To think a state school shouldn’t be doing this (trip related)

[BotanistBay]

Name changed as potentially identifying.

My DD (15) has brought home a letter from school about an upcoming school trip to Florida. The whole thing costs just over 2k… I don’t have an issue with the trip in general as I think most kids know they can’t do everything and places are very limited so the vast, vast majority won’t be going.
What I do have an issue with is doing the trip “first come, first served”. It was literally a case of the letter being issued on the Tuesday, slip and £300 deposit due the next morning (deposit to be paid online and refunded if you didn’t get a place). It was a case of getting into school and dashing to the right department to get the slip in and then crossing fingers.
AIBU to think that this is totally rubbish for a state school to run things in this way? It excludes anyone who needs to access savings for trips, who needs to consult with another parent who doesn’t live with them about the trip, well just anyone who doesn’t have immediate access to £300 or a credit card really.
I know it’s hard when places are limited but the ski trip last term was done by a ballot a week after children had expressed an interest which seems much fairer.

YANBU- it’s totally fair that the school need to know how many people are interested and take deposits reasonably quickly so that they can confirm numbers and book things (or change plans if not enough students are interested). But the idea of having a ballot a week or two later so parents have time to discuss it and decide if they can afford it seems the fairest and most sensible way to do it.

YNBU. It’s bonkers for a school to encourage people to impulse spend £2,000 - especially in the current climate.

YANBU. DS is at private school and they advertise the trips for a couple of weeks and then do a ballot for spaces if it's oversubscribed. They cut down the sign up period for 2023 ski trip early as it was already fully subscribed but gave people a couple of days notice.

No deposits were taken until places were confirmed.

I guess they want to ensure people are serious about their DCs going, but many folk would struggle to come up with a £300 deposit with no advance warning.

This whole thing sounds mad to me. What is the value of a trip to Florida that couldn't be got with a cheaper trip closer to home?

Why are schools organising trips to Florida? I just don't get it.

Some years back I was on a flight to LA and there was a school trip going to LA & Las Vegas.

Surely they should be doing trips that are a less expensive.

@longestlurkerever

This whole thing sounds mad to me. What is the value of a trip to Florida that couldn't be got with a cheaper trip closer to home?

I suppose because many families can't afford 4x tickets to Florida, but they can afford 1 ticket to Florida for each child, several years apart?

Florida? Jesus. My school trip was Norfolk Broads. I’m old

I still don't get it. I don't need school to provide cut priced family holidays that still cost more than a week away for us all. I need them to educate my kids and offer them appropriate enrichment opportunities that are accessible to your average family and subsidised for those who can't afford it. I've never been to Florida. I don't consider myself educationally impoverished as a result. Greece or something would be my idea of a lavish but justifiable trip.

Yanbu. It discriminates for all sorts of reasons.
Ballots are fairer.

@longestlurkerever

I still don't get it. I don't need school to provide cut priced family holidays that still cost more than a week away for us all. I need them to educate my kids and offer them appropriate enrichment opportunities that are accessible to your average family and subsidised for those who can't afford it. I've never been to Florida. I don't consider myself educationally impoverished as a result. Greece or something would be my idea of a lavish but justifiable trip.

But these school trips aren't really supposed to be educational, I don't think - they're just a chance for kids to go abroad when normally they wouldn't have had a chance.

I also suspect that Florida isn't actually all that much more expensive than Europe when it's via specific "school trip" company.

Frankly, it is a disgrace that ANY school in this mental health 'aware' age organises a trip that every single child can not be included in. There's no need to go abroad, plenty of amazing resorts in UK. Kids don't need expensive excursions they just want to be included with friends. I honestly just despair in the lack of awareness around wellbeing that is displayed, especially when we're still in a pandemic affected time. Bonkers, hope you raise it with the HT.

@VioletLemon

Frankly, it is a disgrace that ANY school in this mental health 'aware' age organises a trip that every single child can not be included in. There's no need to go abroad, plenty of amazing resorts in UK. Kids don't need expensive excursions they just want to be included with friends. I honestly just despair in the lack of awareness around wellbeing that is displayed, especially when we're still in a pandemic affected time. Bonkers, hope you raise it with the HT.

I totally agree with this. All school trips should be inclusive and cheap enough for most to take part in. I also think there should be a sports or educational element to it. I may be considered a killjoy but I didn't want my DC going on non educational school day trips to amusement parks etc as I didn't think it appropriate but they did both go on school holidays that had a purpose and were relatively cheap (like French exchange or sports trip).

