To not want to have to find more than £200 for a school trip in january....

[filthymindedvixen]

Ye gods, does anyone have any spare cash in January??

And to make matters worse, ds2's birthday is end of october, dh and mum are mid december and ds1's is right before xmas.

We are skint already and the idea of having to find £200 for this trip is making me feel quite sick.

I can't go and plead poverty as i am a governor and it would be utterly mortifying.

I would talk to thehead, I suspect there will be a few people who would be very grateful if you do.

We know from when they start middle school that there is a residential trip in year 6 and year 7, so have a long long time to budget. I do think that especially in the current economic climate which has taken a lot of people unawares, this will cause problems for a few families. I know at least 2 girls in DD's class whose parents would most definitely not be able to afford this if presented with the timescale you have been given.. I do understand why the head has chosen January but think she might be not fully aware of the implications it might have for some. If you go armed with ideas I'm sure that will help.

mmmm tricky question that one fmv. DS1 not allowed to interact with playground/field games (which he wasn't) due to his recovering broken arm which he had only had his full cast off 8 days.

Some of his classmates (Yr6) were playing a banned game (take down bulldog) - god knows what the on duty teacher was doing when they should have been watching. One of his friends was on the ground and hurt, DS1 went over to make sure friend ok, friend got up pushed over DS1 and then jumped on him. Friend admits to pushing but then he said he tripped over DS1 even though a number of witnesses say different.

Unfortunately, the mum of the boy was a friend of mine and she was having none of it, but then appeared at my door the same evening with her DH and DS and said they had got it out of him and yes he was to blame for pushing but no jumping on.

So the 2nd injury compromised the 1st injury hence not being able to go (consultants decision).

FWIW - we are still waiting to get our money back from the insurance company. (The residential happened in June)

I've got to pay £200 for a trip in October so I know who you feel!

The school will let parents pay in installments.

Children who don't go are normally allocated to other classes (in my experience) and join in with their work or sometimes some is organised by the class teacher.

By all means speak to the head. Maybe the timing of the trip could be changed next year.

I really sympathise and the timing is horrific in January.

We are just starting to get into this with dd1. God knows what it's going to be like when our twins are old enough for all this.

I think you can say if it's too much but how this works I couldn't say. It's going to be humiliating uncomfortable for me to have to go in and say it, but it may come to that.

Also, if you have to redirect money you may have spent on Christmas, well I think that it is too much for a school trip to be dictating what sort of Christmas you have fgs .

That's unfair. We had until march and paid £200 for a 2 night trip! Dread it when my twins go, it will be double!!

It's not unfair. It'll depend on payment deadlines re the holiday company. It's unfortunate.

So what happens if someone really cannot afford to go? They stay behind like Cinderella? God how awful

I would do a combination of things:

1. Talk to the head. Explain teh situation, bad timing, everyone is feeling the pinch etc, and see if he/she is willing to let the whole class go on a supervised bag packing activity at a Supermarket to raise funds. If they raise a decent amount the trip will cost less for everyone.
2. Could you volunteer to go on the trip in return for a slightly reduced fee?
3. Invite all family members / friends to pay towards the trip. If they feel the need to 'give' ds something tangible let them create attractive vouchers along the lines of '£10 towards your outward bound trip'. My BIL and SIL did this to fund dear niece's trip to New York with her school drama club.
4. Post leaflets around the neighbourhood stating that your ds has decided he wants to be a bit more independent adn feel he has paid for the trip himself (thereby not advertising to the neighbourhood that you are skint) adn that he is offering to dogwalk, cat feed, car wash, lawn mow etc in return for a small contribution.
5. Put a large jar in teh kitchen labelled 'outward Bounds Trip' and get all family members to think of ways to save money and place the saved money into the jar. So if your vice is a choccie bar from teh corner shop, have a digestive biscuit from the packet at home and put the 50p or however much a choccie bar is into the jar.

The above are all I can think of. I am really sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs.
We too are really skint and ds's school trips are usually in Feb, so we have the same problem. (there are rumours that this year the trip is over Easter so I have some breathing space )

The alternative, tsar, is for primary schools to scrap trips which might actually be something worth considering.

It's really not that awful for the kids who stay behind. They miss out on the chat when everyone is back at school again but that all settles down pretty quickly.

Parents at my son's school were recently given a letter regarding a 5 day outward bound residential stay.

