Expensive school trip - why do schools do it?!

[Beach1983]

Cut a long story short, letter has come home with school trip for 8 days that is approx £2500 that doesn’t include food/spending money so guessing £500 extra for that, so all in roughly 3k.

Am I wildly out of touch for thinking that £3000 for a school trip for one child is ridiculous? (This is regular state school not private btw).

I feel annoyed with the school for putting parents in this position as obviously the kids want to go and (they say) all their friends are going so parents feel hugely guilt tripped into these things even if financially it’s a struggle!

Just needed to vent really and see if people share my views!

That’s not good value at all. Flights for four of us last year were £3500! Food is pricey but presumably they won’t be eating at the most expensive restaurants the Big Apple has to offer. Accommodation can be costly but again, group discounts? I’d expect £2000 is closer to the true price.

Prob going in school holidays. Entrance to places included? Boat trips etc.

massive insurance.

Riiiiiight, you were the trip leader for a week long trip to the other side of the world? You did all the admin, ran all the information evenings, out together all the information and itinerary, booked all the coaches, ensured all the risk assessments and paperwork were completed, chased all the payments and consent forms, organised the room lists, did all the Comms and dealt with all the queries.
Then you gave up your leave, to wake up at 3am timbers 40 kids onto a coach, get them to the airport and through security and check in. You supervised them all at the airport, made sure they all got to where they needed to be in the other end, got them all checked into the hotel, you were the one up each night until 2am shutting kids up, dealing with homesickness, illness and general shenanigans, and then you again at 6:30 next morning, ensuring all kids were up,. dressed and down to breakfast. You then corralled those same kids out in public, got them all down to the underground, and got them all to the first itinerary stop on time ....

Sure what a jolly and we're on morning if Day 1...

I'm going to assume your price doesn't include insuring around 30 teens for every single eventuality on every single part of the trip?

I remember this happened at my secondary school (I’m now in my 30s).
it was 1.5k for a school trip to Japan but they cancelled it because only a couple of people could go.

Ours was in the school holidays. Some of these trips take the piss. We had an overnight to an outward bound place in our own town that came in at £200 per child last year. Didn’t even include transport!!! One night!

My school used to pull things like this years ago. Hardly anyone could go. It ended up being the same group who went every year.
The rest of us just got on with it, as unfair as it felt. I'm surprised they can still ask parents to pay that kind of money given the rising costs at the moment.

Crazy.

And to everyone mentioning insurance, it’s not even that much per person. I’d be very interested to see a breakdown of costs, OP.

Our New York trip costs that. Half term four days. Twenty four students with 3 members of staff. It is booked through a school travel company and we have packed a lot into four days.

We offer a range of trips over the year and New York is one of the pricier ones.

schools are expected to offer trips but trips like this are optional. Rest assured these are not a jolly for staff with risk assessments hanging over them

Well schools can't really do anything about that can they?
As PPs have said, they're also covering bespoke travel, huge insurance etc etc etc
But yes, it's the teachers fault

@Denimdenimdenim what do you mean 'pull'? Like it's some sort of stunt?

Of course they are. 'allowed to'. If there isn't a sign up for it then the trip doesn't go ahead. Bizarre language to use.

But you know these trips are not obligatory. How would you run a school and make sure that there are always trips for every different price option? How would you do it? 800? 1k?

I remember once also a kid who only other siblings was quite badly disabled really enjoyed going on a trip. And parents sending him.

Haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if this has been said....

My daughter went to a private school (I blagged a low fee!) and they offered a trip to China for her year. However, what I found really impressive (as most of the parents were incredibly well off, and I absolutely wasn't!) was that the first meeting about it took place two years in advance, and it was made absolutely clear to the girls that it was up to them to fund raise to pay for it. My daughter took this on board and paid for it all herself.

Believe in me in my very very long experience as a teacher, it’s often the families you least expect to have lots of disposable cash who go. Regularly.

Everyone on here that can get it so much cheaper should all set up school travel companies. You'd rake it in with your expertise

So I presume then you’ve booked to go with your child?

Value wise, as eye wateringly expensive as it is(we couldn't send DD for example)it's actually not that bad. I asked my American friend and she said it's pretty reasonable. There's a difference between booking it as an individual and a school. Transport and insurance will instantly add a bit, possibly extra fees for doing it through a specific agency, all activities/entrance to places, being half term flights will be more expensive,they can't pick just any hotel/air b&b due to numbers and logistics and so on.

Is this trip even a free for all? I know DD's school does one to America, but spaces are very limited so quite a lot of kids miss out anyways (even if the parents can afford to send them) because they don't make the list.

@crochetmonkey74 good business opportunity for all these school travel experts. If they could also run them from start to finish teachers would be grateful as I could spend half term with my family instead of taking charge of other people’s children

My nephew went skiing a few years ago for the sum of £680 in half term. A lot of money, but a hell of a lot more affordable than £2500. What was the school thinking???

My husband and I are in the top 5% of earners in the country and couldn't afford to send our children to NYC for the trip!

Wow, that's crazily expensive! Just say no - there'll be loads of kids not going.

That's exactly the sort of trip my parents never found out about, they couldn't afford them but would have "found a way".
Mind you a trip to NY for school 😳 we had some to Bradford 🤣

Yes, they can't win really!

@Ourshoddyhouse - nothing wrong with Bradford. Many happy memories of the film and TV museum 🤣🤣🤣

bonkers. We never spend that much travelling annually for the whole family. I have no idea why schools are doing it.

DD's school have lined up an £800 skiing trip. She attends a school in one of the poorest and most deprived areas in England in the North West. I have no idea what schools are texting to achieve by lining up such ridiculously expensive trips which only very very few can afford.

Regardless of whether it is a good price for what is covered, it seems to me to be unreasonable. Even if there are school PTA or other funds to provide a contribution for those whose families are on low incomes.

I think you should question this with the school governing body. Very expensive trips such as this exclude those on lower incomes, and in reality these are more likely to be lone parent families as an example. If you were wanting to have a trip that includes cultural activities such as museums and art galleries, you could choose Edinburgh/Glasgow, or Manchester, or London, or Paris, to give some much lower cost examples.