to object to £50 school trip

[puffyisgood]

Outer London state primary [lots of affluent parents but also plenty who aren't], yr 3 kids. Matinee of a [fairly popular, fairly new, child friendly] West End muscal. The trip costs parents £50 per child. The school coffers may even be topping up these contributions a little bit [e.g. to pay for transport & for helpers]. As I understand it the tickets were block booked in advance [of the trip being announced] for the entire class. As with all these things parents can announce that they're not paying, but with prebought tickets the money will have to come from somewhere. All the kids want to go of course. As it happens we can afford it easily enough but I know that plenty of other families can't.

I'm mulling over a stern letter to the head. Reasonable or not?

Yanbu, I would write a letter or call.

@RINGDONNA I am aghast. I can easily afford this But would be shocked at my primary school charging this as it's clearly not inclusive for all. I live Iondon and can't quite fathom how you can type that.

I do know when I have paid for trips there is a bit factored in to cover those that don't pay. I can only hope that those that don't can't and I am happy to subsidise the children.

*someone

Ringdonna in our real world no most people cannot afford £50. £50 for an awful lot of people is food, gas and electricity, etc etc.

Surely most people can afford £50?

Oh look IDS is on MN.

I'm sure if you asked all parents, 51% or more (therefore most) could afford £50

And Esther too!

Also, where do you draw a line? Will we end up with no trips at all?
Don't be ridiculous. Plenty of schools here running theatre trips for far less. The full price tickets for our local panto were £8. The small Uni theatre does shows from £5. Museums and art galleries are free. So just travel and insurance to pay for

I don’t want someone having a row with the school on my behalf without good reason if she'd stood on the s ho gate yelling how unfair it is that little "Jessica" can't go because she's poor fair enough but she's talking about a letter stating its unfair to a large volume of parents. So unless she goes along to "Jessica's" Mom and says "don't worry love, I've td the s hook you're poor and it's unfair on you because you aren't rich like us" then no one at school will know. And there's plenty of parents too proud to tell the school they can't afford it. Let alone advocate that actually the trips should be cheaper for everyone. It's great that you'd feel comfortable having that conversation but plenty wouldn't.

I would be pissed off at it being decided that that is what I should spend £50 on.

I guess the school will allow parents to pay it off over a long time, our school does for the kids trips, and £50 isn’t as much as some trips schools do, however I would be inclined to ask why they are charging quite so much when that is steep.

My daughters school in Bedfordshire charged £27 for a matinee in Covent Garden, ticket plus coach travel, by the sounds of it you are closer and your trip is almost twice as much.

School are going to HP in Watford, similar price.

@sleepingstandingup I agree. It's putting yourself in others shoes. Fortunes can change in an

MARTIN NIEMÖLLER: "FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE xxxx... and I did not speak out because I was not a xxxx"

Xxx insert whatever you wish here.... so how parent, low earner, illness, etc etc

*single parent not so how

Fgs it’s the school trying to do a nice thing not the arrival of the third reich . Get the placards out! School arranges theatre trip! Bastards!

I didn't say it was. I would be checking that my contribution would cover those that couldn't pay and stating it wasn't an inclusive amount. As mentioned in prior post.

No placards needed just remind g people to stop being so insular "I can afford it so stuff everyone else"

We're looking at this the wrong way. The trip isn't the problem, it's the affordability for some that is so why not focus on overcoming that? My school raises funds year round and those who can't afford trips get it paid or at least a heavy discount which of course some people complain about "why should I pay if they don't etc"
most agree its a good idea though.

There are definitely cheaper ways of them doing that same "nice thing" though - my DC's school took one DC's class to the "proper" local panto (total price £15 including coach) and the other's class to a decent amateur one in town for £6 each. A nice day out, a chance to experience the whole theatre thing, but without making me want to cry at the prices. I work full time but I'm a single parent and for £50 I'd really want to be taking all of us to something for the whole day.

Hmm, it's a lot of money to pay out on what is essentially a non educational, passive sort of experience. I agree with the poster upthread that bringing in a theatre company to do a workshop would provide much better value for money.

I think you should write the letter OP. My kids primary had form for this sort of thing. One year they were trying to get everyone to buy a logo-ed school coat at £30 a go. Very nice practical coat, allows kids to keep their best coat for best. One of the mums, three kids, disabled husband, asked me quietly in the playground if I'd be getting DS one. I said loudly: bloody hell no: if I'm spending £30 on a coat, I want him to be able to wear it everywhere and I don't want it getting mixed up with someone else's. She was visibly relieved and lots of other people chimed in that actually, they would give it a miss too.

But it was easy for me to say that because everyone knows we are comfortable; we have a big house, nice cars etc. Much more difficult for someone who feels embarrassed about being skint to take that kind of stand.

Wish our primary school ran trips that cost 50 quid. They only seem to run pgl type trips that cost 180 in year 4 and then 320 in year 6. I would much prefer a 50 quid trip to the theatre.

Surely most people can afford £50?

That £50 is a lot of people's food budget for the week, for some, the month, maybe even a couple of months. We could probably stretch to it. But I wouldn't be happy about it when I know what that amount of money could buy in terms of groceries or even a day out for the whole family together. For some families £50 for a school trip just isn't doable.

As much as disagree with the op, I'm shocked at the posters claiming £50 is affordable to most people. I can only guess they're being deliberately obtuse.

That £50 is a lot of people's food budget for the week, for some, the month, maybe even a couple of months. We could probably stretch to it. But I wouldn't be happy about it when I know what that amount of money could buy in terms of groceries or even a day out for the whole family together. For some families £50 for a school trip just isn't doable.

That may well be true. But ringdonna said "surely most people can afford £50" and she's getting flamed for it. But she is right. Most people can afford £50. They might think it's a lot of money, and they might have to cut back on something else. They might not want to pay £50, and choose not to. But most people (most being more that 50%) can come up with £50.

For a west end show! Wtf!

Unless the school could show real educational value (eg the play was part of a gcse syllabus) my child wouldn’t be going.

Thanks again, I genuinely appreciate the diversity of response.

Wow Craft1905 you are just not getting it. How do you know most people can afford £50, do you have the figures to show this! If people have to cut back something to afford the trip, they cannot afford it! This is a lot of money for one trip for one child, and for those who £50 is fine, will pay. But there are those who cannot afford it, or quite rightly, think it is too expensive. This is not a school in a leafy London suburb, but somewhere where there are plenty of families who cannot afford this.

£50 is a lot of money. But a hard up family may be able to find £50 for their child to go with school, when they couldn’t afford double that plus more to take the child themselves.

@Ringdonna
Surely most people can afford £50?
Don't know what world you live in, but a hell of a lot of the population most certainly couldn't.

I could manage 50 at a stretch but I have twins - couldn't manage 100! Seems a lot for a theatre trip.

DC’s year 6 residential (not compulsory but about 90% go) is £350. DC gcse trip to France is £360.

DC1 brought home a letter about a trip to India-£2500! They aren’t going!

All state schools. Some trips cost crazy money especially when there are coaches and overnight stays.