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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

49 replies

BotanistBay · 18/04/2022 17:28

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.

OP posts:

whataloadabullocks · 18/04/2022 18:56

I don't think anyone should be flying anywhere given the looming environmental crisis.

Bignanny30 · 18/04/2022 19:02

I expect the destination was voted for by the teachers who will be accompanying the children, because they’re bound to be getting a huge discount and being paid for the time away too.

itrytomakemyway · 18/04/2022 19:05

I doubt the teachers will be paying anything for the trip. And the chances are it will take place during a school holiday. I have no issue with that - it is very hard work being away with children on a residentail holiday. Of course they should be paid - they are on duty 24/7.

I have done residentials - mainly Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and weekend UK stays. It is exhausting mentally and physically.

Snoopsnoggysnog · 18/04/2022 19:08

Yanbu. Also what’s the focus of the trip? Disney or something more educational?

VerbenaGirl · 18/04/2022 19:10

Places should be allocated by a ballot. I’d raise this with the school.

Porcupineintherough · 18/04/2022 19:13

@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 disagree with this. Heaven forfend that any state school child aspire to anything but the lowest common denominator. I think it's great that some children get the experience even if mine wont.

I do however agree with the OP that more notice should be given and ballots used if more than the requisite number of families show and interest.

rookiemere · 18/04/2022 19:18

@Bignanny30 yes I bet the teachers were just queueing up to spend what is presumably their holidays normally looking after a bunch of school children at a theme park after a 10 hr flight.
I mean you'd have to be utterly Disney crazy to think this constitutes a good deal for the accompanying teachers in any way. Now DSs school ski trip to Banff where the DCs will be in lesson all day.... that I'd be happy to sign up to.

chisanunian · 18/04/2022 19:18

@Goldengoosey

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

You had it easy - mine was to Dartmoor!

rc22 · 18/04/2022 19:58

@Goldengoosey

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

We got as far as France or Germany on a good old fashioned exchange with our penpals

vickyc90 · 18/04/2022 20:09

A ballot would be fairer or having places for all those who want to go

VioletLemon · 19/04/2022 13:29

I see your point that it may not otherwise be an experience some kids would have. I just feel so sad for these kids who would just not take the letter home or tell their parents they didn't want to go to avoid unnecessary costs being undertaken. I know lots of teens like this and to think they are being left out in a really visible way at this age, they will never feel part of the group after this kind of bonding is done on a trip. On the other hand I know what kids get up to on these trips and taking a bunch of teens to Las Vegas sounds like insanity!

VioletLemon · 19/04/2022 13:31

Missing the point.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 19/04/2022 13:33

@Bignanny30

I expect the destination was voted for by the teachers who will be accompanying the children, because they’re bound to be getting a huge discount and being paid for the time away too.

The teachers will not receive any additional salary, will likely also travel in the school holidays so an additional week of work (24hrs a day).

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 14:01

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.

But that's a school organisation issue, not a trip issue.

Why on earth did the school organise things so that happened?

neverbeenskiing · 19/04/2022 14:04

The teachers will not receive any additional salary, will likely also travel in the school holidays so an additional week of work (24hrs a day).

This. School staff volunteer to supervise these trips for one reason and one reason only, because if they didn't the trips wouldn't be able to go ahead and the kids would miss out.

People also have no idea how much extra work and preparation goes into organising these trips. There is so much paperwork that has to be completed, risk assessments, planning meetings etc. Then there's the nightmare of sorting the rooms...X's Mum insists that X needs to be with Y because they are anxious but Y wants to be with Z, and Z can't be with X because they had a massive falling out etc etc. Staff will also need to have individual meetings with parents of kids with SEN/other vulnerabilities to plan for their needs. There are always a significant number of parents who are late paying the balance and someone needs to chase them. Of course all this happens in the evenings as it's an 'add on' to normal duties. But yeah teachers are just after a free 'jolly'

I do agree that adequate notice needs to he given for people to get a deposit together though and a ballot is a more sensible approach.

Porcupineintherough · 19/04/2022 15:32

@fairylightsandwaxmelts did a lot of children from your school go skiing then? Its about 20 out of 2,000 at ours so barely registers.

CinnamonJellyBeans · 19/04/2022 15:45

I'm very grateful when schools organise trips abroad. Like PP have said, if the whole family cannot take afford to go away, it's lovely to be able to send the kids.

Some, like the skiing have been out of our budget, so we didn't send them and that was fine; there were lots of cheaper opportunities. If you don't want your child to go to Florida, no problem. Just don't send them. Job done.

Coralblimey · 19/04/2022 15:54

No, first people to pay should go. Ballot opens it to the “oh I wanted to go but haven’t got the cash together really” and that might make the trip fail for all the students.

Especially with such a high cost trip.

ExplodingElephants · 19/04/2022 15:56

£2k!! Pass me the smelling salts 😆 We managed to take all three of our kids to Turkey for a week for just over £3k in 2018 (last foreign holiday) That was full board and all spending money. Two of the kids were old enough to pay adult prices too. I just couldn’t imagine paying £2k for a school trip 😆

SpiderinaWingMirror · 19/04/2022 16:39

Yanbu. At DDs school they apparently have always done the ski trip on first come, first serve. They said the same this year, then changed to names out of a hat when they had 3 times the number apply.

megletthesecond · 19/04/2022 16:44

Yanbu.
I called DS's school out about "first come first served" on trips. It is not fair on busy parents and those who don't have immediate access to a deposit. They've stopped doing it like that now.

A Florida trip is excessive too IMO.

Britneysy · 19/04/2022 17:39

Why not go to Disneyland Paris? If they need to go somewhere less than educational? IMJO (J for judgemental) it’s dumbing down school trips.

Dickopf · 19/04/2022 17:40

YANBU, but it's nothing to do with it being a state school. The same would be true of any school.

ithinkitsadhd · 19/04/2022 17:45

They are most likely not going to Disney but to nasa. Of course trips like this should be offered but the children should be given sufficient time to try and raise some of it themselves in a way supported by the school. Some of my year went trekking in Nepal and their fundraising was supported by the school. Would be nice to see this sort of trip heavily subsidised for a couple of children (chosen by fair ballot) too. For those families that can afford £2k they could presumably also afford £2.1k.

My children are at an independent and the school trips are also subsidised for those on full bursary.

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