Can't afford Dd's very expensive school trip

[Wario54]

My DD is 15 and in year 10 at the moment. We live a deprived part of the North of England. She goes to a local, state comprehensive

My DH has had his hours reduced at work in recent months. I work part time in retail (can't get anymore hours unfortunately - I have asked). Like a lot of families, we're financially struggling to keep our heads above water. But we get by (somehow) and I never take the little things for granted (that we have each other, food on the table and a roof over our heads). We've not told our kids about our financial worries - they know there isn't much spare money but not about the extent of our problems.

Dd has come home tonight with a letter and great excitement about another school trip. They had a guest speaker today (external travel company) in assembly today enthusing them about a trip to Borneo of all places. It's 4 weeks long and the cost is £6,500. Currently planned for June/July 2027 (just after her GCSE'S). They are expected to fundraise some of the cost themselves (bake sales, sponsored walks etc) but we will have to pay the majority if she's to go.

She said today that she'll get a Saturday job to cover some of the cost herself. But even with that, taken into account we just can't afford it. It breaks my heart, because I'd love to give her that opportunity but I know we simply can't.

She's full of excitement about trekking through the jungle and cuddling Orangutans. But how do I tell her when she's already set her heart on it? 😢

I just think the school are being completely ridiculous by offering such an expensive trip in a cost of living crisis.

@JoannaTheYodelingCowgirl My DDs went to private boarding schools and this wasn’t offered! They did do cultural exchanges but you just paid the airfare and they went to a different school abroad for a term. The girls from that school came here and we took them out on the weekends they were not in school. So it wasn’t that expensive. Only 8 did it in y9.

There were subject trips and sports trips. My DDs weren’t sporty but these trips were the big ticket items and it was every 2 years. Hockey trip was to Australia etc. All the trips were optional but in a state school, I would not expect a £6,500 to be offered unless it was a wealthy area. If dc go, then it’s not a deprived area! The big mistake is the sell to pupils and not an optional presentation to interested pupils and parents in the evening.

It's a shame the school has chosen such an expensive destination- I did a 'World Challange' trip at school, it was to a European country for 10 days and far far cheaper. I really enjoyed it all, but £6.5k would have been out of the question

I love in the poorer part of an extremely well off area. The Borneo trip is £4500. I know because all the kids are fundraising and you buy crap to try and support them. I did get some lovely earrings though.

It is basically a scam. You pay a ridiculous sum to volunteer on a project that doesn't really want you there but I'm sure they want your ludicrous amount of money. I can't believe your version wants £2000 more.

Where I live, the idea is that it's entirely funded by the kids doing various fundraising activities. It shouldn't need to be funded by part-time jobs or parents although I'm not naive and agree with you that this is probably what happens for some. However, I think most of the kids around here do succeed in raising the money through sponsored walks and selling homemade items.

However, I think most of the kids around here do succeed in raising the money through sponsored walks and selling homemade items.

So effectively paid for by parents

Yep, tapping the adults around them for some of their disposable income. Of course that works much better when said adults have money in the first place.

I work with ALN kids and would go with them. I have taken 30 10 yo to Italy with other adults. Not everyone finds kids a hardship

Those are very different prospects though. Nobody said that all kids are a hardship, but I remember the shenanigans that happened on my school trips.

In fact, a key selling point of my own holidays is not being responsible for loads of children. It’s definitely work, and they definitely shouldn’t be paying to be there.

@nicepotoftea No. sold to the public!

Last school trip I remember was a trip to Calais for £25 if I remember right. A small fortune for the time !

What an utter garbage reply
Almost all good schools operate such a scheme
The school governors are usually aware that some families need financial assistance to ensure their children can participate in such potentially life-changing experiences

It sounds as though all the children at the school would struggle to find this money. Do schools really have that much spare cash?

Unless they are very well made goods (who is paying for the materials?) that people actually want, the people buying will be family and friends.

People don't tend to randomly sponsor people they don't know to go on holiday.

"life changing" The amount of money we are talking about could be life changing for the parents. I think this is all nonsense. The child is 15, why does her life need anything "life changing" and if she does why can't it be "life changing" at a summer school camp in the UK?

Schools will not fund such an expensive trip that is not necessary for three students' education. Schools have barely money to cover essential trips and resources for the students in financial need! I know schools who can't support financially families with a lot cgeaper non essential trips! In the order of a few hundred, not a few thousand!

@snowmichael Not for this sort of trip they don’t! What school has this amount tucked in its back pocket for trips of this magnitude. They must ensure dc take part in trips that are part of the curriculum. They have a fees and remissions policy for this. However the sums available are relatively modest and are not intended for optional trips like this or skiing for example. Clearly most dc in the uk do not go on these trips. Out of interest, if 15 dc wanted to go, where do you think nearly £100,000 would come from? Pp money? The idea is dc get sponsored or work or serve it altogether as the overwhelming majority do! They cannot tap up the school for money. This trip is 100% optional.

I've never been aware of private companies coming into any of the schools that I worked in, but they were all Scottish secondaries and (apart from when I was on teaching practice) were all in areas with Multiple Indicators of Deprivation.

