Schoo trip first come first served

[Meetingonthehill]

AIBU to think school could and should have managed this better?

Son is Year 9.

Today school informed the children that there is an enrichment trip to a theme park. The letter would be sent to parents at 3.30pm and the payment portal opened at the same time. Kids advised it was first come first served.

This particular enrichment activity was open to Year 9 (this is their only offering for this year group) and also open to Year 8 (who have the choice of two theme parks).

(Year 9 have had no enrichment trips prior to this - Covid meant the Year 7 residential wasn’t offered and nothing was offered last year when they were in Year 8.)

My son tried to call me at 3.20 as he came out of school but I was at work (no phones allowed). I did finish work at 3.55 so called him back when he told me about the letter and trip.

I logged on to the portal straight away but all the places had gone.

AIBU to think that if offering something on a first for first served basis they should give people a bit more notice than 10 minutes? (The time between when the kids can use their phone after school and the time the portal opened.)

Surely only the parents who don’t work/have desk based jobs can realistically book something with that tight a turn around?

Not to mention those who may just be able to afford it but might need a little bit of time to balance the books to make sure.

Of course, it’s half term next week so nothing can be done and probably won’t be.

I realise they are lucky to have staff that can put on trips but it seems really unfair to split this opportunity across two year groups and not give everyone a fair chance at taking them up on the offer (especially as they haven’t had any other trips before). I realise they may not have the staff to cover everyone going. But why not make the booking process fairer?

Completely unfair way to manage it. Anything like this that is first come first served we get notification in advance with details of when the booking system will open and for school trips we always get at least one months notice - normally more and the option to pay in instalments.

No it doesn't. He's at a primary school, which, on the whole, aren't that big; it's also not every year group, and trips don't have to be, meaning the number is reduced hugely. I doubt it even hits 40 kids, let alone hundreds!

I remember as a kid growing up most school trips were local and for the day. I can't ever remember going to a theme park with a school, what learning is that giving you? We'd go look at a printing press in a museum, or have a ride on a canal boat - school trips now are ridiculous. They're just another way of giving the haves that little bit extra on top, which quite honestly they don't really need, they already have it home.

They should prioritise the kids who don't have access to anything, and you don't do that by making it expensive and difficult to book unless you don't work.

That still doesn’t make it fair though? I can whinge about my job and the process and how complex it is but the customers won’t care if it’s not fair, they’ll be annoyed at me?
Pupils and parents are the customers of schools.

Of course you can, if you have the staffing to make it possible (I don't know what the required ratio is for year 9).

You get quotes from coach companies based on a few different scenarios of possible numbers, base the trip cost on the worst case scenario, and then confirm the amount needed after the booking deadline. If the transport cost pp comes down as numbers go up then you either pass on the reduction to parents or the excess goes in the school funds.

My school used to take almost all of us to a theme park at once every 2 years. Nearly 1200 of us on a fleet of coaches.

Although I’m pretty sure this isn’t the aim, I agree that it’s probably the unfortunate effect.

I think a theme park COULD be a good enrichment activity - just a bloody fun day out with Adrenalin pumping and everyone in high spirits - but I do think it’s a cost which puts it out of many families’ league.

I would complain to the school, that's really unfair, especially as they've already missed out in previous years. Poor effort.

Sorry this was in relation to @GeekyThings and the haves just having more.

I'd expect to receive a form where you can express Interest before getting the message to say it was going ahead tbh

Ours always does first out of hat then rest on reserve list. Very far and no one complains. My DC have never made the first out of hat but have been successful from reserve list.
works well and fair

I do think the system is unfair - I think there should be an expression of interest then names out of a hat.

DS didn’t get an invitation for his year 11 trip because he received one behavior point the previous September - which he did a detention for - now that’s unfair!

Fairest way would be 1 week or more notice for an application with small deposit say £5.

At the end of the week names out of a hat.

Anyone drawn out of the hat and dropping out forfeits the deposit. If anyone drops out it is offered to the next person out of the hat.

Deposits are returned to those not drawn from the hat.

