Can't afford school trip

[Lillybeans85]

My son really wants to go on his year 6 residential but the cost is £600 for a Mon-Fri stay. This is a lot higher than I expected and we really can't afford it at the moment. He goes to a state school but everyone in his class is really well off & money seems no object to them. My husband works & we get a small top up of universal credit a month due to his income. However, we would not be eligible for free school meals or anything. I feel really awkward and embarrassed emailing the school to ask for help & don't even know if we would get it. Has anyone else been in the same situation?

I work in a school, this happens. You’re not the first and won’t be the last.

Why is it so long? A full school week?

Our school always does 2-3 nights and charges significantly less. It still doesn’t seem particularly good value but at least the price remains within reach.

I was one of the poorer kids in a school packed with rich kids in the 90s. A letter came home about a y9 uk residential that was apparently compulsory. My single parent mum couldn’t afford it. She felt embarrassed, she was also a teacher, but she contacted the school. They were lovely and discrete. I went on the trip.

I’m a teacher and you won’t be the first to contact the school and say that finances are tight. They will be for lots of families and staff too - we get it!

Please speak to the school, I’ve taught for over 20 years and I’ve never heard of a child not going because they can’t afford it. We always find a way to support the families because we know how much it means to the children to go.

Do you work? Usually bursaries only go to families where both parents work.

Please do speak to school. As a PTA, we keep the school topped up with a fund to use at their discretion for exactly this scenario. We don’t know who uses it, and wouldn’t be told even if we did want to know (we don’t).

Tell them what you can pay, and over what period, and let them give you the options - there will be some.

I hope you get it sorted in a way that feels reasonable to you.

FFS there are plenty of reasons why one parent doesn’t work.

you mention your husband working but not you, do you work OP? Is yous are ok on your husbands salary then you doing a month or two part time evenings and weekends in retail over the Xmas period would cover this trip. Even food/uber eats delivery’s? Sell stuff on Vinted? If it’s not until next summer you’ve got a good bit of time to be creative and try and come up with the cash. Could also ask family and friends (who would be getting Xmas gifts anyway) to give money for your DS to go towards the school trip.

I’ve never heard of a child not going because they can’t afford it

There were people who didn’t go on the y6 residential in all of my children’s year groups because it was too expensive-I’m not sure that’s unusual. It’s a choice people make.

School budgets are also limited. Yes, pupil premium money can be used cover the cost of Pupil premium pupils if needed. Should it be used for the non Pupil Premium children of parents where one choose not to work?

I can remember my son’s school wanting £3k in secondary school around 6 years ago and DSS wanted to go on something recently that was over £4k. We said no to both of them 🤷‍♀️ They both attend/attended average secondary schools and when we go on holiday as a family, we spend nowhere near that per person. Crazy that they wanted thousands from us.

Tbf tho secondary school trips, as a PP notes, are very much not done by everyone, unless they are of the overnight-team-building outdoor activities type that some schools offer in years 7 and 8.

Trips I have been involved in to France and Germany, trips my DC have gone on to Iceland and Berlin, trips they have not gone on skiing (!) – all of these were taken up by a fraction of the students, with no expectation that every student will or should go. I agree that several thousand is a lot of money.

DD (geographer) went to Iceland and it cost a lot tho she put some of her PT job money into it. I mean four figures tho not £4k. But she still recalls it and talks about it and I do think it was worth it as a real high spot in her sixth form career (she is 24 now so it was 7 years ago). I am more than aware tho that for many it would have been out of price range.

Apols @Lillybeans85 a bit off topic there. I do think it is worth you asking for support as the year 6 residential is a trip that most if not all of the year group will go on.

That’s such a shame if the children wanted to go and the parents wanted them to go.

I’ve had some very generous parents who have paid for a second place (not knowing who needs it), PTA have helped cover, in previous days school budget has been used - that wouldn’t happen now, we don’t have a spare penny, companies have donated, the local church has donated, charities have helped and I also know of staff who have chipped in too with lending suitcases etc.
This is across schools in affluent middle class leafy suburbs, little village schools to inner city London.

If parents choose not to send their children because they don’t want to go then fair enough - that’s a different thing altogether.

Pupil premium money can only be spent on children who are PP. It can’t just be spent on anyone. It’s monitored and you have to justify every bit spent.

I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest the OP could work in order to pay for her son's residential. If she can't work due to disability then that's of course a different matter but not sure she has said this here? My husband and I don't earn megabucks by any stretch, but we still both work in order to pay the bills, rent, etc, and to both provide for our 5 yo.

Could you get a temporary job to pay for it
If you can work I don’t really see why you should get the trip for free

Wow that’s ridiculously expensive. My kid’s New York trip last year was much cheaper than that.

I can’t believe many parents are coughing up that much money for a UK based trip. I wouldn’t and I could easily afford it.

I find it tone deaf re 'can't you get part time job' I don't know ops circs but I do know it is really really hard to get work. I have a ds age 26 and ds 18. Both finding it very VERY Fucking impossible to get ANYTHING. DS1 degree.( had sone temp stuff now nothing..graduated during covid and applies for EVERYTHING pretty much not just local)...Ds2 doing A levels. It is not just a case of ' oh just try shelf stacking' It is tough! Please don't give me any 'advice' re what they should be doing to 'enhance' their chances. Unless you are offering job to someone with degree in Biotech or have part time job for ds2 near us.

@Lazery
How much did the NY trip cost? Did it include accommodations?

Ask for help. Most schools have a hardship fund. Our residential is the same cost and we are literally scraping the money together. I think even the well off find it a big ask. It shouldn’t be this much (but also I think on a daily basis as it includes everything it’s good value, just out of budget!!).

I'd approach the school. When I was pta chair we were asked a few times to fund the top up to allow children to go on these trips. HT had always asked parents how much they could realistically afford & asked for the top.up - perhaps you could.offer this & see? What actually happened was pta funded whole amount every time but always good to feel you've offered something.

Edited to say we were school in fairly middle class area but very aware that some.familes were pushing to stay in area so little disposable income. We also had HT ask for blazers etc to be covered especially for those moving up to HS. It was all dealt with very anonymously, so dont be concerned that other parents or even teachers would know.

Maybe it’s area

im south east. Kent

macdonalds - Starbucks - Home bargains - Aldi all hiring at the moment

Partly. But applying across UK for stuff( Ds1). High competition round here for part time work too..or jobs that would be considered for younger people( when I was young) now are being applied for by people with children/ rent/ mortgage etc

Ds2 checking daily for seasonal jobs too..ie Elf!

Please ask the school for help. I work in a secondary school but we have funds to halve the price of trips for eligible students. £600 is a lot! My daughter just got back from hers which was £285 (but I think the November timing helped).

I didn't want to quote the whole thing, but I second RedToothBrush's comment "don't ask for assistance, just frankly complain". This is a ridiculous amount of money to expect parents to pay, and if the school really can't plan the trip they've chosen for less than that, they need to get planning a different, cheaper trip. My son is in year 8, and his year 6 residential cost £260 +£5 spending money and they had a whale of a time. Either the trip organisers need to make they effort to find what they want to do for way less money, or they need to plan something simpler.

Watch out for high school. My DD (Year 10) recently had a presentation on the school trip to Peru in 2027.

£4k.