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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder who funds a teacher's school trip

482 replies

iwasjustwonderingreally · 06/04/2022 10:41

My daughter went skiing with her school in February half term.

Four teachers accompanied them.

Do teachers pay for themselves, or a contribution, (I appreciate they are working though), or is the cost to the pupil inflated to cover the cost of the teachers?

OP posts:
IceVolcanoes · 06/04/2022 11:15

@Lovebroccoli

I was a teacher on a junior school trip - not skiing. I don't know why we bothered. Many years later, one of my former pupils put a Facebook message to her friend, saying, "Do you remember those God awful trips we had to go on?"
That’s terrible.

My DS has really enjoyed his school residential trips. He’s lucky enough that he’s going on two next term and had one in the autumn term too (they’re catching up all the trips they’d have gone on if they hadn’t been restricted by covid the last two years, plus the Y8 trip). He’s extremely excited about it all.

I think most of the kids, and their parents, are genuinely grateful the teachers do this stuff. I certainly am. Just as I’m grateful to the people who volunteer to ensure sporting activities happen and such like.

Sadly, the vocal minority do tend to ruin it for everyone.

PAFMO · 06/04/2022 11:16

@iwasjustwonderingreally

The complaint is that their child was ill and they'd have expected there to be at least one teacher who wasn't drunk and who could take responsibility.

I would imagine we'd all hope that when sending our kids away with the school.

There is video/photographic evidence of drunken teachers. The Head Mistress has actually contacted some pupils asking them to delete the photos.

The students were videoing their teachers? Right.
StaplesCorner · 06/04/2022 11:17

I dont see how the payment issue is relevant. If the teacher was meant to be supervising kids and was too pissed to do so then of course that's a massive issue to complain about. Would it be ok if the drunk teacher had paid their own way FFS?!

This does remind me of the Greg Davies' tale on Graham Norton though ...

cruzrack · 06/04/2022 11:17

So how do you know the teacher was "particularly drunk"? Is this what the students have said? So it's their word against the teacher?

AnxiousHeffalump · 06/04/2022 11:17

Those poor teachers. The kids sound entitled.

PAFMO · 06/04/2022 11:17

But now we've established it's a teacher being pissed on school trip issue, I'm not sure why the thread title and OP is about who pays for said trip?
Would the parent not have been bothered about the pissedness if the teachers had paid for themselves then?

Lunar27 · 06/04/2022 11:19

@iwasjustwonderingreally

My daughter went skiing with her school in February half term.

Four teachers accompanied them.

Do teachers pay for themselves, or a contribution, (I appreciate they are working though), or is the cost to the pupil inflated to cover the cost of the teachers?

Not in my wife's school. It's paid for by the school so they max it out as it's a freebie/jolly.
IceVolcanoes · 06/04/2022 11:19

Some kid took a photo of the teacher holding a beer presumably. Then spread it around on social media claiming the teachers were all wasted. That’s my guess at what’s really happened.

Meanwhile, little Johnny didn’t get personalised nursing care like he would from mummy, when he had a bit of a headache.

So the teachers should all be hung. Clearly.

And the HT is trying to cover it up too. 🙄

123rd · 06/04/2022 11:19

I've also been 'staff' on those type of trips. In the evenings we would have a drink BUT there was always at least one member of staff who never had a drink and of those who were drinking , it was a couple of half pints at the most.

tinytemper66 · 06/04/2022 11:19

When I have organised a school ski trip staff have made a sizeable contribution. No one went free.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 06/04/2022 11:21

The trip companies price it with x free staff places. If they need a 121 for a child on an ehcp, that often comes out of the extra funding attached to that child. Which means they get to access the same opportunities as other children.

PARENTS DO NOT PAY FOR THE TEACHERS

twentythreehundred · 06/04/2022 11:23

@tinytemper66

When I have organised a school ski trip staff have made a sizeable contribution. No one went free.
What? That is really unfair - it isn't free, it should be funded as explained above - by the school or not charged by the venue for x number of adults per child.
MrsTimRiggins · 06/04/2022 11:24

Tbh unless this child was your child, I’d not bother myself with getting involved with raising a complaint. It doesn’t sound like any real evidence has been seen, even photos and videos can be misconstrued or misrepresented, and if you weren’t there, it’s quite an accusation to make with a lack of aforementioned evidence.

SockFluffInTheBath · 06/04/2022 11:24

There is video/photographic evidence of drunken teachers. The Head Mistress has actually contacted some pupils asking them to delete the photos.

I should bloody well think so too. Can you imagine the uproar if it was teachers filming students?

tinytemper66 · 06/04/2022 11:27

Posted too soon. We pay for extra staff to accompany us. We never get drunk and always ski with the pupils. I am always in the bottom class as I cannot ski very well even though I love it.

Clymene · 06/04/2022 11:27

So a group of parents are going to write to the school to complain because your children filmed teachers drinking?

I hope you don't have any younger children because you can say goodbye to any more fun trips.

LindaEllen · 06/04/2022 11:27

In all school trips I've been involved with planning, there have been enough free teacher places to make it a reasonable ratio between students and teachers.

Even if there weren't, the students' fees would pay for the teachers.

As they should.

MySecretHistory · 06/04/2022 11:27

@erinaceus

If the teacher is drunk when in loco parentis, does it matter who paid for their trip?
The teachers have rota as to who is on duty each evening. They do not drink when it is their duty.
PierresPotato · 06/04/2022 11:28

Having looked after teens in trips there's no way I'd pay for the privilege.

ThinkForAMinute · 06/04/2022 11:28

@iwasjustwonderingreally

For those surprised that I ask ...

The teachers aren't with the children during the day as they are off skiing on their own (as the children are in ski school).

They are all also drinking at night and one got particularly drunk.

It has been raised as a complaint and, before I decide whether or not I want to put my name to any complaint, I want to find out if it's been paid for by parents or not!

Ski School lasts for no more than 5 hours a day. Teachers need to be available in the event of an accident - trips my children have been on have had at least one teacher per day who doesn't ski to cover this or there is a teacher assigned to each ski school group.

So one got drunk - I couldn't really get worked up about that - assuming the rest were capable to look after the childen.

PierresPotato · 06/04/2022 11:29

One of the most stressful things for me ever as I'm a worrier and they were carefree and clueless.

MySecretHistory · 06/04/2022 11:29

They are allowed to drink when not supervising children.
They don't all get to ski all day when ski school is on. Again there is a rota with at least 1 person at a name point in case of accident or emergency.

MrsTimRiggins · 06/04/2022 11:29

@Clymene

So a group of parents are going to write to the school to complain because your children filmed teachers drinking?

I hope you don't have any younger children because you can say goodbye to any more fun trips.

I’d be fuming if I was a younger sibling and my dopey older brother or sister was part of this…
Sarahcoggles · 06/04/2022 11:29

If the teachers were drunk then that's wrong and a complaint should be made.
I got very ill as a teen on a school trip - had my first ever seizure and spent 2 days in hospital - if the teachers hadn't been fully coherent and sober it would have been very scary.

LiesDoNotBecomeUs · 06/04/2022 11:30

Most school trips are hard work - lots of supervision 24/7.

They are rewarding but exhausting. They seem to do much good for those pupils who go on them - educationally and socially. The trips are worth the effort. (It is annoying that people see them as a holiday/outing for the teachers though.)

Ski trips are more a 'jolly'.
They are usually run by companies who do the supervision once you get to the resort. The teacher places are 'free' - so the children don't pay for them directly (but presumably the company charges them more to cover the free places).

At our place, the same few (important) teachers get to go on these each year. Others are not invited.