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AIBU?

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Original poster

Schoo trip first come first served

157 replies

Meetingonthehill · 26/05/2023 21:45

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?

OP posts:
BillyNoM8s · 27/05/2023 00:14

We also got notified of a £40 per child geography trip and were given a few days to make payment. It's presumptuous to assume everyone has a spare £40 knocking about with close to no notice.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 27/05/2023 00:20

I don't understand why a day trip to a theme park even has a cap. Offer it to 100% of Y9 students. Staff accordingly. They are y9, they can be grouped up and asked to call and check in on the hour. Put a staff member on the gate to make sure none leave. Job done.

Mad. Can understand caps on trips to the galapagos or Iceland, but Thorpe Park??

caringcarer · 27/05/2023 00:41

My son's school you had a weekend to return form but then all returned forms went into a big drum and however many spaces were drawn out. It sounds very fair but because every single time the well behaved children get drawn out the drum there is a suspicion that the more challenging children don't get their name put in the drum. The draw is always done in assembly in front of all of the DC. Not one challenging child has been picked for 3 years in a row.

WandaWonder · 27/05/2023 00:46

How would they have the number of staff/adults to supervise if everyone went?

LittleFreakJezebel · 27/05/2023 07:22

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 27/05/2023 00:20

I don't understand why a day trip to a theme park even has a cap. Offer it to 100% of Y9 students. Staff accordingly. They are y9, they can be grouped up and asked to call and check in on the hour. Put a staff member on the gate to make sure none leave. Job done.

Mad. Can understand caps on trips to the galapagos or Iceland, but Thorpe Park??

Yep we used to have trips to a theme park at the end of each school year and this is pretty much how it worked.

You registered as you got your wristband and let into the park, then groups of teachers sat in 4 locations across the park with each child allocated a location to check in, we had to check in twice through the day between 11.30-12 and then 2.30-3. Teachers took it in turn staffing the check in points/roaming around (and going on rides!). Then everyone had to leave at 4.30 and we were registered again as we left.

CornishGem1975 · 27/05/2023 07:24

It doesn't need to be capped at all. It's entirely possible to arrange a trip for all the kids in the year, they're just choosing not to.

Fairislefandango · 27/05/2023 07:31

I agree that first come first served isn't fair on the kids. It's not their fault if their parents work long hours or are disorganised. We still run foreign language exchanges (unlike many schools these days) and we only have 30 places on each one. There is a reasonable deadline for applications, then we pick names by lottery.

Also very much in agreement with the poster upthread that people have no idea how stressful and complicated it is to run school trips. I'm going to be in charge of one of the exchanges from next year and I'm absolutely dreading the actual organising of it, although the trips themselves are fantastic.

CornishGem1975 · 27/05/2023 07:39

But regardless of how stressful or complicated it is (many peoples jobs are) it's not fair to exclude children just because it's difficult.

EarringsandLipstick · 27/05/2023 07:45

CornishGem1975 · 27/05/2023 07:24

It doesn't need to be capped at all. It's entirely possible to arrange a trip for all the kids in the year, they're just choosing not to.

This was my thought. I'm reading this in amazement. I'm in Ireland, my DC attend a large secondary school but I'm wondering if the schools mentioned here are absolutely huge?

Trips are always offered to everyone. There is notice of the trip & plenty of time to pay, including by instalment for more expensive ones.

This is an awful system, really unfair.

You shouldn't offer a trip that isn't available to all.

CoronationArmy · 27/05/2023 08:05

Can’t you just drop him and any friends that didn’t get in off at the the theme park yourself? Year 9 doesn’t need any supervision! Surely the children that didn’t get a place don’t just have to go and have a shit day at school instead?

gogohmm · 27/05/2023 08:15

@GloryBees

Dd went to Alton towers as part of her physics course (a level) they went behind the scenes with ride design and engineers. She's an engineer now!

Headingforholidays · 27/05/2023 08:22

Nevermind31 · 26/05/2023 23:35

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?

