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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the school should not be organising an art trip to New Bleedin' York?

122 replies

BitOfFun · 24/09/2009 17:47

The latest from dss (14)- "Dad, can I go on a trip with the Art class to New York next year?"...at an approximate cost of £800

The teachers have apparently said they expect him to sign up for it as his dad is an artist...

Incidentally, he is also going on a school ski trip at a similar cost, and has more holidays than Alan Whicker as it is (although his dad and I haven't been away for three years).

AIBU to think that as we live in a city with an amazing galleries, including the greatest collection of Pre-Raphaelite Art probably in Europe, not to mention a superb branch of the Tate, that the school is taking the bleeding piss?

Who dreams up these crazy ideas?

If they want a jolly for the Department, what's wrong with Paris, even?

Blimey...

OP posts:
Original poster
BitOfFun · 24/09/2009 18:21

I don't think £800 for any school trip is ok, but his dad and mum have already agreed to split the cost and let him go on that one. I don't think skiing is especially educational, but at least you can't do that for the price of hiring a bus to the city centre. Why New York?

OP posts:
said · 24/09/2009 18:21

Our maths teacher always used to organise a trip to London when we were at school because if he got x amount he went free and he could go to the only shop in UK for his specialist camera equipment. We were just left to roam London as we wished - was great.

Squishabelle · 24/09/2009 18:24

Dd went to NY (Geography trip! this time) 4 years ago. Cost about £500 for only three nights. At the time I found similar trips considerably cheaper. I suspect the parents WERE being charged for the teachers. The rest of the family went without holiday that year. Wouldnt do it again or recommend anyone else to.

Dd2s school has cancelled two planned trips for next year (sensible).

The whole thing is getting out of hand and should be stopped (esp the skiing trips).

lynniep · 24/09/2009 18:25

I think its outrageous actually. I dont think its even acceptible for the school to offer trips like that. There is just no need for it. They can do all this stuff after they've finished school if they can afford it themselves. £800 is more than we'd pay for a family holiday once a year and we're not badly off. (although DS still small) Education isn't about going off on jollies, and whilst jollies are lovely and fun, there are plenty of options that dont involve a shedload of money and a long flight.

Hulababy · 24/09/2009 18:25

No, teachers don't generally pay to go on school trips. They go as part of their work. They do not get paid overtime for the additional time they are there either. They, in effect, work for free for the hours instead, in order to give your children the trip opportnity (be that me a residential 10 miles away or a trip to New York).

Why New York? Who knows? You'd have to speak to the organising teacher. Maybe there is something specific they wish to see that is there.

IME New York would not be wasted on a 14y anyway. My 7yo loved New York this year, so can't see why a 14y wouldn't.

RustyBear · 24/09/2009 18:30

SqueezyCheese - when you went to Windermere, was it Lakeside YMCA? Because our Y6 are currently spending 5 days there, and it's now £360.

TsarChasm · 24/09/2009 18:30

This school trip thing is getting waaaay beyond a joke. School says jump - we say how high

'Why New York? Who knows? You'd have to speak to the organising teacher. Maybe there is something specific they wish to see that is there.' Bloomingdales?

Hulababy · 24/09/2009 18:32

Tsar - have you supervised a school trip? I have, although not one to New York granteed. However, after 4 days I was knackered. It was so tiring. You are on duty constantly and it is blooming hard work! And at 14y I imigine that in New York the children will need to be supervised.

SqueezyCheese · 24/09/2009 18:34

Rusty - I think it could have been? Long time ago, hard to remember. It was like a huge old sandstone house (possibly red sandstone) with lots of ground right next to the water. All the rooms were made into dorms. We did adventure stuff like abseiling and gorge walking.

And.....we were only allowed to take a maximum of £20 spending money to last the whole week

I wonder how much you'd need for a week in NY?

katiestar · 24/09/2009 18:34

YANBU.Do they not understand the economic reality outside their cushioned ,comfortably pensioned public sector world !

DS1s school have organised atrip to Namibia for £3,500 (per child !)

said · 24/09/2009 18:35

So why are schools doing them if it's knackering for teachers and most parents are anti?

katiestar · 24/09/2009 18:37

I think they prefer to be knackered in NY than in Wales

Original poster
BitOfFun · 24/09/2009 18:38

I don't doubt teachers work extremely hard on school trips. I still struggle to see how the school can justify wiping out a family's yearly holiday budget on an expensive trip across the Atlantic when they could go and see some amazing modern art merely a few miles away, or perhaps enjoy a little slideshow if it's Andy Blardy Warhol.

OP posts:
TsarChasm · 24/09/2009 18:39

Lol. Too right.

Good lord katie did I just read your post correctly. A £3500 school trip?!!

Original poster
BitOfFun · 24/09/2009 18:41

Three and a half grand??!!

