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 🤔🤷‍♀️

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I also think it's sad that, even if they can get the money together, families are expected to spend so much of their annual holiday budget on one child, which may impact on the rest of the family, and also miss out on time together during the school holidays, whether it's fun and games at home, going to the park, camping in Snowdonia or skiing in Aspen.

I presume that these jollies trips are all organised during the school holidays? We're constantly told how damaging it is to a child's education if their parents take them on a holiday during term time, however cultural and/or educational that holiday might be.

It's not even as though you could say that they won't miss anything if the whole school is away, because children who didn't go on a trip during term time would surely still have to go to school as normal and couldn't just relax at home; thus either the well-off kids would be missing out on vital learning or the poorer kids would be being effectively punished with 'keep-them-occupied' non-learning for being poor.

[hipposeleven]

I remember looking at secondary schools for my eldest dc about 8 years ago and being shocked by posters advertising skiing trips for £1k+. I couldn't believe that schools in a fairly mixed area would run expensive trips like that, but £5k is ridiculous.

If it's World Challenge, then that's a whole other ethical issue, but at least the fundraising element should make it a bit more accessible to less well off students.

But for other trips, I don't think schools should be in the business of highlighting inequality among students - isn't that the whole rationale behind the insistence on strict uniforms? And the idea of committing £60 per week for 2 years? Surely that's tempting families into poverty? Even for better off parents it might mean choosing between a family holiday and sending one child on a school trip. I can't think of any state educated child I know whose family could easily afford £5k.

I've paid arond £800 for a school trip last year, which was quite difficult for us to find, but was a great opportunity and related to a subject my dd is really interested in. I think anything more than that is too much if it's a state school.

[Bringonspring]

Just bonkers! I was shocked that my godsons ski trip was £1200. I’ve gone skiing for cheaper than that!!

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

So many schools these days obsess over stupid details on school uniforms so that 'every child is equal

Don't for get the 'equal' trophy rewards, or the titles of head girl or boy, or the free football tournaments for the best players, then there's the most merits, beat homework, best project,

All in the name of equality

Unless you have certain disabilities, of course, and/or have to go to regular hospital appointments (or even just have the misfortune to get genuinely ill), which excludes you automatically from the 100% attendance rewards. Obviously, even if you have to live with a serious life-limiting/threatening condition which requires regular medical attention/treatment/intervention, you should have tried harder not to have that condition if you REALLY wanted to go to the end-of-year disco.

[Holidayshopping]

My kids are at selective schools and there are some pricey skiing trips but nowhere near £5k, that certainly isn’t happening everywhere!

[UsedtobeFeckless]

Not that unusual - our local upper school - bog standard comp, not even very leafy, - has been doing them at two year intervals for at least six years or so, and l think the local private schools do a version of them too.

[UsedtobeFeckless]

5K is more than they are asking though ...

[Accrual]

'The kids fundraise...' is completely missing the point. Most fundraise by asking family, friends, family friends, parents' workmates, other parents at school, etc. to buy stuff/services that they had no intention of buying until they were put on the spot by an eager kid who thinks they're doing charity work. It's hard to say no.

[MrsJane]

Regardless of the school or area, £5k for a school trip is ridiculous!! That could pay for a whole family holiday, a bloody lovely one at that!

Why does it have to be so expensive?? My school did trips around the UK. Mountaineering in Scotland, caving in Wales, local area trips, the beach, museums and dry ski slopes. They were fantastic, educational, accessible for everyone and not £5k!

[goodbyestranger]

All credit to your grandparents then UsedtobeFeckless. I think that for the students who take time to stop and reflect at Auschwitz, the visit can be quite profoundly affecting and for those who don't want to engage, then not too much harm is done, provided they don't wreck the experience for the more thoughtful students. Unfortunately there are some very shallow visitors of all sorts of ages who seem to go to Auschwitz primarily for the purpose of taking selfies eg against the wall where inmates were shot or beneath the gallows where those who tried to escape were hung, but for the most part I don't think a visit is regarded as a jolly, either by the students or by the staff who go with them and if you watch the students as they go around the camps you can see that many are absorbing the awfulness and engaging with the words on the displays.

[Yabbers]

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

I remember reading a piece about the nets too. These small net makers were supporting large extended families who, after the business went bust because of free nets from Comic Relief, ended up having to be supported more by other charities. They espouse the whole “teach a man to fish” thing the take steps which mean skilled workers have no work. Oh, and when there are no more free nets, the net maker is no longer there to make repairs so families again are at more risk from Malaria. I’ve refused to donate for nets ever since.

Unless you have certain disabilities, of course, and/or have to go to regular hospital appointments

I made it clear to our school that attendance records were not to be affected by DD’s appointments. The other problem with attendance awards is, it encourages children to be sent to school when poorly. I have one friend who’s son has had several blue light to hospital experiences from picking up quite serious stomach bugs at school because parents aren’t following the 48 hr rule.

