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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not pay full amount for school trip?

149 replies

bingisthebest · 12/05/2017 21:49

School send out a letter saying they are having a trip can you a. Pay a donation b. Pay the sum of .....
I have 3 dcs and although our choice it is expensive for us. Wibu to just pay a smaller donation?

OP posts:

sleepystate · 13/05/2017 09:13

If you can afford it and your child wish to go then you should pay the full amount. Schools cannot make payment compulsory but the trip will be cancelled if the cost of the trip is not met. Parents are not charged extra to make up for others who cannot pay. You can only charge to the cost, to the penny in fact.
A school cannot be outstanding if there are no off site visits/ extra curricular activities, and if parents aren't willing to pay then they can't go ahead. Some of the best learning happens outside of the classroom. Surely parents would no deny their children if they can afford it?

sleepystate · 13/05/2017 09:17

In any case, most trips have the option of paying in instalments, especially expensive ones

lanbro · 13/05/2017 09:18

I always overpay, we are lucky that we are quite well off so I like to pay it forward. If you genuinely can't afford the full amount then pay what you can. If you can afford to pay more next time then do.

MrsHathaway · 13/05/2017 09:19

I'm interested in those talking about overpaying. Our school is looking around a £100k/a funding cut so anything we can do to relieve pressure on school funds has to be of interest.

But when I've deliberately overpaid (not hugely, just rounding up) in the past I've been given every penny of overpayment back. Is that likely to be a misunderstanding on the part of the school office or will there be a problem with their being allowed to accept it?

BertrandRussell · 13/05/2017 09:32

"But when I've deliberately overpaid (not hugely, just rounding up) in the past I've been given every penny of overpayment back."

Well, of course they will if you don't tell them what you're doing.

Coloursthatweremyjoy · 13/05/2017 09:33

In my experience of 6 schools I have never had a trip cancelled.

It's only DS2s primary that mentions making a donation. Everyone else just stated the cost. They can't force you to pay but I always thought they worked on the assumption that most people don't know that.

Mind you every school has had a very active PTA which I'm sure makes a massive difference.

We now get the problem where they go to local sports events etc, not local enough to walk to. They ask for parents to drop off and pick up...um no...I'm not allowed to take term time leave and DS not long started there and had ADHD so friends are few and far between. Grandparents don't drive or still work and anyway don't have 2 hours to sit around and wait. Nightmare.

In short if you can afford it pay if not, we'll that's what the donation option is for.

MrsHathaway · 13/05/2017 09:39

I do tell them what I'm doing, that is, that I'm deliberately overpaying to ensure that the trip can go ahead. They don't like it apparently.

sleepystate · 13/05/2017 09:40

That's really generous MrsHathaway.
Yes please do tell the school and perhaps give the extra separately, I'm sure the school would really appreciate it but there are strict rules where you cannot make a profit from trips, hence the refund.

Funding for students who can't afford the trips come from money raised from events like non school uniform days and the PTA. So if you have the time, helping with the PTA also helps your school a lot.
All good schools are so because they have stakeholders who care and contribute.

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 13/05/2017 09:44

Most schools run the same so parents know there will be a residential in certain year groups and that there will be a trip once a term etc.

Schools will allow payment plans if a person is struggling but to expect them to cut their budget elsewhere to subsidise something nice because you don't want to pay is very wrong.

gamerwidow · 13/05/2017 09:46

OP what would you have to go without if you paid the full amount. If it's essentials like food, bills, kids clothing then pay the reduced amount otherwise you are morally obliged to pay in full in think.

grasspigeons · 13/05/2017 09:48

I would discretely speak to someone saying that you are struggling to afford the trip. The school I work at has a pot to help people out (quite a few parents pay for their own child and donate extra to help another out) we don't make any money on the trip. It's mainly the coach that's expensive. If enough people can't pay the trip doesn't go ahead as there is no other budget.

MrsHathaway · 13/05/2017 09:52

Interesting re profit. I did wonder whether they simply didn't have a shortfall so couldn't accept. I've never heard anyone say "it's voluntary so I won't bother" so maybe it just isn't a problem, or perhaps the wording on our letters is better.

