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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that the cost of this Year 6 Outward Bounds trip is too high!

76 replies

MidnightVelvetthe3rd · 02/10/2015 15:36

DS started Year 6 last month, there is the option to go on the Year 6 residential trip which all the classes go on every year. Do you know the one I mean, its where the kids & some staff members go & stay somewhere & have a week abseiling/potholing/kayaking etc

Well I really liked the sound of it in theory, there was a meeting last night (that I couldn't attend as we were at a secondary open evening) but DS had the spiel in school yesterday & came home full of the planned program & things that they could do & is desperate to go. Its 6 hours away so there's 2 days of just travel there & back & then 3 full days of activities. I've just spoken to a mum friend & she says the cost of the trip is £275. They want £75 deposit paid by 1 November, another £100 paid by Christmas & the remaining £100 in the new year.

Fuck me I didn't think it would cost this much! I can find the money but it will mean some cutting back & careful planning. Is this a pretty normal cost for these kind of trips where you are? aibu to not expect it to be this much?!

OP posts:

MirandaWest · 02/10/2015 16:30

DSs year 6 trip last year was £180 I think, leaving early Monday morning and back after school on the Friday. Only a couple of hours away so more time for activities. The year 5 trip the year before was £140 for 3 days and 2 nights I think

Original poster

MidnightVelvetthe3rd · 02/10/2015 16:32

frumpet I'm hoping that the kit list will be the same stuff he uses for Cub camps, so won't be too bad as he will have a lot of it already...

They are going in May.

Thanks all for your replies :)

OP posts:

Witchend · 02/10/2015 16:33

We pay that for 3 days in year 4, year 6 is 5 days and £100 more.

My friend with 1 in year 6 and twins in year 4 is not happy.

Babyroobs · 02/10/2015 16:34

My year 6 dd goes next week on a PGL trip. Ours cost around £270. The kids get a lot out of it, the food is always great ( My 3 ds's have all been on it previously) and they do loas of activities with fully qualified instructers. there are security guys patrolling the cabins to keep the kids safe at night. I can see how the costs add up. I guess also the teachers have to be paid. for and are away from their own families 24/7 for that week. There are coach costs and insurance. To be honest I think it's pretty good value. We had almost a year to pay in instalments. There are quite a few kids that are not going this year though, so I guess some families are struggling to pay or don't think it's worth the money.

CwtchesAndCuddles1 · 02/10/2015 16:36

DD is in Y6 and has a 4 night residential coming up too. It's only a few miles from home Mon -Fri and the cost is £135.

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 02/10/2015 16:53

Ah you're used to cub camps and have changed schools, fair enough that the cost is a bit of a surprise.

We worried about the expense of taking brownies to PGL as even though we subsidised it for everyone, it was still more than double what we charge for a normal pack holiday. But the staff there are paid, we're not. They have professional standard catering, we do it ourselves. They offer a massive range of amazing activities that we just don't have the equipment, facilities or training to do ourselves. In the end, we had more takers than we expected and it was a big success, but it won't replace our usual pack holiday. Not least because of the cost!

TittyBiskwits · 02/10/2015 16:58

Ours was £365.

If you think that's a lot, wait til they're in High School and they come home with a letter for a 5 day skiing trip that's £1300 plus spending money

Noodledoodledoo · 02/10/2015 17:00

Babyroobs from most staff in primary's I know of the staff are paid no extra for going on these trips. However the school will have to incur the cost of supply teachers to cover them - probably about £600 per teacher for a week. Not sure if this cost forms part of the trips costs. I am secondary and the only trips I have been involved in are at weekends so no cover required.

Savagebeauty · 02/10/2015 17:03

Is the trip somewhere in Wales? ( nosey)

MabelSideswipe · 02/10/2015 17:08

Our Year 6 trip costs .......brace yourself....£560. Nearly All the kids go and if they don't they feel crap because most of summer term is geared towards the trip. It's crap.

Original poster

MidnightVelvetthe3rd · 02/10/2015 17:17

Savage its in Northumbria. We are in Coventry.

OP posts:

Sighing · 02/10/2015 17:18

Ours was £190 for 3 days, only 1.5 hours away. So that sounds fairly reasonable

j21212 · 02/10/2015 17:18

My DS went last year - same sort if price and about 6hours away. But they left very early and did activities immediately they arrived. I wouldn't worry about kit if it's Outward Bound they provide nearly everything - boots, waterproofs etc. D S just had to take clothes he already had such as joggers. He had a great time and came back much more confident. We thought it was well worth the cost.

Sighing · 02/10/2015 17:18

(Ooo Coventry. Wondering which school now)

dementedpixie · 02/10/2015 17:20

Ours was £95ish for 4 days (Monday was a holiday) and the journey took about 4 hours or so by coach

winchester1 · 02/10/2015 17:28

Where I live (abroad) the kids raise their own money as a class organising cake sales, raffles, selling small bits and price brought in bulk and sold door to door etc and then as a class decide how often to take trips (less often means bigger trips) and just go where the money will take them all.
I like it as the cost of the trips is basically spread across the community and if one kids parents mix in richer circles they can raise more and help those that don't raise much. There's no individual targets or pointing out who raised how much.

INeedNewShoes · 02/10/2015 17:33

It just seems ludicrous to send them on a trip to somewhere six hours away when they will be doing activities that could be done just as well at many places within 3 hours of Coventry.

Apart from that it seems like a reasonable price for the amount of time they'll be away.

Mrsjayy · 02/10/2015 17:36

Ours go in p7 last year of primary in scotland anyway we got to pay months in advance thedeposit in p6 the rest by end of term while i dont think its a lot (i was £200 7 years ago) they are expecting the full amount quickly and i dont think thats fair

Twitterqueen · 02/10/2015 17:39

Try £845 for 5 days in Italy excluding lunches and spending money, and bearing in mind that 2 of those days are spent travelling......

Just how does the school think single parents (or even 2 parents) can afford that kind of money?!!!!!

I trump you OP.

Electrolux2 · 02/10/2015 17:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mrsjayy · 02/10/2015 17:42

Is that for primary ? Bloody nora yip that wins

Electrolux2 · 02/10/2015 17:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

overthemill · 02/10/2015 17:51

I thunk the cost is about normal but I think they should help by getting you to pay in smaller instalments. Our trip was similar and we paid over 10 months I think

DontOpenDeadInside · 02/10/2015 17:57

I love our primary. Dd1s residential trip was £30 for a week. The school managed to secure funding, though no idea how. There was also the option of the more expensive one (same thing but better location) for about £300. Dd only went to the £30 one mean mammy

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 02/10/2015 18:13

My daughter did three days at Robinwood in year 6 and it was £180. She said it was much much better than he previous year's residential at a PGL place and the food was totally awesome.

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