School trip oversubscribed

[boxedandribboned]

My DS3 is at a state secondary school. After a long gap during & post-covid, the school is now organising school trips again. However, the trips are seemingly all oversubscribed.

In May - a Ski trip was announced for next year. We paid the deposit. Then in July, we were told the trip was oversubscribed, and names would be pulled from a hat to decide who would go. Ultimately Ds did not get a place and the deposit was refunded.

In July - a language trip to France was announced. Again, we paid a deposit, and are still waiting to hear if DS has a place. I called the school today to ask and they said the trip was oversubscribed and they will be pulling names out of a hat this week to decide who goes.

I asked if they would be taking the results of the previous ballot into account, because if not, some DC may end up going on both trips, while others might miss out on a trip altogether.

The school said 'no'. They insist it must be a complete random ballot each time because that is the 'fairest way'.

It doesn't seem fair at all to me. Surely removing the dc who are already going on one trip from the initial ballot for trip 2 would be fairest. And then adding their names back if there were any extra places left?

AIBU?

I'd agree that your way seems fairer on the face of it. Sounds like you might not get to influence the decision this time, but is there a way to feedback / suggest a different way of handling future trips?

I agree with you. This sounds utterly shit and tbh I don’t understand why a school is running trips where they can’t take everyone who wants to go.

I agree with you that the children who didn't get to go on the previous trip should have priority on the next trip that gets organised.

DDs school ballots popular extracurricular trips. But we are told beforehand that's how it works! Everyone who has reached the required behaviour standard who applies gets entered.

Other trips are everyone who wants a place (and reached the behaviour standard) like Year7 camp.

Agree with you that it's not fair. Same happened to DS at primary school, but they did at least guarantee left-out children a place on the next trip.

YANBU, it's shit.

Totally agree with you that’s rubbish and totally unfair.

Our school only offers very expensive trips like skiing/France/Spain etc the price range for these trips have ranged between £1500-£4000 with very limited spaces. It’s been the same children that have gone on these trips each time as they are able to afford it. No other trips are organised not even the local theme park for the day, my child hasn’t been on a trip for 3 years. Very unfair. Feed back has been given to the school but nothing has changed.

Thanks all, gratifying to know IANBU!

Curious to know whether this happens at other schools, or whether it's an anomaly

Those who were left out should be prioritised on the next trip. Those who are going on the first one go in the hat for the remaining places. That is the fair way.

Happens with the paid clubs at our school - all into a ballot, no way I'd pay the deposit first though.

The abroad trips are never oversubscribed, presumably due to £££

How on earth can they run trips where not everyone can go? That's outrageous is that normal now? My children aren't senior school age but the primary school sends letters to gather interest beforehand.
You are right, there is a risk some names unintentionally are never pulled from the hat! That's not right

If they couldn't limit numbers they wouldn't be able to run the foreign/sports trips... its different to curriculum trips. Ratios, facilities etc.

How on earth can they run trips where not everyone can go? That's outrageous is that normal now?

It's always been the case for secondary trips. They can only take a certain number of pupils per teacher.

How on earth can they run trips where not everyone can go?

Quite easily in a secondary school with over 200 students in each year group. And its not outrageous, it's sensible.