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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think DD's school is being cheeky charging £14 for a school trip

55 replies

Mojomummy · 22/05/2008 22:35

when the entrance fee to the venue is £5.50 ?

Where's the £8.50 of this charge going ?Parents provide normal pack lunch & drinks.

Is this normal ?

OP posts:
SlightlyMadSweet · 22/05/2008 22:35

Transport
Insurance
Teachesrs and parent helpers

edam · 22/05/2008 22:36

It's often the cost of the coach.

TheFallenMadonna · 22/05/2008 22:36

Are they going on a coach?

southeastastra · 22/05/2008 22:36

are they going a long way away?

SlightlyMadSweet · 22/05/2008 22:36

DOes it deffocost £5.50 to get in on a school trip?
If they are having aguide or something it may cost more than a member of the public going.

Collision · 22/05/2008 22:37

we paid £10 for a trip to Bethnal toy museum which is free entry!

It is for insurance and coach etc

SlartyBartFast · 22/05/2008 22:40

did they not give you a breakdown of cost, our school does,

hatrick · 22/05/2008 22:44

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Olihan · 22/05/2008 22:47

Transport and insurance. Coaches are ridiculously expensive, especially if you are going too far for them to come back and do other jobs between your drop off and pick up, or if the trip is running over school run time. Fuel alone for a 54 seater coach will run into £100's.

AFAIK, the cost of parents and teachers isn't usually added to what the children pay as 9/10 times they are free when part of a school group.

When I was teaching I took a group of 45 children to a museum 8 miles away from school, entry was free but the coach cost almost £200. That was 5 years ago and fuel cost probably a third less than it does now. (I remember because I was so at the price of coaches!)

Original poster
Mojomummy · 22/05/2008 22:49

thanks for the feedback, The trip is about 26 miles away & the £5.50 is the price per pupil as part of a group.

No breakdown provided - surely teachers wouldn't be paid extra & neither would parent helpers ?

OP posts:
hatrick · 22/05/2008 22:50

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hatrick · 22/05/2008 22:51

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WendyWeber · 22/05/2008 22:53

I did a thread like this a bit ago, Mm, when DS2's food tech group went on a half-day trip to a local bakery - the bakery part was free but the trip cost £14!!!

The tech teacher actually rang me about it; I've forgotten the details but the coach being out of use during school-run time was a big factor IIRC

DaisySteiner · 22/05/2008 22:55

Don't forget that children can't be excluded if they don't pay, so the price may include paying for a few who don't cough up. And anyway coaches are REALLY expensive!

GodzillasBumcheek · 22/05/2008 23:02

Can kids really not be excluded if they don't pay?
What about overnight trips (4 days, 3nights). That'd be different wouldn't it?

ravenAK · 22/05/2008 23:02

Cor, teachers paid extra, that'd be great!

If you can't/won't pay then the school is obliged to subsidise you.

Coaches are ridiculously dear. We used to do trips where we took the kids on public transport (within local area) to keep the cost down. Can't do it anymore - H&S.

ravenAK · 22/05/2008 23:04

With overnight I believe there's a distinction made between educational & mere jollies (eg. ski trips).

Effectively, however, if there aren't enough parents willing to pay, trips just get cancelled.

ja9 · 22/05/2008 23:04

yep, coaches HUGELY expensive. puts many schools off taking children on ANY trips.

GodzillasBumcheek · 22/05/2008 23:09

Well now i am just miffed, as so far this year, i have paid £8.50 x2 (twins) for one trip, £4.50 x2 for another, £55 x2 for the Year 6 Residential Trip, £6 x2 for sleeping bags (on the kit list), and another £7 for the soft bag to carry the kit in, as we didn't own one!

WendyWeber · 22/05/2008 23:13

£7 for a kit bag? Whatever happened to binliners? (Or do they actually have to lug their stuff about a bit, not just from the coach to the dorm?)

School trips when you have twins is a huge expense, isn't it?

Aimsmum · 22/05/2008 23:13

Message withdrawn

WendyWeber · 22/05/2008 23:14

Maybe they're all subsidised in Scotland?

TheFallenMadonna · 22/05/2008 23:15

DaisySteiner - schools aren't allowed to spread the cost for those who don't pay among those who do.

Our PTA is paying for transport for school trips this year, to keep costs down for parents.

GodzillasBumcheek · 22/05/2008 23:16

Even though we are classed as being in a 'deprived area', bin bags would still be picked on i think! Besides which, a binbag would make the pillow smell gross.

GodzillasBumcheek · 22/05/2008 23:18

not allowed to spread costs...?
This will sound so picky, but on a seaside trip once, each child took a pound to pay for an ice cream. the change was not given back to those who chose a lolly worth less than £1, but the kids who didn't bring any money for whatever reason were given double scoop ice creams out of the change. Also the teachers got double scoopers out of it...