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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 19:15

You have a point sirzy. Why lie? I was thinking of avoiding a potential fine tbh.

Sadik · 19/07/2017 19:16

If it helps, dd's end of term trip (2ndary) would have been £18.50, and apparantly only 17 kids from the year went. (DD didn't go as her BF wasn't allowed on the trip due to poor attendance - a bit shit as the poor girl's been in and out of hospital with an ongoing health condition :( )

At £50 I reckon an awful lot of dc will be either in school or pulling a sickie!

LemonRedwood · 19/07/2017 19:17

Yes, diggyloo, over a school trip.

It pisses me right off that some schools think they can exclude children from things for stupid reasons. Morally dodgy and possible not legal reasons. Parents not being able to afford stuff is not a good reason to exclude children.

HelsinkiLights · 19/07/2017 19:17

That is completely bonkers & wrong of the school.
If the school want to organise trips like this then the school should pay for it.

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

Starlight I put it in brackets because it was dds words. I asked what those who couldn't go where doing and she said she had been told they were doing normal lessons with the children who weren't allowed to go only obviously she used the words you have to stay behind with the naughty children who aren't allowed to go.

The kids staying behind not allowed to go are the ones who were suspended throughout the year for fighting/bullying etc. Some of the older ones were chucked off work experience.

OP posts:
Areyoulocal · 19/07/2017 19:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Areyoulocal · 19/07/2017 19:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Afterthenight · 19/07/2017 19:22

Actually starlight if you are worried I'm throwing some sort of insult at SN pupils by writing my daughters words of naughty I should point out that she has special needs herself.

OP posts:
bunningsbunny · 19/07/2017 19:24

Ds1 was in y7 this year and the reward trip for those that had enough merit points to go on it was free - they had had separate activities days organised where there were a variety of trips of different prices and plenty of free activities too a week beforehand.

Dc had to get a certain number of merit points to trade in for the trip but you can also trade them in for other things throughout the year which some people do rather than hoard them for the trip. It also means that it's not the 'naughty' kids that get left behind, although obviously some will be...

Seems a much better way to do it if they want it to really be a reward for all that deserve it regardless of their ability to pay!

LuluJakey1 · 19/07/2017 19:31

I think the rule is that if a parent can't afford it and the trip is linked to the curriculum, then the school has to pay. It does not apply to end of term fun trips- that would be up to the school, who probably could not afford to pay either. Ridiculous cost for a day trip. I would keep her off - and am a teacher.

MadisonAvenue · 19/07/2017 19:33

That's outrageous. If it's a reward trip then the cost should be in reach of all.

Someone mentioned foreign trips in secondary school. New York was a regular destination at the state secondary school my sons went to. They ran a trip there every two years for the older years. It always came in at around £1800. I remember one letter coming home about it just after we'd paid not much more than that for flights and a hotel there for four of us.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 19/07/2017 19:34

Things may have changed but I thought that schools could not insist on payment for trips which take place during school hours. They can ask for payment for things like residential trips. This article is interesting news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7867848.stm

GreeboIsACutePussPuss · 19/07/2017 19:35

Have you asked the school about funding if you can't afford it? DS' school have a fund so children don't miss out.

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 19/07/2017 19:36

Ours does a reward trip, destination and cost not known until nearer the time but there's always one.

Some go, some don't. The chidren usually get to pick the venue.

PickAChew · 19/07/2017 19:36

Bloody hell, £50 is a bit steep, even for most families who aren't on a super tight budget!

Ds2's class had a barbecue on a beach, about 50 miles away, today. Cost a fiver towards the coach. They probably had just as much fun.

Original poster
Afterthenight · 19/07/2017 19:40

It's not an educational trip though and lasts past school hours so I'm not sure it counts.
Otherwise parents could claim for trips abroad to NY in school time surely?

OP posts:
Buttercupsandaisies · 19/07/2017 19:43

If send a big message out to loads of parents and arrange your own! Keep them all off on the day and the school will realise

TheLittleShirt · 19/07/2017 19:49

My DD went to New York earlier this year, ( for 6 days) we paid £1200 and had a years notice. We all had a letter to say funds were available for those on FSM's not sure what % of the whole cost it covered though.

AcidBetty · 19/07/2017 19:51

At DDs school, the kids between years 7-10 get to choose their trip from a list of ten different trips that all vary in price. So there's a trip for every parents budget. All ten trips are scheduled for tomorrow and all the kids in the school get to go on one.
I think it's a fab idea, and the one DD is going on only cost £9. It's a day at a designer outlet and the movies, and she's so excited to blow her pocket money with her friends.

LagunaBubbles · 19/07/2017 19:54

What's wrong with saying naughty kids? Fairly commonplace to exclude children who don't behave from reward trips. If you get a punishment exercise at my sons school you are automatically excluded. Far too short notice about this trip.

MsHarry · 19/07/2017 19:55

Do they not have a contingency fund for parents that can't afford it? Our school does.

Ragusa · 19/07/2017 19:57

I find this impossible to believe, if we are talking about a state school in England. It's that mad.

Spottytop1 · 19/07/2017 19:57

Does it say voluntarily contribution on the letter?

StrangeLookingParasite · 19/07/2017 19:59

That is ridiculous. My son recently went to London for a week (we're in France), and the cost to us for the whole week was €96. The system is heavily subsidised by the mairie, and I love it.

Chemicalrainbow · 19/07/2017 19:59

Our school's reward trip was today. Out of my 30 year 10 top set students, 10 were on the trip and 8 were "ill" today. (I assume there's a bug going round - honest!)