To think that £350 is an excessive amount to pay for yr6 school trip ?

[Lousylo66]

Ds1 is in yr 6. Going through his school bag I have just found details of their school trip at the end of summer term next year. Apparently they will stay in a chateau in northern France for 3 nights. Sounds great, lots of activities, visits etc but just don' t think we can afford it. They are asking for a deposit by 11 October and then
5 x £60 monthly payments after that, but then you have to factor in spending money and everything else so it's probably considerably more expensive. I do know that several kids didn't go on it last year and felt thoroughly left out before and after the event - seemingly lots of class time devoted to it in preparation. Nothing else is laid on for the unfortunate ones who can't go, just same old school routine.
Ok ,maybe it's our fault that we sent our kids to a school in a nice affluent area but what's wrong with a good old PGL holiday where they can try activities they've never done before. Just wondered if anyone had any advice, am in two minds to take kids out of school camping on the days the trips in progress. Sorry for the rant.

Arranging a school trip from which a substantial number of children will be excluded by cost sounds really irresponsible. Is this a state school?

My daughters PGL was £350 (5 days) in UK. Seems the average price from talking to friends. Not much help but we didn't need more than £10 spending money.

It is a lot for lots of families but sounds about average for the y6 residential, even in poorer area like ours.

Our school gives lots of help to different families - I would ask the school what is available.

It sounds like something that always happens in year six so not an unexpected cost and one that can be saved for in advance for those that want to participate.

Primaries dont offer residentials abroad here but there are yearly residentials from juniors upwards.

Schools cant win, parents complain if nothing outside normal lessons is organised and others moan if the school dare ask for a few pounds to enrich a normal day with a trip or visitor.

The price sounds what I would expect for 3 days in France. Travel, accommodation, insurances, food etc.

He doesn't have to go if you can't afford it. But at least you are being offered monthly instalments?

Wait until high school. DS latest trip was over a grand!

Find out first how expensive alternative trips are. I know £350 is a lot of money, but IME, having works in two primaries for nearly ten years and next two DCS on Year 6 trips, that's about the going rate.

How many children didn't go last year out of the whole year group? Was it really that many and how do you know they felt left out?

If there really is a lot of class time spent preparing for the trip (again, seems unusual - ours had evening meetings for parents but nothing just for the children), maybe you could have a word with the school and ask what the other children are doing in class while the trip is being prepared for.

And one more suggestion - my DCs' trip was very expensive ( but we started paying in Year 5, so it was more manageable) and lots of children stayed behind. But they were offered instead a week of trips to local activities, including a theme park, and it was 10% of the price of the residential. Why not suggest that to the school if its not too late?

I think you need to ask the school about hardship fund. They really will do their best to assist families they know are in straitened circumstances.

BTW - PGL trip would cost pretty much the same.

My dd's 5 day year 6 pgl holiday was £365. She now has brought home a letter about a 4 day German trip which is £340. I think it sounds par for the course. Only 6 out of a 60 pupil year group didn't go, and some of those were in tears when the coach left.

Seems about right, both my DD's have been on a 5 day residential activity holiday in year 6 and both times it cost me about £350 and they only went to the local primary school at the time (and they did it again in year 7 of secondary) :(

ScrewsFallOutAllTheTime that's awfully expensive for PGL. When my dd's class went it cost £75 each!

Sounds about right for a school trip. I don't get why they are so expensive - our Guide camps are 7 days and are in the region of £160 all in - and we do LOADS of activities, sometimes the price includes a day out at a popular theme park. We stay in tents and cook our own food which probably cuts down the cost a bit but I do not get why school trips cost so much in comparison. We get loads of kids on camp - it is a week of 'cheap' childcare for many of our families!

My DD in Y11 is going to Rome for 5 nights at Easter with the school. It is costing £900. Your trip seems like a bargain.

Jesse - it may have been subsidised from a budget. Our kids are going to PGL soon, the year group involved have been fundraising all year to bring the cost down.

My son went on a residential in north France when he was in Y6 last year. It was not a surprise that was sprung on the parents, Y6 always go to France. They learnt so much about the war, and being there made it very real to them. They did not have much chance to spend money. School set a limit of £15, and they got out £2 per day for the tuck shop. They went to a confectionery factory the last day before returning home, where they had a chance to buy some gifts home.

The trip was very educational, so I would let your child go for that reason alone.

Camping you can do anytime.

Our school's year 6 trip is £460 plus £200 to be raised by fundraising/sponsorship. DS is not going.

My sons school trip to France was £650, and my daughters £850.

I'd be delighted with that price!

To be fair though, both trips were for a week, rather than three days.

I have been warned about a year 6 trip to a PGL site which is 80 miles away and costing £400. I nearly fell over at that one!

Can you devote his xmas gift money to it instead? Its the only way I would be able to afford something like this. Could relatives give him money for xmas instead of gifts so that could be put towards it as well. It is very expensive so I would say to my son he can only go if he sold unused toys & put his gift money towards it.

I do think £350 for three days is excessive - you can get escorted package holidays for less than that. If a school is going to charge that much I really think it could look at the options in this country that would offer longer trips and more value for money.

I have to say that the amount sounds about the same as other schools. My son's year 6 is a similar amount and other local schools are the same.

Can you imagine if you had twins?

I don't think it's excessive considering the activities. I do know how you feel though. My dd is in year 5 and next year there will be a trip to France - I think it's going to be even more than £350 and we may struggle to afford it. At my dd's school it is certainly the case that not everyone goes though.

PMMD, we do have twins hence the falling over at the realisation of 2x £400!!

I wouldn't have let my yr6 child go abroad with school whatever the cost was!

Luckily for them our uk based trip was for 5 days and cost £240