To not want to pay for this school trip?

[Xtrabroken]

Dc school go on a trip to our local Christmas markets in school time only they never go to the markets as they are allowed to go where they want to and use it as an excuse to go round the big local shopping centre.

Dc can get the bus to this place for free as they have a bus pass. The bus leaves outside our house.

There is also a direct train from school and none of the kids are younger than 13 although I understand them not wanting to take the kids by train so they hire a mini bus or small coach. (small school)

Last year the trip cost me £17 plus spends for each of my children to basically go round our local shopping centre for the day.

The dc then had to get a mini bus back to school and then two buses back home as they were later back and miss the connecting bus home when they could have just got one bus straight home.

Last year everyone went so not a case of just saying no.

Money is tight and it's money I can't afford to waste just to go round a shopping centre. Would it be REALLY bad if I sent dc in to meet them there?

The cost will be based on splitting the coach cost equally between everyone, so the school's total costs won't be affected by whether your DC go or not.

That said, there's fuck all educational benefit in letting teenagers loose in the town centre on a weekday, so I think you're right to raise an eyebrow.

I think you might have to physically accompany them there and back.

No you aren’t BU. This isn’t an educational trip, and you cannot be forced to pay for any school trip in school time. Tell the school what you intend to do. You may get told that if DC will be marked down as absent if they don’t go into school to be marked on the register. If this is the case ask to speak to the HT and ask what the educational purpose of it is?

This isn’t an educational trip, and you cannot be forced to pay for any school trip in school time.

Have you got a copy of the curriculum? No, so you have no idea if this is educational or not.

You can be forced to pay if the trip requires transport. Which it clearly does by virtue of organising a coach.

You can choose to not participate in the trip, in which case your child stays at school. You can plead poverty and the school special fund may cover the trip. Or you can ask that alternative arrangements are made and your child travels alone. However, that may well cause an H&S issue in this bubble wrapping risk adverse age we live in. If X amount of children now have antsy parents demanding they make their own arrangements, this becomes a logistical nightmare and the trip will probably be cancelled, thus spoiling a day out for those who would like to go.

It's not an educational trip by the sounds of it. Tell them you don't want your children to go so they can stay in the school that day, and you won't be paying for it.

I really don't think it's an educational trip it's more a Christmas treat. Last year they were dropped off at 9am in the city centre and collected at 3pm at a collection point. No teachers stayed with them. They went to all the gadget and music shops, McDonald's, Primark and such and then met up and got the coach back. Obviously teachers stayed in the city centre in case there was a crisis but kids got lost and they had to ring school who rang the teachers to try and find them.

you cannot be forced to pay for any school trip in school time

Where are you OP - we have different rules in Scotland as trips aren't considered an essential part of the curriculum. If you don't pay, you don't go.

What a waste of time. Ask the school what the educational purpose of the trip is. If you can’t afford it easily just say no or that your dc will meet them there.

Are the teachers going Christmas shopping?

But anyway, you might as well offer your child to join everyone there. You'll just need to arrange that properly in advance. The £17 quid would make a nice bit of lunch and spending money instead.

I've no idea if the teachers go Christmas shopping. I'm guessing so as they spend six hours in the city centre on lost teen, broken leg, fell down a well alert. Not that I begrudge them doing a bit of Christmas shopping if they do after a year of having teenagers to teach!!

can you not contact the school to explain it's much easier for your kids to get there and back themselves?

I dunno I'd probably do it as I know DD would enjoy going around the shopping centre with her friends and the excitement of going out with her whole class. If it's not supposed to be educational and they do have the option to go around the xmas market then does it really matter? If you can't afford it then don't send them.

That sounds more like a chance for the teachers to do a bit of shopping!

This sounds like an excuse for the staff to go Xmas Shopping during school time - or am I just being cynical?

crossed post!

This sounds ridiculous, and a total waste of everyone’s time. Can’t these teenagers make their own social engagements at the weekend?

I dont think YABU OP. Generally speaking I think teaching children to shop is something that can be done by family - not that most children I know need many lessons!!

If they are prepared to let them wander about unsupervised all day, I don't see why they should have a problem with them using their own transport to get there. Sitting on a bus is really not much more dangerous than wandering about a shopping centre.

Are they supposed to be practising their German on the stall holders perhaps? "ein wurst mit brot und kartoffel bitte"

Yes, you can be asked to pay for a school trip in curriculum time but not one that is essential to the curriculum eg visit to an art gallery as part of Art GCSE.

I wouldn’t let them go. The school has to make alternative provision for those who don’t go.

I'd call them in sick. And let him use bus pass for free then arrange to meet with his mates lol..

id keep them home that day

I would be very surprised if it was an educational trip. YANBU for not sending them, even if you could afford it the point of sending th to school is that they receive an education not that they waste their time walking around shopping.

Exactly, lists. It could be a great educational visit with suitable direction (bit of geography looking at footfall patterns, MFL engaging with stall holders, food tech observing hot food stalls, etc) but in this case it sounds as though direction and supervision are completely lacking. It's a jolly.

Not that I disapprove of a jolly per se, but this is one that could easily exclude or divide children by their parents' income and/or organisation - OP needs to send "spends" so DC won't just be window shopping. Very insensitive.

There has been some mention of them catching the train instead but the cost was still £12 and the train cost is approximately £3.

I'm assuming they have to pay extra insurance for the trip or something?

Ooohh I take it back. The letter has come home. It's £12 and next Monday, going on the train.

'World of Culture Day'
Talk to stall holders, practice your foreign language, sample world foods at five pound for a hotdog

So they are classing it as an educational trip when in reality last year it was an enforced hour or two without staff on the Christmas markets followed by five hours in the local shopping centre.

Bag humbug!