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 🤔🤷‍♀️

QuantumGroan
I know you didnt. After pressing post I worried it might read that way.
More a contract between your (reasonable) acknowledgement that trips can be enjoyable and a perk and the bizarre view some have that somehow trips are teacher holidays funded by parents.

The other people should consider is that many parents will look at what enrichment and extracurricular schools offer. Trips form part of some of the things parents ask us about on open evening. There is a demand for trips because often they are beneficial to students and many parents would prefer to send one child on a theatre trip than pay for a full family to London, would be able to fund towards a netball trip for a european tournament but maybe not do 5 days in Europe for a family of 4.

I’m in the process of enrolling DD on a summer course in NYC. It’s not a school trip and she will go on her own. I think school trips should be about enriching the curriculum - DD is going to Verdun with her year group (100 children) next week.

Hear hear! I'm currently fundraising, scrimping and generally going without to try to find £2k for my son's sports tour of South Africa! To be fair it's been a real learning curve! 18 months to find, raise, scavenge for the money. I'm £180 short so for the next couple of months it'll be smart price everything and by November I'll probably be on the game! Hey ho! God only knows what I'll do if my daughter follows suit ... spare kidney anyone?

World Challenge is a rip-off and just uses a week of volunteer activities as cover for a very expensive package trip.

Try Choice Humanitarian - virtually all of the funding goes to the local country, and it is much less expensive.

You can also have a look at VolunteerHQ.com if you prefer an Environmental Conservation option.

That's an outrageous amount of money! It also sounds like a lot of these trips are exotic Barbie Saviour level bollocks. Which community would really need school children flown in from across the world to build their school/loos/hospital? Why not arrange a fundraiser to pay for local builders and craftspeople, if that is what's needed?