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!

"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."

Lots of teachers wouldn't do it. Some genuinely do it for altruistic reasons. Some find enough enjoyment in it to volunteer, particularly if they don't have other commitments at home. Some feel it's 'their turn' so volunteer in the knowledge that they'll be off the hook for residentials for a couple of years.

I also don't do it either anymore. I teach MFL so it is educational and it is expected - but after my last trip ended in absolute tears, with me taking two kids to hospital in the night then hiring a car to get them back home after the trip, for zero thanks... Never again !

As a teacher who has organised many trips abroad this is extortionate! Unless it's a safari or exotic location, which I doubt as vaccines and huge risk assessments etc needed, I don't see the need for 8 days? We used to do 6 days, 4 nights, all coach travel, staying at youth hotels or cheaper hotels, all food and trips included. Guessing this is America so flights needed, hence cost will be this high. Not many parents would be able or willing to do it, you're in the majority. Xx

You are paying for the teachers also xx

Sorry but I think that’s outrageous! It would be a no from me, with a full explanation to my child as to why. I’m sure you won’t be the only person saying no! You could put that towards a family holiday.

Exactly!

I cannot understand why people think no one should have the opportunity to travel with school.

People can make their own choices on what to spend their money, it's so selfish to insist that no one should go.

I want my children to have these opportunities and will make whatever sacrifices I need to for them to
have whichever trips we feel are worthwhile.
Not all of them will be worthwhile- but I absolutely do not believe we should remove all choices.

I think it's nuts. How do they expect families to afford this ? What if other children in the family have trips as well and then of course you might want a family holiday in the year. Also, New York doesn't strike me as the most obvious place for a school trip, the US has shot up in cost in the last few years. Most adults wouldn't think of going to New York for 8 days more like 4 or 5 nights. It just feels very unfair to put parents in this position.

Extortionate what are parents supposed to do when they have several children, you can't send one and not the others.

I'm sure they don't expect all families to afford this.

But some will be able to, and their children may benefit from these trips.

I think they offer the trips if they know they’ll get enough take up and it looks good for ofsted and the school brochure for prospective parents. Mine are both at secondary and haven’t been on any of the residential. One was meant to at primary but covid cancelled it so never did. 3 years later the same trip for my youngest had increased over £100. We paid for it the. She refused to go (massive anxiety issues) so lost the money. Secondary have offered trips in this country y7 and abroad now they’re y10 but we haven’t taken them up. One is France and one is Spain for those studying have languages. My eldest goes on a lot of local theatre trips for gcse drama and they’re sold adding up. Her girlguiding offer several abroad trips which include some community work whilst there (helping in schools etc) and cost almost £3k but we get 18 months to ‘fundraise’ for them which is actively encouraged. Again though only a small group actually go

You make a choice and stick by it.

Like all families - whether they go or not.
I don't agree with taking everbodus choice away. That is most definitely not fair

I've not read the full thread but my kids’ state school does an annual ski trip to N America for similar cost. It is always oversubscribed. I can’t see any reason to get upset about it. It’s not compulsory, if you can’t afford don’t go.

My DC went on a school holiday last year. I admit to being guilt tripped into it with the old "but aallll our friends are going!" and gave in. It was so bloody expensive and took having to work lots of extra hours for me and DH to afford it.

Afterwards, later in the year we took DC for a free 3 night break in the UK during the summer hols in a friend's caravan. DC complained, said it was rubbish and not like our usual family summer holidays. When I explained this is all we could afford after paying for their very expensive school holiday, DC informed us they'd rather have not gone on the school holiday if it meant we could have had our usual type of family holiday. And, as it turned out, most of DCs friends didn't even go anyway and DC ended up spending it with kids from another class that they barely knew or didn't even like.

Another expensive school holiday has come up again this year, which DC want to go on because again, all DCs friends are going!

I've told DC not a chance in hell. I'm not foregoing my own family holiday again for a stupidly expensive school holiday that we had to work extra hours to afford, only for DC to tell us it wasn't that great anyway!

Lesson learned. It's not happening.

Completely agree with you. Just had the same conversation with my son’s school. It’s very unfair. I’ve managed to appease my son with the DofE expedition trip which is UK based and a fraction of the price.

We had an experience trip offered for daughter in college, luckily her friends aren't going.

Twenty five quid insures a child with ongoing medical issues for ten million and wintersports through a school if they join the RPA. No preexisting condition exclusions.

Like to see somebody get cover that cheap for a family. Or at all.

@MrsHamlet which is what I said.

@NatM70 sorry - not sure what you're referring to. The reply function doesn't work.

@Beach1983 Where the heck are they going for that cost?
£3000 is an extortionate amount to pay without meals being included & that sort of cost would have been a massive no-go for our financial situation.

My LG has done a week to Holland, that cost us £700. - inclusive of all meals & excursions - & a week skiing to Italy that cost a similar amount but that was hard for me to afford as a disabled, single parent.

Our school is run by a trust & they have subsidised both trips as much as they could so more kids could go.

I will always try to allow my child to experience these things as it wasn’t something I could do as a child but if I can’t afford it she can’t go.

if It’s a state school then trips are not
compulsory. Essentially if you don’t go then the school has to make up the money elsewhere. This has happened at my school where a parent wants the kid to go but refuses to pay so either we pay or the trip gets cancelled.

What's the educational value? Sounds just like a jolly. 😀

The law is that a hospital has to give emergency treatment to someone who shows up on their doorstep.

That does not mean, say, chemotherapy or anything like that. It means if you show up in some kind of diabetic shock, or with a broken bone sticking out of your leg, or a heart attack, they will stabilize you.

And then you will get a bill for the costs you have incurred, and if you have any income or assets the result could very well be that you will go bankrupt.

A lot of the cost will be going towards the teachers flights etc

Is this for a private school ?

I don't know of any state schools that would organise a 3K school trip

The ski trip at my DC school was only 1K

I wish PP Would confirm if it's with a state or private school because that information is first relevant

It’s literally there in the first post. State school. Followed by hundreds of posts from other parents of state school parents confirming their child’s state school also offer similarly expensive (optional) trips, so it’s not a unique situation.

Luckily for you your wish will come true if you read the OP…