as part of a family if you're lucky enough to be able to afford to go abroad for holidays? Sorry if this sounds ridiculous - for me, this is hypothetical for quite some time, but there's a difference between camping/UK based trips for something like Guides, family holidays, and travelling abroad with friends. The latter I'm not sure I would be happy with any DC of mine doing before they were 16 - 17, regardless of whether teachers are present because recent news stories suggests male teachers and female young adults is not a great idea when combined with school trips. Too risky and invasive of experiences I hope to have with mine as a family. Too protective perhaps?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

To be frank, I don't think there should be any school trips, or they should be very low cost and accessible to all. Our primary used to go camping for a few days at a local scout camp site, and the cost was negligible - they essentially only paid for food.

Yes, we could afford these school trips and they were entirely optional. The India trip only had 12 places and the ski trip had 20, so the majority of children didn't go.

[pooka]

We do one pgl trip in yr 6 - 4 nights for £240. With a year advance warning and regular installments rather than one hit.

I know other schools locally do trips in year 4 as well, but our school has a more mixed intake in terms of parental wealth and rightly, they limit it to one trip where everyone goes. If a parent really cannot pay £60 every 3 months, the school covers the cost. As a school we can't afford to subsidise more than 1 trip per cohort.

[Owllady]

I don't oppose the schools offering them really, I just wish they would look into cheaper options like hostelling and so forth.

i know when i went to france with school we stayed on an Equine hostel thing, which was absolutely fine for teenagers. the food was lentils every single day and a bread roll with a lump of cheese. We all lived

[CloudsAndTrees]

The last thread on this got quite long and heated, but there was a balance between people who could see the benefits of schools offering foreign trips and those who disagreed with schools offering them.

I'm in favour of them despite the fact that I doubt my dc will be able to go on all the ones they are likely to be interested in.

I do think residential trips are being offered too early in many schools nowadays. There is simply no need for it before Y6, and I think it's sad that the special right of passage that Y6 children used to look forward to is being eroded.

[outragedofsuburbia]

It seems a real mixed bag of opinion and experiences. Some schools seem to manage much cheaper trips. I am glad, though, that I am not the only one who thinks it is a bit much, too young.

[2gorgeousboys]

DS1 went on residential trips in years 4 (2 nights) 5 and 6 (4 nights each) in the UK and these cost between £60 and £150 depending on the activities etc they were doing.

He is currently on a trip to Germany, staying in a hostel for 6 nights plus 2 days travelling, and that has cost £350. This included all travel, meals and entrance to swimming pools, museums, theme park etc.

DS2 went on the year 4 trip last month (£75) and will go on the year 5 residential (£250) in September.

We can 'just' about afford to send them on these trips and don't jet off abroad when they return. We have only been abroad twice and DS1 is 13. I do however think that they gain a lot from the trips and for DS1 who is learning German, I think it is important.

[HerculePoirotsTache]

I emailed DS secondary school because there was a choice of 3 trips abroad and not one of them seemed to be culturally educational. They were big fat jollies and all over £350. I wouldn't have minded paying if I'd actually thought DS would have learnt something!

[WorrySighWorrySigh]

It is a ridiculous amount of money and entirely unnecessary. There is absolutely no need to go on European trips while still at school just for the experience. Europe will still be there when they are adults and can organise their own trips according to their own interests.

[Owllady]

I keep sniggering at the expensive trips to iceland how many prawn rings??

[mum11970]

My ds1 is going skiing in feb - £700 and that's by coach and you need to provide own ski wear. Dd could also go but thankfully she doesn't fancy days sat on a bus.

[Owllady]

sorry c) was can't afford any of the amount -must preview [vblush]

[Owllady]

Mine went away in yr 4 too and they was more I think and both the older ones were doing residentials. I know for my daughter though they put an estimated cost on the form with;

I would like to come but
a) I can afford the full amount
b) I can afford part of the amount
c) I can afford any of the amount
or
d) I don't want to come

then they added up who could afford it and split the amounts. the children who couldn't afford it were subsidised by PTA fundraising (it's a special school)

I have three at three different schools though, so I can even compare between the three. Special school tend to do community based free or very cheap stuff. Middle ones naice school does ££££ trips without question. Youngest goes to a more mixed school and the trips tend to be one a year and less than £10 and they don't pester for money all the time

[Mandy2003]

DS won't go on principle of the cost. He prices up the trips on the internet and tells me how cheaply we could do the same thing as a family. Italy (not skiing) for instance was a third of the price. But how to do it in term time so the prices don't rocket? That's the problem.

[katydid02]

Year 8 German trip £300 4 days in a hotel
Year 9 French trip £330 4 days in a hotel

Secondary is not always more expensive. The only £1000 I have come across at our local high school was a geology/geography trip to Iceland.

[Groovee]

I've paid £310 for school camp for P7

Dd has come home with £688 for switzerland, £980 for New York and £300 for London and Paris.

[insanityscratching]

I've paid £220 for dd's y5 five day residential about an hour from home. Last year it was £135 for three day residential about ten miles away. Next year it will another five day residential for about the same cost.
With my older ones it was a y6 thing but now it is expected yearly from y3 which I think is too much.

[valiumredhead]

Completely agree owl. Every time ds brings a letter home Dh mutters 'ffs how much?'

[CloudsAndTrees]

I don't think it's excessive. We paid not much less than that for the y6 residential trip in the UK.

It's expensive, but it's worth it. They learn a lot on these trips and enjoy it immensely.

[Owllady]

presumably, presumably
oh dear. this weather is making me grumpy, sorry
I am not meaning to be offensive, I just seem more pissed off than usual

I have £20 to last me until next Thursday ffs that may be why!

[valiumredhead]

I remember that thread. I agree, school trips should be much much cheaper so they are available to more kids.

I can afford it as have one child and fortunate to have enough income and I still think it's ridiculous.

India??!

[Owllady]

Presumably those that can afford these expensive trips have opportunities to go abroad anyway

[Owllady]

presumably MrsSchadenfreude you can afford that though? It's the acknowledgement that actually alot of families cannot afford that, especially when they have several children. We are in a recession, people have had their hours cut at work and things on the whole are more expensive. I think schools should adapt to that and offer options that are affordable to all