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!

When our school does these really big trips, it is generally a very small number of students traveling, Perhaps 5% on any given trip.

they are expensive for a few reasons

• they are done through a tour operator that handles all the logistics. That means a school teacher isn’t trying to play travel agent. If a flight gets cancelled or a bus breaks down, the tour operator handles it. It also means that the group sometimes gets to skip lines at tourist attractions.
• you have to pay for the teachers. This is a work trip for them
• on the best trips, there are hired nighttime chaperones so the teachers actually get to sleep instead of taking shifts in the hallways

we try to send our dd as often as possible because both DH and I have medical issues that make travel difficult.

and yes, anyone who comes to the United States without buying travel health insurance is an idiot. Honestly they should make it a condition for entry.

I assume you’re saying I was wrong and that you’ll get whatever treatment you need in a timely manner
Yes, that is what I am saying.

If it’s the GCSE trip then every school offers this and did when I was at school, usually a history or geography trip. I went to Berlin and Krakow at the end of year 10, great trip. My DC’s school either do New York or Iceland depending on whether they choose history or geography at GCSE (weirdly can’t do both and have to choose one).

They aren’t compulsory so you’re not forced to pay for it if you can’t afford it. They usually have fair payment plans.

DD just about to do NYC with 6th form for 4 days and it was £1350 which includes flights, hotel on times sq, insurance, lots of trips, a Broadway show and a couple of meals. Just for comparison sake.

Sounds fantastic.

That’s genuinely great to hear, and I’m sorry I didn’t know that before.

I still think you’d be stupid to go to the US without insurance (and schools wouldn’t allow it on an organised trip) as having a bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds to pay for your child’s medical care would be an unwelcome surprise for most people, especially those who’d opted out of insurance to save a small percentage of the cost on a school trip.

You would be stupid to go anywhere without medical insurance, especially since the UK is no longer in the EU.

That’s crazy! My partners son has a school trip that they’ve just told us about for May. Not quite that much, but the schools don’t give you enough time to save up or pay monthly. We struggle to get by month by month and struggle to afford weekends away or a holiday as a family, never mind a school trip that costs a fortune.

Ah yes the trip to the US or ski resorts for kids that have never stood on a ski. 🙄completely over priced and pointless. Does not enrich their education at all. The entitled pricks that run academies to asset strip them keep coming up with these ideas.

We allowed each of our children one big trip. The oldest went on a tour of China (£2000) with a 10 month payment plan. Child 2 went on a ski trip £900 plus clothes and ski suit etc. Child 3 went just 14 days before 2020 lockdown on ski trip also £1200 plus ski wear. Child no.4 has yet to have his big trip . The school have offered a kyacking/ climbing trip but not what son likes.
I have no issues with big trips of parents are given ample notice. Each of my children will have a big trip and I will find the money.

I think that's ridiculous and insensitive during a cost of living crisis. I would be amazed if there is much take up for this.
Maybe an organised trip closer to home would be more appropriate currently.

I went to new York last year and paid £320 for a return flight (from Dublin) and the empire state building was about $50-60. That's mad pricing.

You could probably take your family for about £3000. Here's some of the attentions.

newyorkpass.com/en/new-york-attractions?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=googleTTD&utm_medium=search&utm_source=googleNYP&utm_adcampaigngroup=NYP&utm_campaign=GC-NYP-GGL-PPC-EUR-UK%2FEN-PRRM-GNR-SPEC-LYAU-TTD%20%5BNKW%5D&matchtype=&utm_term=f%3Atravel_activity%3Alocation%3D%2Fm%2F02nd_&utm_creative=662820538542&addisttype=g&KPID=go_cmp-17579747261_adg-138820097465_ad-662820538542_kwd-931657944867_dev-m_ext-prd-&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqY6tBhAtEiwAHeRopSaaBzOITZ-1UIonAR57rrvL-SqQ0i6szTv28PaQHfLpeqpJzwGlxoCCWoQAvD_BwE

What, if any, educational benefits do the children get from this trip? Having been to New York 3 days are more than enough and I don't think I learnt anything that I couldn't learn from a normal classroom. If it was to Boston there is a lot of history and I could possibly make a good case to visit, but do you really need to go there to learn about it! Sounds like a teacher jolly but who would what to go with group of teenagers.

It sounds insane and utterly tone-deaf when so many people are struggling. £3000 could be several months' mortgage payments for someone.

I'd have no hesitation in bending the Head's ear as to how divisive this could be and how insensitive it is.

Costs for everything have gone through the roof and schoolbtrips are not exempt. No need to feel guilty you know what your child gets in other areas.Talk it through with your child explain what that sort of money means to the family etc. If you are reasonable they will also be i am sure.

We’ve just finished paying 1.8k for a 5 day trip to Iceland for our son for this November. Paid it over 2 years but a set large amount had to be paid within 2 weeks for a deposit and place security which we thought was very steep and just in so doable. I do know that we cop it because we pay for the teachers places, inflated insurance and they use some of our payments to enhance the contributions they get for children who are disadvantaged as they need to be included. Either way, parents are being shafted. We were fortunate enough to have shares come through so our son is very lucky. Had this not happened he wouldn’t have gone and won’t be going on anymore.

They tend to factor in costs for teachers and other staff to go, as they don't have to pay to go according to my SIL who's a teacher.

I couldn't pay that, I wouldn't even if I could.
And tbh, that would pay a good way towards a week in the sun away for the three of us, quality family time, so I think it is just too much for one child.

I remember my school trip to Germany, barely!
My parents worked hard but we weren't rich.
Thinking of the cost of that in the 80s, the prices for school trips has gone up way over inflation and cost of living.

In the current cost of living crisis, many parents will struggle with this, why are schools not thinking about that?
Kids who can't afford to go, whilst they may not miss too much, may be picked on for being too poor to go, creating even more problems.

It is crazy imo.

I was going to say something similar

They tend to factor in costs for teachers and other staff to go, as they don't have to pay to go according to my SIL who's a teacher.

Of course staff don't pay. No staff. No trip.

I don't really understand all the shock on this thread.

This is just one offer from a school that presumably also offers many more affordable trips and visits.

It is happening in half term so not a curriculum trip and entirely optional.

IME very few children will go but some parents will take the opportunity - to avoid childcare headaches, or by paying monthly over a long time, or just because they can easily afford it.

If your school offers an optional trip that you can't afford - your child can't go. You don't need to feel angry or upset or confused about it. You just tell them that this is something that they can't do.

If it is a living hell( i think it would be) why do it? It is not for educational reasons, it is a jolly for the children.

Not insensitive at all. People are not forced to take it up but that doesn't mean those who want to can't. Its called life.

Why do people in the US bother with health insurance if they will get whatever treatment they need in a timely manner without it?
Is this something new? It's been a while since I was in the US and we were strongly encouraged to get insurance.

I don't.

Day trips only for me, and only to things I think have value and want to do myself. Lots of theatre trips.

Where are they going? An all inclusive to the Maldives?

My son’s currently skiing in Italy with school at a cost of £750 including food and skis, helmet & boots hire.