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

Last time I checked it was PARENTS who decided whether to sign their child up to optional enrichment trips and things like Duke of Edinburgh

And children who are put under pressure to do these things by teachers. The pressure is then passed on to the parents. They are all being sold a lie, 'Enrichment' becomes a 'keeping up with the Jones' activity which stamps on any actual real individual interest or talent.

Decline to take part as the school is not acting in an environmentally friendly way. If they have a Twitter account, a suitable tweet to them pointing out that Greta Thunberg would not approve. Or asking Greta for her views?

And children who are put under pressure to do these things by teachers
Haha Sure thing.
If we really had the authority to compel people to attend things on a weekend and evenings then we have an amazing ability to control people that we could bottle and sell.

We are not responsible for what enrichment children choose.
We are certainly not responsible for forcing the parents to sign the forms allowing their child to participate.

They are all being sold a lie, 'Enrichment' becomes a 'keeping up with the Jones' activity which stamps on any actual real individual interest or talent.
Ah right. So a child VOLUNTARILY (and with parental backing) does something out of school that they are interested and/or good at and that's fine (I'm assuming when you've said you don't rely on school for it your kids do other things). That is about talent and individual interest.
But a child VOLUNTARILY (and with parental backing) signs up to do the same sort of thing in school that's a lie, it's keeping up with the Jones' and stamps on talent.
Ok. Nice to know to know that school shouldn't bother offering anything beyond lessons then. Best keep broad opportunities beyond the reach of some children incase the professionally inconvenienced have to drop their child off for a club trip.

Out of interest, do you ensure every enrichment activities your children do is environmentally friendly? Given you argument that schools are bad for the environment for not providing transportation that's convenient for parents, I'm assuming that you also think any travel to local events for non-school clubs should be provided (even if 20 mins away), that parents should be paying more money towards busses than it would cost them in fuel to go to a swimming competition because it's so bad for the environment for all those people to drive to the swimming baths, I'm guessing you always car share because it's terribly bad for the environment if people don't all manage a full car for a school DofE weekend?

Out of interest, do you ensure every enrichment activities your children do is environmentally friendly?

Yes, my DC's interests are very tied up with the environment. And when we travel to relevant places of interest it is by electric car.

But a child VOLUNTARILY (and with parental backing) signs up to do the same sort of thing in school that's a lie, it's keeping up with the Jones' and stamps on talent.
Ok. Nice to know to know that school shouldn't bother offering anything beyond lessons then. Best keep broad opportunities beyond the reach of some children incase the professionally inconvenienced have to drop their child off for a club trip.

I say this because a lot of the same cliched activities are offered year after year. And there is certain amount of pressure to do them. Not from me, so the only other place must be school. I always take care to ask my child what they really want to do and why especially as a lot of the trips aren't cheap. I cannot afford for them to do everything on offer but if there is one thing they absolutely particularly want to participate in I would do all I could to ensure they can.

I say this because a lot of the same cliched activities are offered year after year. And there is certain amount of pressure to do them. Not from me, so the only other place must be school. I always take care to ask my child what they really want to do and why especially as a lot of the trips aren't cheap. I cannot afford for them to do everything on offer but if there is one thing they absolutely particularly want to participate in I would do all I could to ensure they can
Teens and children hearing about something that sounds good and wanting to do it doesn't mean that staff are pressing them to do anything. Many opportunities are oversubscribed and get drawn from hats. The thing is that something sounds good as kids talk to each other.

Your approach to picking what they really want sounds great. That's what many parents do.

In the last year we've had all sorts of opportunities: DofE, theatre trips, sports trips and tournaments, Music for Youth, Youth Theatre, sports teams, local fixtures, poetry trips, geography field trips, optional revision conference days, outward bounds residential, visiting speakers, careers activity days, university link visits and so much more. That's on top of all the clubs in school, pupil leadership teams, mentoring and so on.
Nobody forces them to sign up. The staff passionate about the thing they're doing (usually extra with the hours out of the day and all the planning unpaid) will do an assembly announcement and then letters go out to those who want them.

You say it's clichéd. I'd say it's staff with a lot of experience choosing to offer opportunities that year on year pupils want to be involved in.