This means the trip is very likely to be full with minimal pointless drop outs but no race to get there first. There's up to a week to decide and raise the deposit.

Depending on the area I wonder how they would deal with children whose parents won’t be able to afford it or instalments? I know pupil premium can be used but how in this type of set up with immediate payment.

You win. This is perfect.

im sure someone will come along and disagree. Fairness like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Our High School does "names out of a hat" for these type of trip, where there is likely to be more interest than they have places. I'm fairly sure, however, that Teachers have some control over taking students who they think will be particularly interested or will benefit from a specific trip (i.e. Drama and Design students on a residential which includes West End shows and visits to Design museums). Additionally, I imagine that they aren't going to pick out the names of students who can't be trusted to behave sensibly at school, let alone at an airport or on an aeroplane.

In your shoes I would be disappointed for my DC too and would probably email school to ask if they would consider the possibility of "names out of a hat" for future trips.

Utter bollocks, and should have been offered to year 9 forts, with a first come approach to any spare spaces available for year 8's

My children are not in secondary yet - but surely, school trips should include everyone? What do those do who stay at home? School as usual?

At our school trips like this are done on a lottery basis. You have 48hrs to sign up and then names are picked out of a hat.

I understand schools are stretched but that is a shit way of organising it. I know they’re hard work to organise but that doesn’t mean they are immune to feedback?

Same here.

It's always from a hat. Sadly cover and resources will not allow us to take everyone.

I'm not one to usually be like everyone should get it, but in this case I think that. It shouldn't have been offered if some would miss out. Or maybe it would have been fairer if names were pulled out of a hat

It’s ridiculous that an educational trip is not offered to the whole year. Quite frankly I can’t see how going to a theme park is part of an educational curriculum.

Massively unfair, especially as it discriminates againts children from homes where money is tight and whose parents may not have ready funds for the trip, or be able to work out in the space of 10 minutes if the cost is feasible.

At DC's school, both Y9 and Y10 have an end of year theme park trip (separate trips). The booking of open for at least two weeks and everyone who wants to go gets to go - they just scale the logistics accordingly.

For other trips where numbers are justifiably limited, priority is given to kids who have missed out on previous trips, then it's names out a hat. Seems the obvious way to organise it.

As a mum and teacher I hate these things that really discriminate against working parents. First come first served is annoying but understandable sometimes, having to sign up when most people are at work is plain unfair. I would definitely complain.

Oh, the rows I had with HoDs about trips.

No, you can't demand payment by 3.30pm when a) you should have arranged all this a month in advance and you're panicking because you've got a cut off date for booking confirmation, b) you haven't even checked with Finance if anybody's in to set up the payment item and allocate it to a particular group, c) most people have to wait until the 28th or the last working day of the month to get paid, so you're actively excluding a lot of PPG/FSM kids from taking part as well as most other people who aren't employed by the local authority with a 24th payday & d) have you any concept of what it's like for people on reception to have the phones literally ringing off the hook (two lines in) with people shouting at them about how fucking stupid this is as a hundred raging emails drop into the office inbox?

They'll be dealing with complaints for the next fortnight, all building up over half term and then, because they've had a week to wind themselves up further, the calls and emails will be even worse.

The last time this sort of nonsense happened, the support response was brilliant. The OOO response had a list of holiday contacts, along with 'If you have any queries or comments regarding the x trip, please email twattyHoD @school.council.u k direct or leave a message on twatty HoD's voicemail, extension xxxx'. It was the last time it happened for a reason - and the HT's laughter could be heard down the corridor.

When I was in secondary. We did whole year trips to a theme park in years 7-10. 7 went to Thorpe Park, 8 to Chessington, 9 to Drayton Manor, 10 to Alton Towers.

It was open to everyone in each year group unless you had horrendous behaviour.

Stepkid's school doesn't seem to do much in the way of trips, other than subject specific ones. The extortionate ski trip is open to all years but seems to run on some sort of lottery system if oversubscribed.

First come first served is wholly unfair on the kids of working parents.