I have a trip letter in front of me. Paragraphs are in turn: this trip is planned to support this part of the curriculum; here are the logistical details; we are asking for a voluntary contribution of xxx per child. Footnote then says "we have to call this voluntary and cannot exclude any child for non payment, but in practice there is no alternative source of funding so if anyone doesn't pay we can't run the trip. If you are in receipt of or feel for personal reasons that you are unable to meet the voluntary contribution in full, please see the HT in confidence."

Our PTA supports trips as a matter of course, to the tune of £200 per class per year, which in practical terms is typically the coach for a day trip not very far. This is spelled out in the permission slip.

The school has very low PP (so low it's redacted) so actually could almost certainly absorb the trip costs for those children.

harderandharder2breathe · 13/05/2017 09:54

If paying for the trip means cutting back on other luxuries like holidays like YABU to not pay. You chose to have 3 kids, you accept that it's expensive and you have to sacrifice a few luxuries along the way.

If paying for the trip means you wouldn't be able to afford to feed your children or get to work then YANBU

Iamastonished · 13/05/2017 10:04

"Funding for students who can't afford the trips come from money raised from events like non school uniform days and the PTA. So if you have the time, helping with the PTA also helps your school a lot."

On PTA threads there are often several mumsnetters who are very negative about PTAs. They clearly don't understand how much schools benefit from funds raised by them. As school funding is suffering from more and more cuts PTA fundraising will become more and more crucial.

I genuinely don't understand the selfish attitude of some people.

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 13/05/2017 10:17

Our PTA doesn't fund school trips for those that won't pay, it's there to benefit all the children not the ones with selfish or entitled parents who won't pay.

Iamastonished · 13/05/2017 10:26

How can the school differentiate between the parents who won't pay and those that can't?

Footle · 13/05/2017 10:30

BubbleBed, I didn't understand your first post where you said you get free NHS treatment. It is still free at the point of need to everyone.

Roomster101 · 13/05/2017 10:31

I think that schools expect parents to talk to them about it if they genuinely can't afford to pay. If you do that, my understanding is that they will agree to a lower payment or no payment. At my children's school they expect parents to fill in a form if they are experiencing financial difficulties. If you just don't pay they may hassle you for the money.

JustAnotherYellowBelly · 13/05/2017 10:50

I don't think this is an overly new thing, at least in my area.

Primary school trip letters used to say that the voluntary contribution was x and that if you can't pay still return the permission slip. Also, if they didn't get enough money, the trip will be cancelled.

This was in the 90s, east coast where no one was very rich

EsmereldaMargaretNoteSpelling · 13/05/2017 11:17

I've always, always paid for off site trips, swimming, recorder for compulsory lessons etc, donated at the twice yearly fairs, donated to the PTA and so on. But last year I did refuse to pay the 'voluntary' contribution for an on site, curriculum based workshop, during school hours. £12 for my child to go to school for the day! Yes the workshop was amazing and provided by brilliant staff, but it was exactly the type of enrichment activity that our PTA should have been funding - most especially setting as they have over £16,000 in the bank and raise about £7,000 annually...

sleepystate · 13/05/2017 11:23

How can the school differentiate between the parents who won't pay and those that can't?
Iamastonished - in the first instance, we know who receives free school meals, or they are now referred to as pp (pupil premium). They are offered help to if they decline the trip for financial reasons. I'm a teacher and I've organised many trips, I haven't actually experienced parents not paying tbh. Most will just choose not to let their child go. But we do discreetly pay for some. The "donations" part of the letter is is wording really! We always hope parents would see the value in the trip and just pay!
Yes most of the time, it is the coach that is the main cost! I try using the school mini buses whenever I can.

BertrandRussell · 13/05/2017 11:28

"but it was exactly the type of enrichment activity that our PTA should have been funding"
Out of interest, did you out that to the PTA committee?

anon1987 · 13/05/2017 11:46

We always pay what's asked, even though most of the time we struggle to find the money for food.
You'll just have to hold off paying for your phone or Internet or something.

EsmereldaMargaretNoteSpelling · 13/05/2017 12:51

I did Bertrand, and the chair said she agreed but that the Head hadn't asked and when the chair approached her to offer to subsidise the cost the Head told her that she would made the decisions not the PTA. Our head is not known for her relationship skills...

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