About this school trip

[user87382294757]

School have decided to try and save money on a trip and not hire a bus, asking the parents to drive their DC to the place and then pick them up at 2.30...seems a bit annoying as all the parents will have to drive or arrange lifts and not be easy with after school care

AIBU - it would not be an issue for costs of a bus compared to the extra costs and hassle for the parents. I don't have a car that day and it says it is not on a bus route and around 15-20 mins drive away

It would depend what the trip is as to whether it's reasonable, though for many things I wouldnt want to run a trip like that

Ideally it shouldn't happen, but the flip side is that trips don't run and/or trips run but something else is lost in the process.

I'm not sure what the insurance comments are about as the school have said parents need to transport children or arrange car shares. It's not the school insurance.

Would taxis take say 4 each without a parent I wonder? they are year 6 so 10 / 11 and it is not far about 15 mins

I think that is a lot to ask and will doubtless lead to some children being excluded from the trip! I'd be asking the school what they suggest as we both work.

It is quite a casual type trip think den building in a local woodland, not far from school

Yeah I think a lot of children would miss out if all schools did this

Parents who don’t drive, parents who can’t get the day off work, parents who can’t afford the extra fuel to go there and back.

Maybe I will email the other parents via out list and suggest the taxi idea. It does say parents can stay if they want for the day as well. Hmm not sure really.

Maybe I will email the other parents via out list and suggest the taxi idea

Or just ask if anyone has a space in their car?

Schools do know this is an imposition and an inconvenience for parents, but budgets are really tight. Many children will have a parent who works part-time, or a grandparent who can help. Others will arrange a lift with someone else going in return for a favour another day. Some children will need a lift with a teacher but if the vast majority can get a lift somewhere 15 minutes from school then for that distance a coach is really really expensive and not value for money.

It is a real pain and I hate it too but you just have to work together with other parents, I reckon.

Ugh I can see it from both sides. Total PITA for you, but buses are so so expensive.

YANBU that it has the potential to be very inconvenient. But I know if it was my daughter's class the parents would pull together and those that could drive that day would offer lifts to the others.

Ideally it shouldn't happen, but the flip side is that trips don't run and/or trips run but something else is lost in the process.

In this case they don't actually need a trip for den building. It could easily be done on the school premises with a little more imagination!

But I know if it was my daughter's class the parents would pull together and those that could drive that day would offer lifts to the other

They really shouldn't. Because if they do it sets a precedent. Added to this would you really feel comfortable letting your children being driven by a parent you do not know well and who hasn't had a record check?

@silverystream - I know all the parents in my daughter's class well as they've all been together since YR and now in Y3 and many have given her lifts before as I don't drive. Obviously appreciate this is not the same for everyone.

That's the thing. You initiating lefts between friends is entirely different to a school trying to organise parents into giving lifts. The latter crosses the line.

Schools I’ve worked in have done this for sporting events and similar, but never a whole class trip. The school will not get involved in arranging lift shares(as they then have some element of responsibility and would have to ensure DBS checks, correct insurance etc) but will probably encourage parents to approach each other to ask for lifts. For sporting events involving up to about 10 kids this worked well. Also though, this was generally after school when many parents collected anyway. For a whole class during the day this does sound like a pain.

Coaches are super expensive; I wonder how many parents would be happy to pay £15-25 per child to go den building in the woods?

It is a real pain and I hate it too but you just have to work together with other parents, I reckon

No, the school needs to organise activities on school premises or trips they can walk to.

wonder how many parents would be happy to pay £15-25 per child to go den building in the woods?

They could do den building on the school premises.

It does say parents can stay if they want for the day as well. Hmm not sure really.

I wonder if they don't actually have enough staff to run the trip as well as cash

I wonder if they don't actually have enough staff to run the trip as well as cash
Nonsense.
The trip won't run without appropriate staffing levels.

They're offering parents a chance to stay, just like some trips have parent helpers who are in addition to the required staffing ratios.

Much as the own transport may be a PITA for some, let's not start with odd speculation about the staffing etc which makes little sense.

No, the school needs to organise activities on school premises or trips they can walk to.

Well, at my DC’s school they could certainly walk to den-building in the woods but that would be it. There’s nothing else to walk to. They could have “activities on school premises”, and they do, but the school hall is too small for most purposes e.g. visiting theatre is a problem and there are things you can’t replicate on the premises. There’s no public transport they could use.

School cannot afford a coach for every opportunity the children could have. They cannot charge the parents £15-20 transport for every local trip to a nearby school who is hosting an activity on their premises (to save money by banding together with other schools) or to sporting tournaments or musical workshops or charitable or other educational opportunities.

The alternative is the children don’t go anywhere off the premises. That’s fine but I’d rather put up with a bit of inconvenience and shuffling favours for transport so that my DC can have a really interesting and rewarding primary school education.

I work, my DH works, the majority of parents at my DC’s school work, I would say. It is a big pain. But when parents are canvassed for opinions the majority say they’re happier to sort transport than not run trips.

If the school was in a city with transport and opportunities close by then I’d feel different. But then perhaps I’d also feel fine about den-building in that scenario as it’s something a lot of inner city school children might not get to do otherwise.

Generally I think parents need to realise schools are in a pretty difficult situation and it’s not a case of forcing them to provide transport - they might just decide not to bother with any trips at all.

Surely it is better for the environment to use a bus/buses rather than up to 60 individual cars.

I don’t suppose that schools could put children into a taxi alone with a driver unless the driver were dbs checked. Some drivers might be if they do school transport in the morning and evening.

My child's primary used to do this. I wondered at the time about the insurance / safety issue of putting your kid in another parent's car. I know as a teacher I was quite rightly not allowed to transport pupils in my own car. There's a difference between lift sharing with a friend and what they are suggesting here I think.

I used to get asked to drive for numerous school trips- every time the answer was no and I would I get ‘sighed’ at. Problem was my diary which was set 8–14 months in advance and anywhere in the UK, could not be changed simply because I was asked on Friday could I drive the following Friday, as they are giving a weeks notice! Ummmm I’d love to see those same teachers give up their teaching day to drive their dc on a school trip. But apparently for the rest of us, our meetings set 9 months ago can be switched at the drop of a hat. Can you see how much this annoyed me? Lol

I’m so glad I only have one left in High School now, although I was praying they’d ask me to go on his school trip, to Canada, but they didn’t! 😂

@silverystream My school couldn’t do den building on the school premises. We are a town centre school with no green space whatsoever (all sports lessons are taken off site, either walking to the local park or on a coach - private school though so cost not such an issue).

@endoplasmicretixulum - I bet the school are not getting involved in lift shares here, they are simply telling parents to approach each other and sort it . It’s a private arrangement and essentially is a friends parent giving the lift. It’s a nice little loophole that means the school takes no responsibility!

My school couldn’t do den building on the school premises. We are a town centre school with no green space whatsoever (all sports lessons are taken off site, either walking to the local park or on a coach - private school though so cost not such an issue).

You don't need a green space to make dens! Did you never make dens as a child? You could make a den literally out of rolled up newspapers in a corridor if that's what was available!!!!