School trips overseas cancelled

[Theresnobslikeshowb]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but ds is going away in July overseas with the school. The last payment is due now. So far we’ve heard nothing from the school.

Any idea when trips are cancelled until? Do I pay this last payment?

Echoing others, give them chance. We are in the same boat but I assume school will need time to seek advice from travel firm/insurer and then inform parents. I wouldn’t be calling school tomorrow, I’d give them a couple of days to issue some guidance to parents - so maybe contact towards the middle of next week if no communication.

A school local to me are departing for France tonight, all going ahead as normal because there's no government advice against it. Just one child has pulled out of the trip.

No government advice against it? Er, there is.

I've just seen that now. I was talking to her at dinnertime today, when there wasn't.

I guess it's now cancelled..

TBf Simon, there wasn't when the kids went home this afternoon. I'm glad I'm not that headteacher.

Dd school trip Saturday to Germany....

Schools found out the same time as you I.e after we finished school for the day and we’re probably home. We can’t do anything tonight. Teachers will be contacting companies, checking with line managers and the head to work out exact procedure. Don’t pay anything else. Just wait until they contact you.

We’ve got a school trip to America in 3 weeks - no idea as to whether that will go ahead or not.
The government are only advising, not giving a blanket ban, therefore they will only cancel if the insurance will pay out. We were told this week that the insurance is through the government, so we will wait and see.....I’m not optimistic though.

Our school has just e-mailed to say all international school trips including to Italy are going ahead. I'm just going to check they've read the news.

Dds ski to France is cancelled I would assume all overseas school trips are - can’t believe they are taking kids to Italy what the hell!?

Our school has just e-mailed to say all international school trips including to Italy are going ahead.

No way .

That's actually irresponsible! The Government has advised against going and can you imagine being abroad with potentially ill kids, having to stay in an enforced quarantine etc?!

My son's trip is cancelled

I dont know if there's been clearer written advice but Boris' announcement yesterday was a very soft "we're advising against". Until there's a ban schools wont be refunded. Will parents expect to be?

I'd hate to be in charge at these schools. I'd guess this might be the end of expensive foreign school trips though, so every cloud....

Just because schools won't be refunded is NOT a good reason to take a group of under 18s abroad in this developing global pandemic!! The risks are far too great.

I didn't say it was but if parents are going to expect/demand refunds it does make the decision a tricky one for schools. 30 kids on a ski trip, £50k?. That means cutting a teacher, unless you know somewhere else they can get the cash from?

If they choose to go ahead it’s likely because ‘guidance’ means insurance won’t pay out. So if the school makes the decision to cancel, they will have to return monies to parents (that they don’t have, because the tour companies won’t refund because they aren’t the ones canceling).
Rock and a hard place. If you are looking in financial terms and no one wants to lose money, the trip goes.
If you are looking in health terms, then someone has to take the financial hit. And very few parents are willing to do that (or they would just remove their kids from the trip anyway).
So parents want schools to take the financial hit. Schools don’t have the money.
That said - issues around sick kids being left in country should all have been explained at the beginning as part of your information pack. It’s likely you already signed off on that agreement, so better check what you signed. (For our trips, we have a nominated adult that stays until parents arrive. At their own expense unless insurance pays out.)
It’s all such a mess.
DD’s trip has been cancelled though. We aren’t sure if refund happening.

but if parents are going to expect/demand refunds it does make the decision a tricky one for schools. 30 kids on a ski trip, £50k?.

Perhaps parents shouldn't demand refunds? They've already paid so obviously had the money to spend. It's a sunk cost now. They have to what is best for their kids!

Just sending them abroad against government advice because they won't get a refund?

Taking schoolkids to Italy? Are they out of their minds? And when they come back what, spread all the viruses across Britain, well who cares if a few people die, at least my kid got to enjoy his holiday.

We've just had an email from DS's school to say that foreign trips have been cancelled and the Head has contacted their insurers to confirm that all monies will be refunded in due course. DS will be gutted when he hears his trip is cancelled but I think it's the only real option. I'm very grateful to hear that we'll be getting a refund too, as I'd pretty much written that money off as it's such a tricky situation.

I agree with you Grufallosfriends but if parents were prepared to do that they'd just withdraw their kids and there'd be no trip to cancel.

There will be some very vocal parents insisting that if the trip is cancelled they are due refunds and tbf, the law would probably support that.

I'm certainly not expecting a refund but I do want whole trip cancelled not just my child out - doesn't help community or teacher if trip goes ahead without mine. Very much doubt law would entitle you to a refund, plenty of cases where schools cancel trips and no refund.

This is a really crappy situation but I hope parents don't demand the money back from the schools as @DoubleAction said if the school have to find £50k they have to cut a teacher.
It isn't like its money parents can't afford because they have already budgeted and paid for the trips. Yes it's money to lost as no trip, but it was money already spent.
Years ago I was due on a school trip to Russia but pulled out due to illness (eating disorder, underweight and hyperthermic causing me to black out), I got back about 1/3rd of the money i'd paid (sixth form so part time job was funding) and it sucked, however it was far better that than me getting sick overseas which was highly likely considering the temperature and my black outs. You cannot put a price on health, and if that means not getting a trip you paid for I consider that much better than the loss of a teachers job

I think it's lunacy taking the trip there - that teacher has a 13% to 20% chance of dying if he contracts the virus. Far more important to protect him than dealing with a few complaints. Don't know anyone expecting a refund, hoping yes, expecting no.

DoubleAction, they were able to tell me that they are corresponding with the tour operator and the insurers for the trip already. All hopes are that the July trip will be able to go ahead and is still comfortably far in the future. We will be informed if that changes. Trips abroad in the next few weeks have been cancelled.

Absolutely worth asking, and they were ready with the answer too. Many parents have called. I wanted reassurance and I got it.