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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

No spaces left on school trip !

92 replies

fridaynight · 05/05/2017 12:09

Since starting school DS has always known that in year 4 he will go on a residential trip, DS1 and DS2 went and DS3 has been looking forward to this rite of passage.
So the school advertised the trip and then parents had to log on to pay deposit. Sunday night a reminder came out that Monday was the last day to sign up for a trip thats running next March 2018 When I logged on I couldn't find the trip, contacted the school who said ' you couldn't find it because the trip is full !' He can go on the waiting list.
I was shocked as at no point has there been any mention of a limited number of spaces. I just don't have the heart to tell him he's not on the trip, just feels so unfair. DS 2 and 3 would take this in their stride and I know stuff happens and kids have to live with it but DS3 is only young, just turned 8 ...he's super keen on school and is a sweetie, he feels things strongly and is very emotional. The school is enormous , there are 8 others on the waiting list, I know one of the other Mums and we are trying to think of a way forward. Any ideas on how to move forward with this one or AIBU ?

OP posts:

GrimmDays · 05/05/2017 15:45

I've never known a primary have limits. Our secondary does but it's understandable as each year group is 200+ kids. I would definitely ask why there is a limit. It seems incredibly unfair to kids so small.

GrimmDays · 05/05/2017 15:47

Just realised this Sunday night a reminder came out that Monday was the last day to sign up for a trip thats running next March. Why on earth did they send a reminder to sign up out if the trip was full?

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/05/2017 15:53

Dds school changed locations for the yr4 trip this year. The head went and scouted several possible venues. All of which could accommodate the approx 65 kids. It seems very lazy and unfair to do anything else.

grannytomine · 05/05/2017 15:53

At my kids primary school they always did a trip to France and Holland in year 6, not cheap but normally got a coach load. In my daughter's year it was oversubscribed. They called a meeting said either it would be names out of a hat or book a 2nd smaller coach and everyone would pay extra, I can't remember how much but not pennies but not extortionate either. We all agreed to pay the extra. Would that work?

In the end they sold spare seats to some parents who went to France with them and then went and had a week doing there own thing and met up for the journey back so the extra cost was reduced.

skilledintheartofnothing · 05/05/2017 15:55

AmeliaLion

Thats right. But most schools work on an approximate ratio of i adult per 10-15 pupils in the last couple of years in primary school. What i was meaning is that if the numbers had to increase it may be possible to decrease the number of adult helpers on the main coach to a minimum amount and the extra luggage/adults be transported by car.

CotswoldStrife · 05/05/2017 15:55

Just realised this Sunday night a reminder came out that Monday was the last day to sign up for a trip thats running next March. Why on earth did they send a reminder to sign up out if the trip was full?

I bet it wasn't full when they sent it out! People do tend to leave things to the last minute so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a rush on the Sunday when the reminder went out - scuppering the chances of anyone logging in on Monday!

Have you spoken to the school OP, what did they say?

WinBigly · 05/05/2017 15:57

Why on earth did they send a reminder to sign up out if the trip was full?

Maybe it wasn't full when that email was sent and a bunch of Last Minute Larrys parents signed their children up before the OP managed to.

EweAreHere · 05/05/2017 16:03

I think you should write to the teacher, the Head, and the Governing body and tell them that if the entire primary school class cannot attend, then the trip shouldn't go ahead at all. End of.

There was a deadline to pay; no warning of a limited number of spaces. Primary school trips should be arranged so that ALL the students in a cohort can attend if they want. If they can't accommodate everyone, it shouldn't have been planned in the first place. The only exceptions are children who join the school at a late date and spaces have already been booked.

I would also make it clear that if your child isn't included, as he should be, he will not be in school that week and you will never, ever again 'voluntarily' contribute for school field trips. Let the school feel it, and they will. And say you will suggest same to the other parents whose children are being excluded so unfairly. That will get their attention.

ragged · 05/05/2017 16:11

How can a trip be financially viable if the school books enough spaces for all kids but only 3/4 go (say they book 60 spaces but only 45 kids go). 15 kids missing from our yr5 residential would be £1500 wasted & out of pocket to our school's budget.

EweAreHere · 05/05/2017 16:17

That's not how school residential trips are booked in most schools, ragged. They do a head count, ask parents if their child is going, ask for a deposit, and book based on that. Any child who joins the school after that point may not necessarily get a place, and any child who initially said 'no' but later changes their ind won't likely get a place, because the spaces were already booked.

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/05/2017 16:18

ragged

It's almost a year in advance, the school will only have provisionally booked. Coach cost may vary. Hotel will have a 48 hour cancellation policy or some such. Apart from fluctuating coach costs, no one will be out of pocket.

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/05/2017 16:19

And with dds school, they gave an approx per head cost and gave a confirmed price once everything and everyone had confirmed nearer the time.

ragged · 05/05/2017 16:22

"the school will only have provisionally booked."

I'm wondering if that assumption is false.
Could be something to do with how many school staff can be spared to supervise the trip, too.

grannytomine · 05/05/2017 16:53

At my kids school some teachers went (form teachers from year 6 classes), also Head and a governor. I think one teacher's husband went as well. Just thinking of the year my DD went. Actually I think a TA went as well so it was 50 something children and six adults.

RedSkyAtNight · 05/05/2017 17:40

What happens to the DC that don't go? The Y6 residential at DD's school only has places for 1/3 of the year and they often struggle to fill them (not an affluent area). But they organise an exciting programme of activities for those that don't go, to the point that many DC actively choose NOT to go on the trip.

BarbarianMum · 05/05/2017 17:48

Ewe that's exactly how they do it at my dc's school. You pay a deposit for the Y6 trip at the end of Y5. No details at that point except that it will be an outward bounds type trip for an unspecified number of nights at an unspecified location in the summer term.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/05/2017 23:59

There's a day trip coming up soon at DS1's primary school, to go and see a stage performance that some of the other children are involved in. It's limited to first come first serve for 30 places only. The form for that makes it VERY CLEAR that it's first come first served and only 30 places - but this isn't a residential, it's a day trip.

And the coach issue - this is how a decent primary deals with last minute shit - our Y5s have just had a 3 day residential. On the day before they left, the Head admonished the whole school re. getting forms in on time, by the deadline. A few students had handed in a bit late, but rather than tell them "No", they accommodated them, despite the fact that this took numbers to 2 over a full coachload. So they had to order another coach at the last minute, at quite a cost (which the school is picking up, by the sound of it) - if they'd had more time to realise that they needed a second coach, they would have got a better deal on it. What they DIDN'T do was say "tough, you can't go" - which they would have been within their rights to do, but didn't want to disappoint students who wanted to go.

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