...or should school find a different way to do this?

[caroloro]

So. Year 7. Large school.....270 in their year. School trips for the year have just been released.

There's three trips - one that everyone can go on, but the other two are restricted to 40 places! That doesn't seem enough for such a big year group, surely?!?

The places went online at 9am and the Europe trip sold out in fifteen minutes, and the UK trip was sold out by about lunchtime.

As parents, we had an e-mail on Tuesday telling us about the trips, how much they cost etc and that booking opened at 9am on Friday, first come, first served. Not everyone saw the e-mail, so not everyone was prepared.

The children were only told about it in assembly at half past eight on Friday morning, unless their teacher had mentioned it (which only seems to have happened if the child had the teacher involved in the trip in the days between the e-mail and the assembly).

First-come, first served meant that only those parents whose children stood a chance of a place were those that: a) had read the e-mail; b) could be online between 9am and 9.15am; c) had a spare couple of hundred pounds in the middle of the month; and d) had managed to communicate with their child about whether or not they wanted to go.

I think if they re expensive trips, which is indicated by £200 deposit, then they are only expecting around 40 families to be able to afford them.

Unless I am wrong and the £200 is full payment.

It is rubbish. I always tried to give lots of run up to the trip so the kids all knew and tags we send home the letters on payday.

Numbers have to be limited on trips abroad quite severely though as its expensive, time consuming and really difficult to staff. Especially if you don’t live close enough to Dover to get the trip down to two over nights.

Nothing wrong with limiting places to 40, but everything wrong with first come first served with very little notice. A lottery system much more sensible.

It's not uncommon to have a trip that only a small proportion will actually go on. But the lack of communication in advance and the online booking arrangements do sound rubbish. Lots of people would be unable to book online at 9am on a working day and it's surely a basic requirement that you get the chance to find out if your child actually wants to go!

I think Tues email gives plenty of time to chat to your child about whether they want to go.

Parents who didnt have the money handy can put it together in time for Y8/Y9/Y10 etc trips because this is just the start or talk to the school about payment terms.

Although yes, a lottery system would be fairer.

Read emails more than every 3 days, if you can't afford it that's fine don't go, and if you can't be online between 9 and 915am ask someone else to do it for you or it's unfortunate as it's first come first served not sure how else they would do it.

This kind of thing happens all the time, you had enough notice and frankly if you can't stump up the cash mid-month at short notice you probably couldn't afford them anyway

are you moaning because you afford the other two trips and missed out or just because you are miffed others have more disposable income than you?

Our school often offers trips which are specific to one subject, and most have limited places.

However it's not first come first served, it's "names in by the deadline and if oversubscribed, names out of a hat".

I think it's pretty common to have trips not everyone can go on, and as others have said if the trips are expensive the school may have been thinking that not many would be able to afford it anyway.

There's no perfect system for deciding who gets to go when places are numbered. I think a lottery system can be unfair too because it means places often go to kids who aren't actually that fussed. FCFS at least means kids who are really keen can demonstrate that by talking to parents and getting their act together.

The restrictions to 40 places - they can only take as many children as they have staff to supervise them - voluntarily give up their time to be on duty 24/7, receive no extra pay, miss out on time with their own families, etc etc.

It does sound like it would have been fairer if they'd given more notice and then picked names out of a hat.

Sorry - I missed the bit about the Tuesday email. Why didn't people see it? If email is how the school communicate important stuff, then emails need to be checked regularly. That would have sorted the communication issue. Booking while at work and the requirement to pay £200 at short notice are bigger issues.

At my son’s school space limited trips were balloted not FCFS. I remember at my school in late 1960s they were balloted. FCFS is unfair

with so much school communication online now I think most people check email at least every 2 days so plenty of notice I think.

3 days is plenty of time to see an email and ask your kids. Agree about not everyone being available at 9am to book.

As parents, we had an e-mail on Tuesday telling us about the trips, how much they cost etc and that booking opened at 9am on Friday, first come, first served. Not everyone saw the e-mail, so not everyone was prepared
You can't blame the school if people can't be arsed to check their email for three days

If this is a trip that runs every year, maybe they don't generally expect to get more than about 40 children?

DC's (larger than yours) school quite often struggles to fill the more expensive trips.

Agree FCFS at 9am Friday was stupid and unfair.

Rest is pretty standard.

Ironically in this situation my ds would have missed out because I was teaching someone else's kids!

Our school runs a ballot. We have a week to respond to say we're interested and then it's random selection. Works well.

Is there a public group you can complain on and get parents together? Sounds like only kids who have at least one parent at home in the day would get to go; that’s discriminating against those with two working parents. If enough of you complain the school might do something.

The problem I used to have with picking the names out of a hat was that if their friendship group wasn't chosen, children didn't want to go - it actually made it very difficult with kids dropping out once the names had been announced.

TBF this was in the days before email when the children had to turn up on a particular day with the signed form and deposit - so they usually turned up with their friends.

Agree with pp about not checking emails for several days though.

I think first come first served is very unfair. Many parents would not be able to get online at 9:00am. Or be able to rustle up the deposit in a short space of time.

I'm not convinced any way always works.

Lottery inevitably ends with accusations of teachers picking their favourites. And even if they don't my experience is the same children seem to be chosen-that's entirely the nature of randomness.

I can tell you straight off dd2 would be first or second out of the hat every time, dd1 would be picked sometimes but not always and ds would never be picked to a point he'd give up even trying.

A Tuesday contact with Friday applications is reasonable.
Many schools have gone to electronic coms system which sends out letters and information. Only checking every 3+ days seems asking to miss things to me.

The first come first served element is the bit i think is wrong. It should really be applications and deposit in by 9am on a set date. Anything handed in after then doesn't get accepted. Then names from a hat.