@VioletLemon

Frankly, it is a disgrace that ANY school in this mental health 'aware' age organises a trip that every single child can not be included in. There's no need to go abroad, plenty of amazing resorts in UK. Kids don't need expensive excursions they just want to be included with friends. I honestly just despair in the lack of awareness around wellbeing that is displayed, especially when we're still in a pandemic affected time. Bonkers, hope you raise it with the HT.

Stupid comment.

YANBU, my child's school did a ski trip in a similiar manner, he missed out because I was working, didn't read the email properly till that evening by which time the places were all gone

People complained and the next trio was done with a 'reply by this date... and if over subscribed a ballot will be held' much fairer.

Some children would never get the chance to go to a theme park without a school trip, it’s a great opportunity for them to have fun & see something different. Trips to the seaside are also important.

If you don't have access to £300 overnight, you're not going to be spending £2k on a trip, are you? Practically everyone has access to a credit card and a phone. Yes, a little longer might have been nice, but I don't think it's unreasonable of the school. Presumably you knew that a trip of this nature was coming up, even if you didn't know the exact details of when or where.

As for trips that every child can be included in, they could offer a £10 trip to the local museum and there'd be some families that still couldn't afford it.

When I was a school governor I called this out every single time.
ie that the benefits of a school trip are largely to do with learning independence, getting along with peers, problem solving )eg getting lost then un-lost) etc.
The value of being in a specific location is secondary and the cost of many/most of these school excludes the very kids that would benefit most from them.
I was a bit of a lone voice though amongst a band of teachers who were of on a free trip to wherever (which isn't to say it's hard work - it is - but it's still a free trip to somewhere you might not otherwise go).

Yanbu.
I never got to go on any of the lavish, expensive trips whilst I was at school, my family couldn't afford school uniform let alone trips!!

My DH went on a 4k school trip to NYC when he was 15!!

@VioletLemon

Frankly, it is a disgrace that ANY school in this mental health 'aware' age organises a trip that every single child can not be included in. There's no need to go abroad, plenty of amazing resorts in UK. Kids don't need expensive excursions they just want to be included with friends. I honestly just despair in the lack of awareness around wellbeing that is displayed, especially when we're still in a pandemic affected time. Bonkers, hope you raise it with the HT.

Completely agree, madness!

Florida trip was arranged at our high school but cancelled due to covid. Paid for over two years. Main element was tech involvement from NASA. I think it’s fantastic that state school pupils are offered opps like this at all

However the short notice deposit is crazy.

I think school trips should have some educational / sports focus. Or give children an opportunity for personal growth eg skiing / sailing

Not a big fan of trips just purely for fun eg Disney

@Goldengoosey

Florida? Jesus. My school trip was Norfolk Broads. I’m old

And there were no nasties if you fell in either!

Yanbu - a ballot is far better. I also agree with others that this kind of trip is bizarre. I get trips abroad for sports tours, skiing even, or cultural and language reasons but Florida?!

I disagree with any school trip that costs that much.

There are many families that simply cannot afford to spend £2000 on one child having a holiday. It is grossly unfair on all children who have to sit there listening to their classmates discussing the trip for months beforehand.

I was a teacher. I had to watch this happen every single year with the ski trip, and the trips to the US. And no doubt there will be posters who come back on to say life isn't fair, and that kids have to get used to missing out. But honestly, when schools run expensive trips like this it really is rubbing it into the faces of those kids who will never in a month of Sundays be able to afford to go. The build up to these trips is horrible. Our school ski trips used to leave midway through the day, so we would have kids in our classes in the own clothes and with their overnight bags, totally overexcited and full of talk about their holidays.

There are far more affordable trips that school can run. And if they are cheaper then it is possible for schools to offer kids who simply cannot afford it a subsidised place. There is no chance of any subsidy on a trip costing 2 grand.

Yep, places should be randomly allocated. And a variety of trips at different price points should be offered. DD is going to France for five days in June at a ridiculous cost of £600. I could shunt us both across for a couple of weeks for that! But there is a ski trip later which I’m hoping that she can go on as well because I don’t fancy paying a fortune to take her skiing when I don’t love it. (I’d cheerfully pay a bit over the odds when I can for school trips for her to do kid stuff with her peers, as she has no siblings and holidays with just Mum are increasingly boring!)