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!

We've just paid nearly 13k for the four of us to go to south africa for two weeks so that doesn't seem totally out of the way! Schools will only run trips if they are financially viable, for a trip like that there are usually very few places available.

This is not a new thing, there were very expensive trips when I was at school many years ago. My parents just said no, it wasn’t a big deal even though most of my friends did go.

Sorry went to sleep and all these comments! I can’t reply to all of these but of course I don’t expect the teachers to go for free, it’s in half term so in their own time but even with paying a portion towards the teachers it still seems expensive!! Also I absolutely would not want to go to NY with loads of teenagers for a week if I was a teacher, sounds like absolute hell so I’m surprised many want to go!

this has reassured me I’m not being unreasonable saying no, we could afford it at a squeeze but we have a family holiday to pay for this year and it would be tricky to pay for both, I would rather go as family in a couple of years!

I’m 35 and these sort of trips were completely normal when I was at secondary school, they’re not new, so I don’t really get the faux outrage. If its too expensive for your family just don’t sign up, we couldn’t afford the day trips, but we didn’t throw a strop and demand that school only did trips we could afford.

My school did a yearly ski trip which was always over subscribed, a trip to iceland was offered to those studying GCSE geography, for those studying languages or history a combined trip to Germany and what was still Czechoslovakia (our school only offered German for MfL), those doing music, drama or performing arts were offered a trip to NY which included a full day session with the cast of a broadway show, watching the show, basketball game and meeting the players etc. Our school was a standard comprehensive in Mansfield, the trips would always be full.

Yes, but the company factor the cost of those teacher places into what they charge per student. It's still covering the teachers place, just not calculated by the school.

Seems a shame to want to ban these trips because some can’t afford it. Sort of lowest common denominator. If you can’t afford it don’t go. Might suit some families who can / granny might pay / they save up so one child can go on a long haul trip as they couldn’t afford to go as a family. We live in a capitalist society and that’s how it works.

@Simonjt its more that I feel like the trip is not good value, looking online it seems get expensive compared to what I could book. We could afford it at a squeeze but I do feel for families that genuinely can’t, as those kids miss out, that’s all!

I couldn’t afford the trip to alton towers, the zoo, or the trip to London, there will always be people who can’t go, that doesn’t mean that should be a reason to limit the choices of those who can afford it.

Last year we did not have a family holiday overseas partly because we paid for two residential school trips instead. One for each child.
As before both experiences they wouldn't otherwise have had. Including being away with friends with out parents...which gives them a bit more freedom without being left entirely to own devices.

I personally think they get so much out of these trips I will happily give up my own holiday if they get to do something like this....but we can only really afford two per child through secondary school. So they don't go on every trip offered.

Those mentioning fundraising, I'm not sure that's the best way either.
There were fundraising bag packers in my Tesco a couple of years back, and I agreed to mine doing her stuff. When chit-chatting I found out that the fundraising was for an independent school netball tour to China. I gave her my quid because it wasn't her fault but really? When my own kids' holiday was in Wales?

Ha yes that is definitely cringe making. Also hate that packing thing I pack my own bags sod off!

A school I worked in used to do really expensive or really low cost/free. I thought the expensive ones were a bit odd but as hardly any went on them they didn’t cause problems. A medium cost trip would have caused far more problems because lots of people would be able to go and only some would be left out.

Try having twins.

My dc school do ski trips to Canada at £2700 each ( spending money obvs not included)
They hype the kids up by having an assembly about how amazing the trip will be then send them home to ask parents.
Pisses me off no end - the email is enough parents can talk to kids if they can afford it they’ll pay.
The trip is always full. No idea why it has to be Canada when there’s so many European ski resorts?!

My sons school is organising a trip to USA and Canada. They are going to New York to see the world trade centre memorial, Washington to see the Capitol, and then Canada to see Niagra falls, where they are going on the lady of the mist. They gave us 2 years notice and it is expected to cost £2k-2.3k. They are going for 14 days.

None of my other children have wanted to go on any school trips but he does, so he is forgoing his pocket money and Christmas and birthday presents for 2 years to go on it. It is his choice. I actually thought the price wasn't too bad for what they are doing.

My school did that.

So I never went on the skiing trip or trip to NY. I also like most of my classmates never asked my parents to go.

@StrangewaysHereWeCome I hate the fundraising part - particularly when it's events aimed at the wider school community, parents (of kids going and not going), teachers, and other staff. No I'm not donating money to fund a school trip for someone else's child!

YABU. If you can’t afford to go, that’s just life.

Why should those who can afford to go miss out just because some can’t?

I used to give them a small donation specifically to not pack any of my shopping!

My husband and I are going to New York for a week flying upper class and it’s £5k for both of us. Seems very high !

It's totally unaffordable for a lot of families. There is no way we could afford that. One of the schools in my region does a trip abroad to "help" that costs £5k. It's an insane amount of money.

This happened in the 80s
..ski ing. My parents couldn't afford it I know so I never asked. My best friend went every year ski ing with the school. Just accepted it. I doubt many can afford to go.

School trips have really gone up in price in the last couple of years, several of ours aren’t running this year because they’re just too much.

What people don’t realise about school trips though is often families save up to pay for one kid to go on this because they can’t afford to go as a family.

I always find it weird when schools do trips that are nothing to do with the curriculum they're covering. I get the kids will have great time but they're always crazily expensive!

Because some kids would otherwise never travel abroad