In thinking almost 5 grand for a school trip is beyond the joke ??

[BabySharkAteMyHamster]

We live in a town with a massive, rich poor divide. A lot of jobs here are highly skilled so if you can't do those there's little else. It has massive pits of deprivation as well as very wealthy areas.

There are two schools. One being an academy in the middle of one of the poorest areas of the town but also next to an estate where houses sell for upwards of 500k.

Who the hell thinks these trips are a good idea ?? It serves nothing but to highlight the massive rich poor divide and yet again kids who have heard 'no' pretty much from the day they were born will be on the outside looking in whilst the wealthier kids swan off on a month long trip to south America to build schools and lord knows what else . Options are pay half now and half later or pay £60 per week for the next 2 years (( my food bill ))

Why the hell arent these things capped ?? £1000 yes, families could make cutbacks over 2 years and give their kids a chance to experience life outside their barrier but 5 grand is just an impossible task for so many.

Considering so many schools these days obsess over stupid details on school uniforms so that 'every child is equal' isnt it a bit odd they seem to think it's ok to constantly remind them just how unequal they actually are 🤔🤷‍♀️

That's ridiculous. I've never heard of a school trip costing anywhere near thst much!

Atm in our school the next trip is a 11 quid theatre visit and there are problems getting parents to cough up for that!

So don't pay it. My kids' school is forever coming up with trips to America or Dubai or wherever but they're not compulsory and I have no problem in saying that my child isn't going. We are in a fairly affluent area but that doesn't mean that parents are happy to put their hands in their pocket for things they don't think are good value.

In fact, they planned a PE trip to Dubai last year which was going to cost £3.5k for less than a week, so few people signed up for it that it was cancelled.

They also offer lots of other trips and activities which cost a lot less.

And are they forcing you?

No

World Challenge? Yes our school does it every couple of tears and around 50% of the kids go- mine didn't!

In fact, they planned a PE trip to Dubai last year which was going to cost £3.5k for less than a week, so few people signed up for it that it was cancelled.

^3.5k for less than a week in Dubai? What deluded idiots would pay this for their child? Dubai is a crap hole anyway

All the schools round here do this. Usually 3-5 k and 2-3 k ski trips. No way can mine go. I have twins !!!

I think the idea is on these volunteering things, that the student raises the money themselves through sponsored walks and cleaning cars and stuff.
Not so easy if you live in a deprived area, or if you already have a part time job to help fund your studies.

Jeez. And I thought that it was stupid that my son's school has two residentials in two months. One is compulsory, so he is going to that but no way is he going on the other one. It'll be more than £300 for four days and they'll just be doing tourist things. Nothing to do with school, really.

Last year DD went to Butlins. It was a yr6 trip but it had spaces for yr5. DD was one of only 3 yr5 DC whose parents could afford the £270 (actually, we couldn't, my aunt very kindly paid ). This year the school's looking into cheaper trips. 5 GRAND??????

What deluded idiots would pay this for their child? Dubai is a crap hole anyway

Well none did so the trip was cancelled. Heard on the grapevine that it was Dubai because one of the PE teachers had a friend working out there who could set up a few netball matches.

Parents were having none of it, nobody expressed an interest as it was such poor value so the trip didn't go ahead. Last I heard they were planning this year's netball trip to another part of the UK....

On the other hand my eldest had three nights in Belgium learning all about the WW1 battlefields, all transport, entrance fees, accommodation and food included for less than £400.

I live in a house that is over £500k and I could certainly not afford the trip without it being felt elsewhere (food, bills, children's clubs), unless you are mega wealthy, that £5k school trip is beyond most people. For that, I would rather take the family on a lovely holiday.

Fuck me, my school does trips all over the world without charging anything like that much! Ridiculous!

In fact, most houses in London are over £500k, my mums 2.5 bed semi detached house is about £600k, looks like a dolls house.

My dd has been accepted on a trip to a part of Africa in 18 months time. There were 20 places available. They'll be helping to build a school for the children that live there.

The cost is £2,800.

However, the children selected have to fund raise to get the money to go, or arrange a sponsorship.

I agreed to dd applying because I thought this was a good way of raising the money.

Had it been me who was paying for it all, she wouldn't be going.

I think the idea is on these volunteering things, that the student raises the money themselves through sponsored walks and cleaning cars and stuff. This. Exactly this.
My friends son did this. He went to South America. He fundraised most of it himself. His parents (not affluent) agreed to pay a certain amount and it was up to him to fundraise the rest. He did lawn mowing, car washing, all sorts. It's an excellent way to teach the value of money. Obviously you'll get some types who will just have their parents fund the lot, but not all.

We have trips costing that sort of amount. The kids organise fund raisers at school to pay the bulk of it. The last one, the PE staff ran a course of adult netball classes in the evenings which cost £10 a session and the money raised went towards the trip.

I like that they have to take some initiative to get the funds together.

I don’t have much time for World Challenge. £4K plus to go somewhere exotic for a couple of weeks and spend a couple of days fixing a school roof to make it look like a charity mission. I’m pretty sure the locals would much prefer a sizeable cash donation so they can get skilled local people in to do any work and spend the rest on essentials they need. But yeah, charge middle class kids a few grand to have a posh camping trip abroad

Yeah they do 3 days volunteering out of 3 or 4 weeks so that participants can justify asking other people to pay for their kids holiday.
The think is parents have to commit to underwrite the cost of the holiday in advance of fund raising starting so only reasonably comfortable families can do this.

the charity angle is a fab marketing ploy though. The trips are extravagantly overpriced. I’ve done all inclusive for 5 in a 4 star hotel in Cyprus for less than they charge for one teen to do World Challenge.

YANBU, we have similar at our school. The rich/poor divide is then highlighted further by showing trip photos on a constant loop on screens all around the school.

DS has signed up to world challenge. It’s the summer after GCSE exams. It’s entirely optional and many kids choose not to do it. (Won’t be a luxury beach break!)
He has a couple of little jobs and is saving. We are also paying towards it. Haven’t asked for any money from friends and family.
It’s an opportunity. Do it or don’t. Your choice. It’s not compulsory. Would be a shame to not offer it as some kids can’t afford it.

Good old world challenge. Charity tourism.
They don’t need teenagers ‘building’ a school. Or ‘teach’ them english.
They need skilled people, to teach and transfer their skills and actually become sustainable. Rather than a few kids coming over for a week or two so they can put on their ucas application that they’ve been to africa and ‘helped’ impoverished people.

Absolutely ridiculous and shouldn’t be entertained by schools.

That's ridiculous, my dd school is fee paying, they have no holidays, and as a pp theatre trip for English is £15 this includes the coach.

I really hate these expensive trips too. Completely wrong in a comprehensive school. Even the £2k ski-ing trips are inappropriate.

My family could never afford to send me on school trips and my school did them all the time. Because it was secondary school I was old enough to understand that some kids could afford to go and some couldn't. I fell into the kids that couldn't so stayed behind and the school put on other activities (like school shows etc...). It didn't bother me and I wasn't hanging out of windows wistfully watching everyone go off. They just wouldn't turn up at school the first day of the trip and I'd see them when they were back. I think travel is a good opportunity to see new places are great and so I think the opportunity should be given in school. Yes, not everyone can afford it but by secondary school most of us were mature enough just to accept it. The school made the activities for those staying behind fun(ish) so it wasn't like I had to stay behind doing my times tables whilst others were away skiing. Maybe I was just laid back about it, but I don't recall any of us who stayed behind being particularly upset or feeling excluded.