[UsedtobeFeckless]

Fair comment goodbyestranger DS1 went and found it very moving but had stories of people doing the sort of things you were describing.

[2BoysandaCairn]

Usedtobefeckless
I think the government, through the Holocaust Educational Trust will pay for 2 sixth formers from schools to visit, they are then meant to present talks back in their schools.
Our school runs battlefield trips, WWI and WW2 (Normandy beaches), they are run every other year, so WW1 in year 9 and WW2 in year 10. WW1 is £420 for 4 days, WW2 is £395. The students come back completely changed characters. Find 15 year boys(soliders) graves from WW1 and how the German War graves at Langemark where no different to Allied war graves.
Also how the Canada forces at Normandy stood almost no chance to escape their landing beaches, because of their location.

Finally my both Dses, will tell the most moving visit they both had cost us and them nothing. Two Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, plus a Romany one too, came into the school, individually and on 5 occasions and gave assemblies to each year group, and class talks to year 10,11,12 and 13 history groups. Not one dry eye in the school and many difficult discussions followed.

Not one school trip is over £1000, skiing costs £900

[smallchanceofrain]

Our school does 1.5K skiing trips. This year they're also doing the build a school in Africa thing. It makes no sense to me that the privileged few who can afford nearly 3K are going to go build a school. These are 15 and 16 year olds. They have no building skills or qualifications. It's patronising shite. The community they're supposedly helping would be much better served if we just sent them the 45K it's going to cost. They could employ local skilled people who would do a much better job and no one would have to break sweat looking after a load of fish out of water teenagers. It's charity tourism for worthy middle class people and it gives me the rage!!!

[silvercuckoo]

Did not know that voluntourism for school children was a thing. I was working for a major multinational once in a big emerging market hub, and the senior management came once for a "charity" event involving physical labour for the local orphanage - I am ashamed to think about it until now, it was Dolores Umbridge level of hypocrisy.

If anyone wants to send their class to the third world for some life experience, I am pretty sure schools in my home country will fight to host and entertain native English speaking kids, for free. Skiing can be arranged too :)

[UsedtobeFeckless]

The Poland trip was a week long and cost around £700, DS1's Grandparents paid for most of it as they felt it was important that he go. That was a school trip in school time with teachers running it and a connection to the history and RE lessons they were having. I'd argue that it could probably have been done more cheaply and more inclusively given that it was part of what they were actually being taught.

The South American trip was a post-exam working holiday and nothing to do with their school work at all. They went during the holidays and the whole thing was organised via the company - the only involvement the school had was letting them do the presentation in the hall!

[Akanamali]

Part of going on these trips is that the kids have to fundraise to raise the money.

There's nothing virtuous about asking other people to fund a volunteering holiday designed purely to stroke your own ego and line the orgernisers' pockets.

[MandalaYogaTapestry]

I too wonder what is it with the whole "fundraising money for the trip". When people want to be able to afford something they earn the money, not ask other people to pay for them. That's just ridiculous and does not teach children anything. How about they get a Saturday job and how long will it take them to earn £5k? Not as easy as asking for free money, is it?

[SummerIsEasy]

When my Grandad was in his late teens he went on a Gap year organised by the UK government at the time. It turned out that he had signed up to fight at the famous Battle of the Somme, along with all his mates. He was injured by shrapnel and became caught in the wire. Luckily after dark his comrades came out to release him and he returned home after about four years with PTSD and nightmares which lasted a lifetime.

Am I the only old woman on this forum who thinks that pupils would be well served by learning about the history of their own nation?

[Bumper1969]

Usedtobefeckless. The Holocaust Education Trust pYs for two students to partake in their educational courses. They are not jollies. The trip to a death camp is one aspect, there are three other components, including meeting a survivor and reflecting on contemporary genocides and racism. The students are expected to educate their peers, hold assemblies and such line. I know this because as a teacher I gave my time to assist with this crucial work. Unpaid and no time given. To call this a jolly is incredibly insulting and ignorant. Many educationalists work on projects like this. Please do visit HET online to educate yourself. The 5grand trips are usually run by outside bodies lihecWorld Challenge.

[3ChangingForNow]

These trips are disgustingly patronizing and bordering on neo-colonial anyway. Why on EARTH do they think there are no skilled workers to build schools?!?! Hahahaha! I've heard the locals knock down the shit that these school kids build as soon as they've left and rebuild it properly.

[HelenaDove]

Meerkat i was 12/13 when i went on a school trip to Switzerland for a week It was £160 1986

[HelenaDove]

£160 in 1986

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

If parents want to pay that much for a school trip then I dont get why anyone cares. No one is forcing anyone to go on the trip. Its like some parents and their children are being discriminated against because they have money, its ridiculous.

No wonder they usually end using Independent schools.

[AjasLipstick]

I would be making an appointment with the HT and talking about exclusivity and how there's no place for that in a state school! Shocking.