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 ridiculous for a curriculum related trip that they presumably wanted the majority to attend. It should have been made as accessible as possible, three nights not a week.

This. Just taking them swimming to the local pool ends up some times (too many times) in accidents and incidents. The thought of a week abroad absolutely terrier me as staff. They couldn't pay me enough to do it.

Exactly this.

How wonderful that ten pupils mentioned by a PP get to visit Japan.

Sadly not everyone can go but why should no one be able to go and everyone misses out.

There's lots of trips I'd love to to as a family but are
unaffordable so for my child to be able to go with their peers is great.

These kids are SECONDARY school - by that age, if they don’t know that some things are too expensive and that’s just life, you’ve done something wrong with your parenting! It’s not ‘unfair’ and the school haven’t ‘raised their expectations’ - the VAST majority of kids don’t go. Just say no, sorry, we can’t afford it. It’s not that fucking hard.

I agree it’s over priced and I would probably not be able to resist asking for a breakdown of costs, just to be nosy!

We noticed a massive increase in school trip prices this year.

even just to Disney Paris

The cost is not set by the school

Some can’t go so no one should go. ?

How is that relevant? I would still be interested to see a breakdown of the cost.

I heard of a school where the trip was engulfed by a natural disaster and part of the group lost all their possessions.

but remember it’s a BREEZE for freeloading teachers.

because companies would not share this as it would be commercially sensitive.

NY is rubbish.
Waste of money for £500 let alone £3k.

It really is terrible idea.

London is much better and cheaper.
Or any other European city.

But the school will have the breakdown 😂

I have arranged school trips and of course we have a break down of the costs @Tewkesbury dont be ridiculous.

Agreed!

Bag packing at local supermarket, we run a car wash 6 weekends a year, we also rent our car park for a local sporting event, we have a stall at the summer and Christmas fete. We also approach some local businesses for sponsorship etc

Very expensive but is NY and the school would be doing this with a travel agent for school trips. It is not like the teacher is hunting for bargains and offers. I suspect many can’t afford this trip.

That's a ridiculous comparison. Ten years ago and one person who can find individual deals and rates and doesn't have teachers' fares included. The teacher upthread who said "categorically not" regarding that is wrong. The airlines and hotels do charge for the teachers, the travel company simply folds that cost into the kids' price. No other way to do it obviously as you can't possibly expect teachers to pay for their own but it does up the cost. The school do not profit from these trips.

Costs have skyrocketed. Even within the UK, the cost of travel and hotels has gone through the roof.

The pound is very weak, so anything in other currencies will be far more expensive than when the pound was strong.

The insurance for a group of teens in the USA will be eye-watering.

I doubt many families would be able to go, but for those that can, what a wonderful opportunity. There's so much to see - the Met alone is worth a day, not to mention the Natural History Museum (I particularly like the Hayden Planetarium), MoMA, the Whitney, etc etc.

As 5 days in Italy for the A-Level geography trip was £1700 last year, £2,500 for even longer in NYC doesn't sound out of prortion.

*Sadly not everyone can go but why should no one be able to go and everyone misses out.

There's lots of trips I'd love to as a family but are unaffordable so for my child to be able to go with their peers is great.*

That happens in life, but there's no need for it in school, which in my view should be more egalitarian.

£3000 is totally nuts!! My daughter is at a private school and no one would pay £3000 for a weeks' school trip at her school either.

They recently went to NYC for under £1500 and they stayed right near Trump Tower by Central Park (albeit in a youth hostel 😂)

Ok so no one gets to go.

Great.

YABU

Sorry I was responding to @marmaladeandpeanutbutter

You could probably go solo with your child for that price. 7 days might be a stretch.

DD went years ago with school. It cost about £1200 for 5 nights including passes etc. The only extras were food and a trip to the singing restaurant. The kids sat in the left over seats on the plane and the teachers all together - same with hotel which pissed me off .

My daughter’s school did 5 days in Washington for £1,700s Everyone complained it was too expensive. Well, there wasn’t a single empty seat of 40, so 🤷🏽‍♀️