It's all good and well and telling the child they have to save every penny and fundraise, but it's the parents that has to sign up, pay the deposit and pay by direct debit each month. If the child can't or doesn't fundraise, the parent is on the hook for the payment each month. If the child decides they don't want to go months down the line, you've lost all that money you've already paid. To me it seems scammy. Feels like they know kids will sign up with all the promises of working and fundraising and 6 months in get bored and drop out and the company has all this money for nothing.
It would be a straight up no for me

I’m probably too late to the party for anyone to be interested in this but I wanted to chat to my niece before posting. She works for a company which arranges school trips.

She says her company do NOT go into schools cold selling. They have a few ready made examples of trips on their website but most of the trips they do are tailored to what the school wants. She herself works with schools to put a package together tailored to their wants and budget.

All the trips they put together are teacher accompanied for 16 and under but there are some 17+ trips which are dealt with by local guides. She says they do not touch charity tourism/voluntourism. She wasn’t surprised that a 4 week trip to Borneo would be £6,500 but said she’s almost certain there wouldn’t be any Orang cuddling and wondered what would take 4 weeks to add to the youngsters’ education.

She says her favourite trips to put together are mostly European, language/cultural/geographical trips. She’s done quite a few where the youngsters do immersive language ‘lessons’ geared to them then going to the local shops and markets to buy ingredients for cooking lessons, and cultural visits to interactive museums where they can engage with the presenters. On some of the trips the youngsters are able to stay with families rather than in hostels.

She also said they have a cheaper alternative to the expensive Geological ‘experience’ of Iceland where they go to Sicily to see Etna and other geological sites.

Yes, the teachers’ costs are incorporated in the costs for the youngsters but that is because the teachers are working, it isn’t expected to be a holiday for them and the schools she works with make sure the teachers are fully occupied !

I just wanted to add a different perspective.

Yes, the teachers’ costs are incorporated in the costs for the youngsters but that is because the teachers are working, it isn’t expected to be a holiday for them

Do the teachers get paid for this
'Working'? Or just a flight and a bed?

Teachers will be paid their normal salary but the cost of their accommodation and travel will be incorporated into the cost which is split between the pupils. Teachers aren’t paid any extra for taking residential trips and don’t usually get any time back in lieu either.

I’m not sure why you have put working into inverted commas either, have you ever taken responsibility for teenager away from home where you are on duty 24/7? Residential trips are a lot of fun but they are a huge responsibility too and these types of trips only happen because of the goodwill of the staff who agree to go.

🥱

Been covered multiple times already. No they are not paid. They will be working for free for the entire trip. No weekends/days off to holiday. On call all night, every night. For free. No pay. Nada.

@Yesimmoaningaboutbenefits They are paid - teachers have an annual salary. If the trip is exclusively in the non teaching holidays, then they have given up their holidays. If it’s term time, they are paid as part of their salary and its contact time plus plus plus! Of course the hours are longer but professional people find this is standard for many jobs on occasions. Most trips are a week or less and the flights and accommodation are paid for. Teachers volunteer for this. They aren’t forced on trips.

I’ve just been reading my old school’s annual magazine for 2024/25. Lots of teachers and pupils writing with admiration for each other when participating on many trips. I’m fairly certain it was genuine and everyone seemed to get a lot out of them - from fancy dress competitions to joyous meals together and karaoke. They even did a 2 day trip to CERN! Lots of laughs as well as learning. I’m sure some sour teachers hate the dc, but it’s not universal.

This trip is in the holidays, so no they are not paid.
Even in term time, residentials take you well beyond the 1265 contracted hours so are not paid.
Teachers are well and truly used to, and expected to do unlimited overtime without additional pay or toil, but residential trips go well above and beyond the usual 60hr working week. Not to mention, not having 1 day off in 7 whilst on residentials could get the school as the employer into a lot of hot water.
A few teachers volunteer. Most are told/expected (especially if it's their class). Others are begged, pleaded and guilt tripped into giving up their holidays and free time to work for free.

Residentials and oversees trip run purely on good will. Some are enjoyable for the staff, but they are not worth the (lack of) renumeration. If staff volunteer, they volunteer solely because they know the kids will get something out of it. It is not a 'good deal' for the teacher.

My dc went on trips where all the teachers volunteered to run the trip. It’s that simple. Maybe some teachers put dc first? Maybe they volunteer because dc are decent people and they like dc? Most professionals work long hours! It’s part of the job to do more and not get extra pay or toil. As a school governor I’ve found teachers enthusiastic! I applaud that they are. It makes school life better for everyone.

No teacher is required to accompany a trip like this either. The teachers allowed the company in and they want it to happen presumably? And they want to go or they would not have even thought about it. They get a free place and younger teachers love these trips! They are not full of badly behaved dc. They are often very engaged nearly adult dc. It’s entirely different to a subject trip for y7.

This isn't a "school trip". A school trip is a trip for a group of children from one school, usually the majority of children from a particular year group. Those who don't go might well feel a bit left out.

This is a private World Challenge trip for young people. A small minority of pupils from your daughter's year group might go, but I'm sure it won't be more than a handful. She won't be feeling left out. All her friends will not be going. It's really unfortunate that the presentation in assembly has given the false impression that this could be a realistic prospect for any more than a tiny minority.