£290.00 per child!. Someone I think is doing very well on the expenses.

I would agree as well that it is not that awful for the children who stay behind.

In your situation FMV I would have a word with the Headteacher on Monday. It is sad to me that the only light in your son's school world is this trip - why is school for him so awful?.

I really don't understand why residential trips are now the norm for primary age kids. There was nothing and I mean nothing at all like this when I was at school (70s) ..... the most adventurous trip was to Calais for the day. Even in high school, the only residential trips I can recall were geography field trips for those doing geography specifically and school skiing trips, during half term, not term time, which were a "nice to have" (therefore, nowhere near all the class went) and definitely not touted as being imperative for the curriculum.

So why has it changed now ? Has a proliferation of various types of "centres" geared towards kids sprung up in the last 30 years ? Is it now considered that activities outside of school (which I agree can be fun, informative, attention-grabbing etc) are only worthwhile if spread over several days ? Is it taken for granted that all families these days have much more disposable income than our parents did ?

I have a fundamental problem with these trips in so far that for many families they're simply not affordable yet most will feel obliged to scrape the money up from somewhere so their child doesn't "miss out". (..... and define "miss out". Miss out on what exactly ? Some vital part of the curriculum, the social element or what). There's the well-worn argument that payment isn't compulsory but we all know that if "enough contributions aren't received, the trip will be unable to go ahead" so you go without in order not to spoil everyone's fun by refusing to pay ...... very few feel confident enough to approach school directly and say "I can't afford this" or "I can only afford so much" and frankly, why should you have to dissect and/or justify the limits of your household income to the school ?

I know kids enjoy going away with their friends etc etc., and "bring topics alive" blah di blah but are these trips really vital to their education ?? I tend to think that at the end of the day they are a "nice to have" rather than an imperative part of learning and I confess I do feel as if I am being emotionally blackmailed each time such a trip is proposed.

It's not always as simple as breaking stuff like this down into "only" £10 a week or whatever, if you don't have that £10 each and every week.

In the 1970s, we played outside from dawn till dusk, climbed trees, disappeared into woods, and paddled in the river. They don't do that nowadays, so there is a place for sanitised risk via outward bound courses.

They did have PGL when I was in primary school in the early 70s, btw.

I went to primary in the mid 70s and went on an activity week.

The PTA fundraising at DS's schoold goes towards a fund to make the Yr 6 trip accessible and affordable for all - the money isn't spread equally across all years, afai, but since the school makes a big thing of the trip, all the children look foward to when it is thier turn to go.

I would talk to the Head and see whether school fundraising can be prioritised.

You can't be the only parent who would find this very very hard.

Our junior school only does it in year 6 (to Kingswood in Norfolk) so you know it's coming up. It's a good taster for children who have never been away from home and you know the adults who will be looking after them.

The other local primary school does these trips in yrs 4,5 and 6 so v.expensive for parents

My ds went on a trip which cost £320. I had to find £200 (which my mum paid) the school paid the other £120. he had a week at the outward bound centre in Bude which he loved!!!!!!!!!!!

oh Atilla, that is a whole other story. You know some children are just awkward different? He loves people, is popular and sociable and and bright but learning difficulties mean he is often frustrated and feels patronised (he wants to discuss the meaning of life and instead he has to write C.A.T out a zillion times )
Plus he is just one of those people who hates organised group activities which is basically school is 99 per cent all about.

anyway, sympathies to those in a similar situation. I shall try and speak to head tomorrow. Thanks to all for your thoughts.

Residential school trips perhaps are 'Worth considering'. Maybe.

But not they're essential and certainly not worth the angst and worry that finding the money causes some families.

Fmv how old is your ds who is going on this trip? Reason ask is that my local charity shop (you know the hospice one on the corner in Bilton)sells kids clothes at 10p each!!! Can you believe it? I am in there every week If I know his size if I see any jeans/t shirts/sweaters etc I can get them for you and drop them off.

Then when they get covered in mud it won't matter!

DD YR6 is off to France on Wednesday for 3 days. Its cost us £180. I do know they enjoy it but £180 for 3 days!

DrN, thank you! But I stocked up pretty well for his last trip so clothes aren't a problem (unless they tell me I need to buy hiking boots or something. Last time, they provided them)

(however, on the off chance they have anything cool for a skinny 10.5 year old, I may make a point of going for a mooch sometime )

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