School Residential Covid Refunds

[Tess83]

Can I ask whether people have been refunded for school residentials that were cancelled due to Covid?

Both my DC had residential trips that we'd part paid for that should have been going ahead this term but were obviously cancelled. DC1 (senior school) immediately refunded the amount we'd paid but DC2's (primary) school is saying they've made an insurance claim and will only refund us if the insurance claim is successful. It's £200 so not a small amount. I wondered whehter other schools had been doing the same thing?

They probably have to wait until their money has come through. It takes a while. (I’m still chasing a refund from a cancelled trip to Iceland over Easter!)

Yes, our primary has only just confirmed that the insurer has settled the claim and they will be refunding the money to us imminently. French trip that was due to happen at the start of June. Looking forward to having the money back (over £400!). Not sure what the plan would have been if the insurer hadn't paid out.

Yes, we got our money back - £195. The school had to wait for the activity center to cancel at their end so they were owed a refund.

We have a mixed response.
DS had a trip to Poland in April, we were refunded from school insurance last week (£650)
DSD had a PGL netball camp in April, (£120) they have moved it to next year.
DSD also had a Rome trip (£750) she should be there now. We are still waiting to hear.
DSD and DS in different secondary schools

Thanks everyone. I guess it's just a waiting game then. The senior school refunded the minute they confirmed it was cancelled so I guess we were just lucky there.

We've been refunded.
DS was supposed to go on a PGL on the first week in June and we recieved that refund in late April. The refund came through the school. (I didn't chase the school but I have no idea if any other parents did)
DD was supposed to go on a day trip to a local farm at the end of March. That refund came through today.

• received

I paid a deposit for a trip for DD which I got back. DS has had 2 residential trips cancelled I had paid a deposit for both and a couple of instalments for one, but they have rearranged one for next summer so any money paid will be put into an account for next years holiday.

We're still waiting for a refund for a trip to France for DS age 10, which should have taken place in March but was cancelled by the school...

That is it stays in the school account and goes towards paying, so nothing back but then it means I owe less for next year.

I haven’t heard anything about school residential refunds for two of my dc. The sports camp asked if we would donate the deposit as it was a charity and they still had costs so we agreed.
I don’t know if the school will refund or not but if the trips had gone ahead we would have no refund so we are not at a financial loss either way.

We will have refund in two weeks both for the year six residential that didn’t take place and my daughter’s year five trip that was due to take place in October.

Our school booked with Kingswood and they are refusing to refund the school £14,000. The school has no money to refund parents that amount and are hoping the insurance will pay out. We'll never book with them again and neither will many other schools I know of. I'm sure your school is trying as hard as possible to get your money back to you but it is a very slow process.

What Coffee said! So many awful stories of school residential companies refusing to refund schools. I am sure they are fighting tooth and nail to get you your money back.

@Coffeeandteach

Our school booked with Kingswood and they are refusing to refund the school £14,000. The school has no money to refund parents that amount and are hoping the insurance will pay out. We'll never book with them again and neither will many other schools I know of. I'm sure your school is trying as hard as possible to get your money back to you but it is a very slow process.

Same as us. We’d paid in full for our school trip there & at the start of lockdown they said we could cancel & be refunded but would forfeit our deposit. The parents all agreed & 3 months later we are still waiting. Kingswood haven’t refunded a penny & school can’t reimburse the parents so are trying to claim from their insurance. It’s disgusting.

i'm pretty sure our school did get a refund from Kingswood...or at least the school put our deposit towards another trip.

ours was refunded about 2 weeks ago.

Our school paid parents back out of their own funds and then they were going to fight PGL for the money back. They'll never use PHL again

We are waiting to hear from our school for a refund for a French trip, first week in June.

Can’t save for next year (As the company first offered) as child is moving up to secondary.

I'm a teacher, been chasing our company since March and we literally got the money into our account today, and that was minus the deposits. Its been a nightmare.

My Dd is due to go PGL in the autumn term. Deposit and most of money paid only one payment left. Reading the government guidelines it states that day trips can go ahead but no mention of overnight trips. I wonder if these will go ahead?