Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

End of term reward but only if you can afford it...

169 replies

Afterthenight · 19/07/2017 18:18

Possible unreasonable here and open to admit it.

Dds school are going to a theme park on Friday as an end of term trip. The trip was £50 plus food/spends and then as they were back late we would of needed to get a taxi part back due to no buses into the village at that time. We just couldn't afford it.

Near us there are a tree top wires, zip line place, roller skating/ice skating/bowling/cinema/escape rooms and all kinds of lovely places that the kids would have enjoyed for a fraction of the price.

Those kids who can't afford are in normal lessons all day on Friday with the 'naughty' and children who aren't allowed to go.

Aibu to think they could book somewhere cheaper which meant all children who earned a reward could go.

We were told about the trip two weeks ago.

OP posts:
Mummyoflittledragon · 19/07/2017 18:49

My dd would be ill on Friday in that case. This is discrimination. I thought school was not legally allowed to do this. I would be emailing the head.

MyPepper · 19/07/2017 18:50

big we have the same in secondary BUT it's also totally different because

  • not everyone goes. Actually plenty of people do NOT go
  • you have plenty of time to decide and pay
  • it's not an end of term/end of year activity where all the hxildren should be able to participate.

I think it's crap and I woud let the HT know TBH.
I would also not take DC to school on that day.

Original poster
Afterthenight · 19/07/2017 18:50

Already had trips like those bigmac...
But they were not a reward and the whole school wasn't invited.

OP posts:
ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 19/07/2017 18:55

I am terribly sorry that your DD will have such a bad headache/stomach ache/twisted ankle that she had to spend the day with you doing something fun to take her mind off the pain rather than going to school.

The school have handled this really badly.

Viviennemary · 19/07/2017 18:56

That does seem a lot of money for a day trip. Complain to the LA and the school. If nobody complains then they will just keep on running those expensive trips.

MsJudgemental · 19/07/2017 18:56

There will not be any lessons on the last day of term. It is spent clearing the rooms so the teachers can go in and get them ready during the holidays. They will be watching DVDs and doing word searches.

Sunshinegirls · 19/07/2017 18:57

Holy shit, that's horribly exclusive and is a scandal. The school should be ashamed. Yanbu.

HoneyWheeler · 19/07/2017 18:58

Schools can't force you to pay for a trip. If it's supposed to be an educational trip then they can only ask for a contribution. State schools that is!

CheesecakeAddict · 19/07/2017 18:59

Read the letter again, does it say that it's a compulsory £50 - I'm pretty sure that if the trip happens during school time, they can only ask for a donation. Otherwise I agree with the others, maybe your kid is really sick that day...

ALittleMop · 19/07/2017 19:00

YANBU in the slightest
£50 should be at least half a terms notice
Or ideally something more affordable/subsidised. School is behaving thoughtlessly. For comparison DS (Y7) treat was to go to the Zoo it cost me a tenner, and I had a month's notice. DD (Y5) had a picnic in the school grounds and did denbuilding, cost to me =nowt.
Those not going should be going to the park/having alternative activities provided.
YABU if you - and other parents - have not made it clear that it is unacceptable and excluding.
My kid would not be in school but I wouldn't even feign sickness - just have unauthorised abscence. One session on the last day of term will not cause you any bother in future but it will for the school.

SouthWindsWesterly · 19/07/2017 19:00

I thought trips had to have voluntary contributions not exact charges?

ScarletSienna · 19/07/2017 19:01

The fact that this is a reward and not just a trip makes it worse.

"Well done, Billy, you've earned the right to come on a fantastic day out. What's that? You can't afford it? Oh well, hard luck."

Sirzy · 19/07/2017 19:01

Only educational trips south

LemonRedwood · 19/07/2017 19:02

I should be up to date with this, but I don't think schools can exclude children from trips because they can't afford it (may be different in secondary with the number of trips abroad that go on?). Certainly in primary the rule is that school requests a voluntary contribution from parents (I realise it never says voluntary on the letter).

I'd be tempted to threaten them with some legal action as well.

mohuzivajehi · 19/07/2017 19:02

Can you get together with other patents and arrange a cheap nearby alternative?

LemonRedwood · 19/07/2017 19:03

Oh, cross-post there Blush

SouthWindsWesterly · 19/07/2017 19:03

Well that's just shut then. Either kick up a merry hell or call him in sick.. that's just not right

bemusedbewildered · 19/07/2017 19:03

Yeah phone her in sick and do something nice together. I would happily tell my dd what I was doing because £50 is just too much.

Raise the issue to your parent council for discussion - must be plenty who aren't going to claim the hardship fund but equally can't fork out £50 for something random.

SouthWindsWesterly · 19/07/2017 19:04

*shit not shut but you get the gist

Bloody clumsy thumbs...

Starlight2345 · 19/07/2017 19:06

" with the naughty children " Hmm

Saucery · 19/07/2017 19:07

I'm still a bit peeved that the reward trip DS is going on has to be paid for by me - will be £50 including spending money. Was tempted to keep him off and if I wasn't at work myself I may well have told the school "We are going to X activity instead". But it's a chance for him to maul around a theme park with his mates and if he stayed at school he would be with the children excluded for bad behaviour, so not much fun for him.
I'm not against reward trips but the cost does seem to be rising each year quite significantly. I'm of the Old School 'being good is its own reward" though Grin

Schools can't insist everyone pays but they can cancel a trip if costs aren't covered.

WicksEnd · 19/07/2017 19:07

That's fucking outrageous and there's is no chance that my child would be going to school on Friday.

Who has a trip on the last day of term? That's very odd.

MerryMarigold · 19/07/2017 19:10

If there ever was a reason to keep them off school, this is one. Totally unacceptable. Our end of term trip was £15 and I'm pretty sure kids who couldn't afford it were paid for.

Sirzy · 19/07/2017 19:12

I wouldn't pretend she was ill though. I would tell school exactly why you where keeping her off!

diggyloo · 19/07/2017 19:13

I'd be tempted to threaten them with some legal action as well.

Seriously?? Over a school trip.

Swipe left for the next trending thread