AIBU for £900!

[NCsally]

AIBU to think £900 for a 4 day school trip for 13/14 year olds is a tad excessive?? I would understand if it's a private school or even a school in an affluent area but it isn't! It's a poor area with very low wage jobs! Parents can barely afford school lunches let alone £900 for a trip which doesn't even include spending money etc

DD went to Morocco for 4 days that was about £700....cheap compared to her trip to South Africa in July with her college (2.5k for 11 days)

I agree, OP.
My DC's school want £360 for a 4 night, 5 day PGL trip at a place 45 minutes away from where we live.
I could take us on an off-peak trip to Spain for seven days for £500.

Yes it's a lot of money. If it's value for money depends entirely on where it is.

For example this a 3 day trip to London £390 and they have to pay separate for their own lunch as not included. is a lot of money and terrible value compared to my kids school. Ours did 3 days in London, including all meals and tickets to a show, for less than £250 and we are in the North, so it's a long coach ride to get there.

Based upon your refusal to clarify, I must assume it is indeed a trip to the Moon and you are therefore a terrible parent for not making every effort to find what is, compared to the magnitude of the experience, an insignificant amount of money.

Being serious for a second, isn't refusing to specify a tacit admission that you're more interested in blind, uninformed agreement than a reasoned response from anyone?

local community funding could take the form of seeking support from local businesses, fundraising activities by the school. I dont know all the ideas as I'm not a professional fundraiser.

If it isnt possible to raise funds then the trip shouldnt take place. Schools should not be proposing trips where students are excluded because of price.

But if you're fundraising...it's not a charitable cause .. It's to give your child a holiday!

For building works, equipment, improving outdoor areas, minibuses that can help schools plan cheaper trips or attend more events, biut fund raise for non essential tips? No thanks

Based upon your refusal to clarify, I must assume it is indeed a trip to the Moon and you are therefore a terrible parent for not making every effort to find what is, compared to the magnitude of the experience, an insignificant amount of money. smile

Being serious for a second, isn't refusing to specify a tacit admission that you're more interested in blind, uninformed agreement than a reasoned response from anyone?

I think you've completely missed the point of the OP's AIBU. As has been made abundantly clear, it wasn't anything to do with whether the cost represented good value or not - it was the amount of money that parents were being asked to pay.

Perception of value is important for people who have the money to pay but are not convinced that what they're being invited to do is worth the money; however, for the vast amount of parents who simply don't have the money available, any question of value is totally irrelevant.

God I hate it when people post an OP and then disappear

@JoyceDivision I was answering a question about subsidising a trip to visit Auschwitz or another site of huge historical and social importance. Not funding a holiday.

If I was asked to support a carefully arranged trip designed to provoke thought and consideration in the participants then I would probably be happy to donate.

As has been made abundantly clear, it wasn't anything to do with whether the cost represented good value or not - it was the amount of money that parents were being asked to pay.

I'm afraid I must disagree. Exaggerations of Lunar excursions aside, it could well be that this trip presents a unique opportunity for far less than a parent might otherwise have to pay for their DC. It's unfortunate if the price proves exclusionary for some parents but it doesn't sit well with me for this to be used as justification to deny all children the opportunity, if it is indeed entirely unique or puts something special within the financial reach of more children than leaving it up to individual parents.

I cannot remember the precise figure but, a few years before I attended, my secondary school ran a trip to watch the launch of Skylab as well as a guided tour of the NASA facilities at the Kennedy Space Centre. The costs were absurd but the school had managed to secure a healthy discount on transatlantic flights and, in those days, a private behind the scenes tour would have been out of the reach of all but relatives of senior US government officials, those working for NASA and possibly millionaires. Naturally, I'm still somewhat jealous that I was unable to go but I am much more disturbed by the thought of those lucky enough to attend missing out on the historic last flight of a Saturn V in the name of sparing the feelings of some parents who lacked the financial means. Although I didn't go into a directly related field, an enormous print of that rocket taking off and the way my physics teacher's eyes lit up when he described the launch is one of the earliest motivators which drove me to study science.

Gronky, sorry but going to London for 3 days cannot be classed as a "unique experience" in my Ds's experience

going to London for 3 days

Where did NCsally mention going to London?

I agree with you, OP. It doesn't matter where they are going. The school has no business organising a trip that most people cannot afford. £900 is ridiculous money. I would only expect that at a private school.

