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!

My dds school did an expensive trip....dd came home desperate to go and apparently lots of her friends were going. They weren't...they were just all hoping they'd persuade their parents!

Are their friends really all going though? Is it a curriculum trip (unacceptable in my view) or just an extra like skiing or to go to a theme park or New York or something? Probably during a holiday? In which case, I think it’s ok to offer it as only a small group will go.

Well isn't that why it's unfair? They're offering something so wildly expensive that only a small group will have parents who can afford it. That seems unfair to most of the children, and to their parents. Again - £3,000 for 8 days? 😳

But it’s not - hence my post with the amount we paid this year for trips.

My son is going on a school trip to Japan, which is 2 weeks, and including spending money is $5500 AUD. It is a lot but it includes 1 week homestay with a family and attending a Japanese school which I think will be a great experience for him. I have a separate savings account for holidays so it doesn’t impact our budget too much.

the school offered limited places to the trip, students had to offer expressions of interest to attend and then they were chosen based on behaviour, Japanese grades ect.

Im not sure I would send him just to NY though for almost double the cost. I’d rather go as a family to someplace like that.

@Cattymonster but there are always kids at school who go on fancy holidays and kids who don't? Just with their families.

That is really expensive!

it can go the other way though. My dd is in y7 and her school only offer a skiing trip, nothing else y7-9. That wouldn’t suit dd and most don’t get a place anyway as they don’t offer that many places. I would actually like her to go on trips and would find the money if it was a good opportunity.

same at primary - just one 2-night residential in y6. I wish they could have offered more. I think it’s hard for schools to get it right.

Of course, but parents are expected to cater only for their families. Schools should be aiming at something that isn't going to be possible for just a tiny minority of the children they're catering for.

Duh, I meant shouldn't, of course.

Ds was allowed to put his Pupil Premium towards trips. This was banked each year if no trip. The 3 years he was at the school every trip he applied for was over-subscribed so he didn’t get to go on one. He then moved to another school as previous one was shit! Wasn’t allowed to transport it. So in his 5 years at secondary he never got to go on a trip! Can’t even remember him going on a bloody day trip!
Luckily he was in scouting and where didn’t he go with them?! ❤️ Many PGLs, local camps, seaside, Cornwall, London, Gilwell, Switzerland, Lincolnshire Poacher and all sorts. And they never ever overcharged. Actually, for the Switzerland one they fundraised doing various things, carparking at events, bag-backing, quiz nights, bingo, car-washing, craft fayres meaning I didn’t actually contribute financially to that one at all - just a lot of time, arranging things and transporting him around 😉

The costs of everything has risen and trips are becoming really tough to organise. Not to mention utterly exhausting to run. I'm finding the quotes for coach travel to and from destinations in the UK is running into the thousands this year before you even add any accommodation or activities.

That is ridiculously expensive

@ILJ28
The ratio of 5 teachers to 20 children that you suggest is very extravagant. I’ve taken quite a few overseas trips and usually work with 1:8 or 1:10 if I can. And that’s to keep the costs to parents down. It’s hard work for the staff and you’re on duty 24:7 so they earn their places.

This trip does look very expensive to me. I’ve found the price of overseas school travel has risen tremendously since the pandemic. It’s hard to compare costs with a family holiday. Generally group travel is booked through an agent. They don’t tend to use low cost airlines (though I have worked with an agent using EasyJet). And they take their fee.

All the same, I’ve seen similar trips advertised for much less.

As for spending money, I’d say it should be absolutely minimal with the overall cost as high as it is. It should be all inclusive at that price.

Not just the cost that I think is wrong (and I do think it is for reasons previous outlined) but in the case of DDs school there is a whiff of poverty tourism about them too - a week in South America to help build a school in a poor village. What, so there aren't the same opportunities to make a difference for kids less privileged closer to home? You have to go all that way to teach teamwork/leadership skills?

Then there is the carbon footprint...

That's really unnecessary, especially in the current economic climate. It seems to me that state schools are often worse for this than private schools.

Insurances, travel to and from airports either side (ever hired a coach? It's super expensive), travel.around city, tour organiser/admin fees, local taxes, etc

The school don't want to take 150 kids to NYC , they'll want to take 30 maximum.

Ugh I fucking hate trips where 15 year olds go to help "build schools" or "teach English"
And they all pose around holding a tiny black child....

As if a 15yo has any fucking contribution to make to building a school? Or can teach a kid to read in 5 days?

I always refuse to support any child doing this!

Why the F are they going to one of the most expensive and dangerous cities on the planet for a school trip? Are they all hoping to see Spiderman while they are there???

I would gauge very carefully based on what other parents are doing, and reach out to them. If everybody else goes then this would be a big deal for your DC, but at this price I doubt that is the case,

Maybe organise some other coordinated activities for all the kids that don't go to New York, but push the boat out a bit so they feel like they are having a special time too?

We feel for you as parents. Our Dept. tried to get a 2 night London visit organised for this academic year and the company wanted £600 per pupil based on 35 children going. That was the cheapest quote for the visit. Needless to say, only 10 pupils put their names down for it so we had to pull it.

Having organised or been involved with trips to wider Europe and USA over many years in the past which have proved very good value, I think the travel companies are genuinely taking the piss now.

I remember my child wanting to go. I told them that they needed to earn £50 a week over a year, if they could get £200 for the deposit they could pay it within the 30 day allowed but they would need to earn it plus the rest.
They never mentioned it again....

@tachetastic
I’ve toured NY with school parties twice and it was absolutely fine. We had no issues and actually felt very safe there, even in crowds and on the subway. The only place I would never return to either with pupils or as a family is Barcelona.

It's disgusting imo. Schools can barely afford loopaper these days. What the f are they thinking. Are they not in touch with reality?

That is a ridiculous amount and unless your children are at the most expensive private school, i’d say its very out of touch to arrange a trip at that cost. Im all for school trips abroad and there will always be a certain percentage of the school year that its out of the question for, but surely at that price, it would be most of the year saying no.

We spend 3-4K on the main (and only) abroad family holiday of the year. I know what I would rather spend my money on for the kids.

To be clear I love New York and have visited many, many times.

But as a school I would view it objectively as a high risk place to take a whole bunch of kids that weren't mine.

Exactly. I’ve been 3 times. Last one with my 5yo. No I’d not be happy of him visiting it in a school trip too much responsibility for the adults going with them , too many risks that I don’t think are worth it.