OP posts:
thesunshinesbrightly · 24/09/2009 18:44

think i shall start saving now or take out a loan

CurlyhairedAssassin · 24/09/2009 18:48

Blimey, BitofFun, I'm in Liverpool too, but my two are still at primary. Could you give us a clue which school this is, so I can avoid it like the plague when application time comes round?!

Regarding the art collections we have in Liverpool - yes, we DO have some fantastic stuff, so I agree that an afternoon or day going round the galleries would be of use. However, I think kids get a lot out of trips away from home so I can kind of understand the teachers wanting to organise something a bit more adventurous than a trip on the bus into town.

However, as others have pointed out.....Paris or London would be a much cheaper option. New York is a clearly ridiculous idea.

I don't think we'll ever be able to afford ski trips etc. It's a shame as one of the DSs could be a naturally brilliant skier for all I know and we'll never find out! You could say that for any expensive sport/hobby though I suppose. But for kids whose only opportunity to try out skiing (on snow) is as part of a school trip, and they can afford to go, then they are a great idea.

But New York!!! New Bloody York!!!!

mazzystartled · 24/09/2009 18:49

of course they will love new york hula - its amazing - but as an Art trip? I'm sure it would be a great experience, but they could have just as great an experience cheaply and without the airmiles.

Guggenheim and MOMA, DIA Foundation,ok, great, but the commercial and artist-led spaces are where the really good stuff is and I can't imagine they'll be able to troupe a gang of 14year olds round them. I think - given that they are in Liverpool -which has the best visual arts exhibition provision in the UK anywhere outside the London that it is taking the mick.

I generally think school trips are a good idea. For some kids it will provide opportunities that they would never have within their own families.

Original poster
BitOfFun · 24/09/2009 18:54

Curly, I wish I could think of a clue, but I imagine many of the others are equally extravagant anyway...

It's like the recession isn't happening- I can't wait to hear of some mumsnetter's kids being offered an Economics trip there next, that seems to be one of the missing subjects when it comes to What The Big Apple Can Teach Us Like Nowhere Else

OP posts:
luckylady74 · 24/09/2009 18:57

My dh has taken Alevelmedia students to New York twice now and I think it's a very positive thing (despite the fact that me and his 3 kids miss having him at home for a week of holiday). Representation of New York is 1 of the Media modules they study.

A lot of the kids in his school pay for it themselves from their part time jobs.It's a reasonable price for the trip (£665)-most of the cost is the flight as they stay in a YMCA hostel. I think the 4 teachers who go are very brave supervising those kids so far from home.

It's a major life experience for these kids and their parents said they couldn't afford to take the whole family so why not their child? Very sadly some of dh's exstudents died in a car crash and their parents mentioned it (the new york trip) was the most exciting thing their children had ever done.

My dh really has no interest in shopping at Bloomingdales, but has a genuine desire to expand young people's minds and horizons. He makes a huge effort to arrange that all the activities they do are free once they are actually there-they walk for miles and miles!

My family could never afford to send me on the school trips, but I wasn't bitter about those who did-who's got time to be bitter at that age?

It's gutting when you can't afford to get something for your child, but it's not really a good reason to cancel foreign trips for schools. It was very wrong for a teacher to say they expected a child to go on it though.

Dh has about 120 students who study media and only 40 can go on the trip-they have to draw names out of a hat and have a reserve list. So the students that can't go for whatever reason are always in the majority.

TheCrackFox · 24/09/2009 18:58

I would just say "no". Even if it was half the price I just don't think you are doing your DCs any favour by having all these glamorous trips at this age. Surely there should be some perks to being a grown up - going on holiday to somewhere cool should be one of them.

Northernlurker · 24/09/2009 18:58

At dd1's new school the sixth form are going to China. I can't even bear to think how much that costs...

Morosky · 24/09/2009 18:58

I teach in a state school well known for its number of foriegn trips and it is the reason many parent choose us, the reason why many staff choose to work there and the main reason I wish dd cold go.

We are trying to do a different continent every year. We do a New York Trip although I dont think it is an art trip although what an amazing choice.

I may be wrong but I think that all of our long haul trips are for key stage 4 and 5. I dont think that there is anything wrong in offering a variety of trips tbh. I wold far rather spend money on sending dd on a school trip every term rather than school fees, which I think many parents do at our school.

For some of our big trips the pupils are expected to raise a good proportion of the money themselves through fundrasing, enterprise and extra jobs.

Although enjoy going on residentials I do come back shattered and they are far from a olly.

twooter · 24/09/2009 19:00

i'm expecting to be a bit miffed when my dc are old enough for these trips. i know its fun to be with your mates, but i want to be ther when my kids experience fab places for the first time. or at least until they're 16

Morosky · 24/09/2009 19:02

I imagine the 35000 trip is a world challenge one, we run them. They are usually for at least a month and involve you going to another country and becoming involved in a proect such as helping to build/ decorate a school. Or students who went last year got so much ot of it. Very few parents paid for it , the money was raised over 2 years,