If you had asked whether £900 is good value for wherever they are going then we would need to know where they are going. That wasn't my understanding of your question.

It is vanishingly rare that a school trip is a 'unique opportunity'. Most of the holiday type trips could wait until the student is adult, working and able to pay their own way.

It does matter where the location of the trip is.

Part of the reaction to a price is what is being obtained in return.

I don’t have £900 to spare but I could save for it.

Whether I want to depends on what it’s for.....

So yes it’s a lot of money for most but it might be worth it.

Therefore OP YABU.

As pp have said, it does depend on where it is.
My mum had very little money but when a school trip to Russia came up as a kid, she was determined to let me go and paid for it bit by bit over several months. It was an apportunity of a lifetime which I'll never forget.

Gnome true, although the whole experience might be hard to reproduce, going with a group can be hard to get together for an expensive trip, even if you can find several people who will want to go.

I've never spent that much on a holiday, and never stayed abroad - we just don't have it, and have no way of getting it.

I also remember everyone going off on trips at school and never getting to join in.

I think I live in a different world from most people on MN.

It is vanishingly rare that a school trip is a 'unique opportunity'.

And this could well be one of those rare trips. Since NCsally declined to specify, it's not out of the question.

“It is vanishingly rare that a school trip is a 'unique opportunity'”

They often are for kids at our school. We don’t have a demographic that goes in much for historic or cultural trips. Or for skiing. As I said, parents can start paying for the skiing trip in year 8 and many do.

To answer the question the (MIA) OP actually asked, it’s irrelevant where the trip is to. The question was ‘Should a school, in a very deprived area, be offering any trip that costs £900’.

I’ve read all of the posts and I’ve thought about it a lot and decided that I think it’s, on balance, good to offer them.

These trips almost always have limited spaces available anyway, they’re not designed to take an entire year group, so no one will be ‘left behind’.

Obviously it’s disappointing for kids who would like to go but their family can’t afford it.

However, it’s a great opportunity for those who can go. They might be from families that are only slightly better off and only just manage to get the money together. That opportunity might be the thing that really motivates them to work hard, study and do their very best. Whether that’s because they were motivated by something specific about that trip or simply just because they got to see the opportunities that being more financially comfortable offers you. (Sorry if that sounds ‘off’ but I can’t think of a better way to describe it.).

I do also think there’s potential ‘rub off’ for the children who didn’t go. Hearing the others talk about it, they might be more motivated to do well, if they’re excited to go and see more of the world.

I think people saying trips that are ‘just holidays’ shouldn’t be facilitated by the school are incredibly short sighted. One of my god daughters went on an optional school trip, purely holiday, she saved all her Birthday/Christmas money & chose to ‘go without’ other things to enable her parents to pay for it (it was much more expensive than £900). It has shaped her life enormously. She’s a marine biologist now which isn’t something that would have been on her radar if she hadn’t gone on that ‘holiday’ and she has a very good set of friends that are from that class (she lives overseas where you don’t stay with the same kids every year). They were 13 when they went and I think it really helped them to cement friendships for life.

Value for money is an entirely different matter. DC13 went on a ski trip in Dec. It was more expensive than that, but it was reasonable value for money all considered. If I had taken her it would have more than her place on the trip, but less than 2 places on the trip. We’d have skied more (quite a lot more!) but she wouldn’t have had the experience she had of going with 45 girls, making new friends (mixed year groups) and all the fun that comes with going with a group of mates. It’s a totally different thing.

We often go on train with DC. If we take one of their friends on train, the friend usually says they have never been on train before and it's very exciting to have a train ride.

Someone I slightly know is a primary sch teacher in Gorleston.
If she takes the kids on a trip to Norwich, it's not unusual for several to insist they have never been to Norwich before, and for several to say they can't remember visiting Norwich previously.

Can be surprising what amounts to a unique opportunity for many youngsters.

Where is it to ???
Our last trip was £1,200 for 5 nights in the Dolomites. We thought it was too steep for what they got (basically easyJet equivalent and very basic accommodation) so he didn’t go, no big deal. About half of the year did.
Sixth form college coming up and a big trip to the US as part of one course. No idea yet how much it will be but it’s pretty crucial for the course so he’ll go whatever. If needs be, it will take the place of a holiday that year. I understand financial assistance will be available for qualifying students.
I often see kids packing in supermarkets to raise money for school trips, often school tours.

Can’t believe I’ve read 8 pages of this and still don’t know where the trip is to...

Often school sports tours