Most secondary school trips are not for the whole year group as it isn't possible at lots of places to take 150+ children at a time. There are a range of trips through the year and students can opt to go on them. The others just go to school as normal.

EarringsandLipstick · 27/05/2023 08:26

Most secondary school trips are not for the whole year group as it isn't possible at lots of places to take 150+ children at a tim

My kids year groups are c180. There have never been school trips that have excluded any students.

Most have modest payments.

Some - like an overseas in trip in our Transition Year - are about €600 and so not everyone can go. However there's a long period of notice and options to pay in instalments so most do.

It's nonsense that trips that can accommodate everyone can't be arranged.

JustAnotherDayInNorfolk · 27/05/2023 08:27

I organise the admin side of school trips and after school clubs.

Microsoft forms is your friend. Text / email / classdojo the link to relevant classes, open the booking slot at 6.00pm a couple of days after informing families of the trip and parents sign up. Payment is then set up on a separate app.

Works brilliantly as you can see what date and time parents have responded, all info is captured so saves laborious typing of contact lists etc and any waiting lists are managed fairly.

Witsend101 · 27/05/2023 08:29

Our school does a whole school trip day at end of summer term anyone who is invited can have a place. All yrs above yr7 go to same place at same time. No one excluded, plenty of notice given to allow time to pay. They literally just pile the whole school on a convoy of buses with most of the teachers as well

HippoStraw · 27/05/2023 08:31

It does sound very badly planned. However I’m also no longer prepared to organise or go on trips and lots of colleagues are similar so I think there may be far fewer in general.

GladysHeeler · 27/05/2023 08:31

I think it's unfair and that 6pm with 24 hours notice, like pp said, would have been fairer.

I'd take the day off work and take him (and and friends) myself to the same theme park on the same day.

Un7breakable · 27/05/2023 08:31

Lotteries don't work as DC don't want to go without their friends.

I agree first come first served isn't good with little notice.

EarringsandLipstick · 27/05/2023 08:33

HippoStraw · 27/05/2023 08:31

It does sound very badly planned. However I’m also no longer prepared to organise or go on trips and lots of colleagues are similar so I think there may be far fewer in general.

That's a real shame. Luckily that's not the case in my DC schools, and of course cannot be for ones during the school day.

Plasticplantpot · 27/05/2023 08:33

@LividHouse - there’s always one! We all know school trips are a nightmare to organise (done it myself) but a bit of common sense and logic wouldn’t go amiss. A longer deadline for responses would hardly be an issue now, would it?

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 27/05/2023 08:35

Our school sends out a letter for expressions of interest; if more pupils than places then ALL names go into a hat and first 30/60 whatever get to go. #equalopportunities.

Plasticplantpot · 27/05/2023 08:36

@JustAnotherDayInNorfolk - exactly, Microsoft forms indeed. There are even school trip form templates ready to go! I’m a bit sick of hearing about how hard it is to organize anything in a school (my own DCs included). I manage it in my own job, as do countless other schools.

Sailawaytocromer · 27/05/2023 08:39

I’m going to agree with a few posters and question the “enrichment” of a theme park (assuming it’s to visit and go on rides, not to have an engineering behind the scenes visit).

Social enrichment? Sure. Academic? Hmm…

Our school has an enrichment week for every year. Some years go away for a whole week, most year groups do a different activity every day but they have an academic/sports/arts base and it is usually something like produce a play in a day/ecology project/maths and computing project/day to learn a new sport etc. I would be so underwhelmed if our school took my child to Thorpe Park or somewhere without any other academic enrichment activities.

towriteyoumustlive · 27/05/2023 08:44

My son's school and my school do a ballot. It's the only fair way.

First come first served is unfair and penalises parents who work and often cannot use their phone.

openstop · 27/05/2023 08:46

CornishGem1975 · 27/05/2023 07:39

But regardless of how stressful or complicated it is (many peoples jobs are) it's not fair to exclude children just because it's difficult.

I agree