to think that DS2's school is being unfair?

[mumoftwo37]

DS2 attends a small primary school, only one class per year group. This year the school have decided to take all of them to a local amusement park. They say that as everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment that they will heavily subsidise the cost of the bus but we will all have to pay the entrance fee for our child(ren) - Fair enough no problem with that.
This is the bit I think that is unfair - every family has to pay £2.50 towards the bus regardless of how many children you have got. I disagree totally with that, why should I pay as much for one seat as the family down the road who will use 4? It is not the cost it is the principal. Dh says just pay it but I disagree.

So you agreed with the Poll Tax then mumoftwo37? Everybody pays for what they use?

If I had 4 kids it wouldn't bother me if I had to pay 4 lots of entrance fees as it would have been my choice to have had 4 in the first place. I have 2 DCs and happily pay for what I use which is the point not the cost. In the same way as I have a car that seats 5 as that is what I need not a people carrier because i would not use all the seats - but no one is asking me to subsidise that are they?

Uriel yes I did actually as my grandmother had to pay £375 a year under the poll tax but now she has to pay £1200 a year - so how is that fair?

You are not subsidising them. Supposing the cost of the coach was £5 per child. The school are subsidising your child by £2.50. So it is simply that families with more children are subsidised by a bit more. Your money will only be going towards your child!

YABU. It is 2.50!!
Stop being such a tight arse and pay the money

mumoftwo37 in my opinion you are not being unreasonable. You are, however, being bloody ridiculous. It's £2.50. Two pounds bloody fifty. Don't you have more pressing things to get your knickers in a twist about. Perhaps it is unfair? But that's life. Sometimes things aren't going to go YOUR way. Your OP makes you sound like a spoiled brat whose brother got one more sweet that her. Get over it. Pay your £2 sodding 50 and feel glad your children go to a primary school who is happy to heavily subsidise their pupils.

What Hatrick said.

You are coming across as a bit stingy

Just pay it, it's a contribution, not the actual cost.

I grew up with 3 brothers and things like amusement parks were just not an option for us as a family, once you add up 2 adult and 4 child tickets to get in anywhere it's prohibitively expensive. If a bit of extra help with the coach costs means big families can go, then that's a positive.

You're not paying any more because this other family has 4 children, are you? Every family is paying the same. I really reallly can't see the problem!

It actually won't be a fab trip for the whole school as the park is aimed at the under 10's and DS2 and most of his class are nearly 12. We have taken it to the head and she has said that she can't let us with only 1 child club together as a family and only pay £2.50 per 3 children as the cost of the coach wouldn't be covered which is what angered me more than anything.
FWIW I would rather they didn't subsidise the coach, they never normally do, and use the funds to relpace the ageing books, playground equip etc instead.
BTW not many families at the school "can't afford it" as it is on a military base and about 85% of families live in married quarters, so the funding is not the issue.

It sounds like you've been standing around in the playground whinging about this and whipping yourselves up into a frenzy- all for £2.50 (and a 'principle')

'Forming a family' with 2 other families? Sheesh..

So you don't want them to subsidise the coach, and want them to buy books and playground equipment with that money instead?

Why did you go in to school and try to get the subsidised cost reduced even further, rather than offer to pay the true cost of the place on the coach, then?

And I think 11 year olds may still get benefit out of going somewhere that is aimed at under 10s.
Perhaps they'd rather stay at school and do work for the day?

Just keep your child at home. Problem sorted.

Can't believe you asked the Head if you could club together - I hope this isn't the last time the school tries to organize a treat for the children!

Happystory I would love to stand around somewhere - I am actually in a wheelchair and have NEVER taken my DS's to this school.
It was the other paretns who approached me- we have big things to outlay at the moment like £45 for PE kit for new school, blazers, unifroms, bags etc for a school with a very srtict uniform policy. It should not be presumed that as we have only one child at that school we can afford more than a family who has 4 children there.
I will pay it but I still think the school is being unfair as do many other paretns.

Lol at 'form a family'- how much would you save then?
This is ridiculous

I bet the headteacher can't belive your cheek

But you're NOT paying any more - you're paying the same. [beating head against a brick wall emoticon]

But you're not paying more are you? You're paying the same for the coach and obviously less for entrance fees.

It's £2.50!!!!

Couldn't you claim the whole school was one big family and pay 2.50 for all of the seats?
I bet you take a calculator to restaurants to work out the bill

I think you're utterly selfish. How can you possibly grudge £2.50 for a fantastic trip? Just think yourself lucky that if you had 4 you could send the lot of them for £2.50 instead of having to decide which ones you could afford to send and which ones would miss it, because you can't afford to send all of them, and there are so many selfish parents who insist that they shouldn't have to pay so much for one child. Sad sad sad.

I have an 11 year old who is physically too tall to be comfortable on the rides and FWIW 11 year olds do want to go to theme parks with bigger, better rides which is why every other year they have taken the Year 6's on a more age approriate trip.