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Original poster

school trips ,anyone else feel real pressure to send their kids?

50 replies

brimfull · 28/09/2006 00:18

dd is in yr 10 and so far has been on quite a few school trips,france,london ,iow all residential so not cheap.There's a history trip to Berlin in March ,it costs £350.We initially said no because it's a lot of money for us and she said she wants to go on the Barcelona trip in yr 11 which will no doubt be expensive.
If money was no object I'd say yes to both .She came home today saying her teacher has said it's a shame she's not going as she'd learn loads etc.She's one of only two in the class not going.Dh feels it's ridiculous to put such pressure on us.
What would you do?

OP posts:

QueenEagle · 28/09/2006 00:22

Yes I agree it is a lot of pressure. Nor fair of her teacher to make such a comment either. What if parents really can't afford to pay this kind of money? dd is in year 10 and we've paid the deposit for a trip to Blue Peris next year which will cost aboyt £400 in total. Add that to the other day trips and outing they have, it really is not cheap, is it?

Original poster

brimfull · 28/09/2006 09:35

bump to morning crowd

OP posts:

throckenholt · 28/09/2006 09:43

If you have decided it is better to save the money for the Barcelona trip - then that is what you have decided.

It is entirely up to you - the trips are optional.

In an ideal world it would be great if all of them could go on all the trips- but life isn't like that.

Presumably not everyone will go on the Barcelona trip either.

And I am willing to be those with more than one child often have to face this situation. Those trips really mount up when you have more than one.

throckenholt · 28/09/2006 09:43

will to bet not be !

PcCOD · 28/09/2006 09:44

i wonder if her teacher was just tyring to present it asa on sption
a lto of kids dont go as their paretns dont knwo abotu it or are too timid

Original poster

brimfull · 28/09/2006 09:57

well she's gone off with the deposit this morning.She has decided that she'll work to go on the barcelona trip and pay some of that herself.
Lucky we have such a big age gap as we can manage just to send her on these trips,must be hard for those with 2 or more kids at this age.
I don't remember going on school trips when I was at school,a trip to the museum was about it!!

OP posts:

throckenholt · 28/09/2006 10:07

nice for her - at least she knows she has to earn the other trip as well.

I do feel slightly sorry for the only one left in the class who is not going though .

mell2 · 28/09/2006 11:30

and the trips seem so expensive! I'm sure i could find these schools better deals

I think it is a problem because i'm sure some families have to abandon family holidays to fund school trips - and that's not fair on siblings (and mum and dad )

snorkle · 28/09/2006 11:34

Message withdrawn

TooTicky · 28/09/2006 11:37

I'm dreading these huge expensive trips - we have 4 children. There really should besubsidisation for thosewho may struggle - or theschool should fundraise to cut the cost to parents.

portonovo · 28/09/2006 13:33

I don't feel under any pressure whatsoever. Trips are optional, and not everyone will go, for various reasons.

We have 3 children (2 now at secondary school), and we will let them go on those trips which a) we can afford and b) we think would be beneficial and which look well organised.

So, we funded a £35 day-trip to France last year, and have allowed each child as they reached Yr6 age to go on the £200 week-long trip to the Isle of Wight. But we all (including child concerned) had a good laugh about the £700 skiing trip, and put said letter in recycling bin.

Our children know the score and know we don't feel they will be disadvantaged by not going on every single trip. I never went abroad until the age of 20 (had to 'miss out' on school trips abroad because of cost), yet still got excellent language A levels and went on to do well at degree level.

Just a thought on the subsidising of teachers - this doesn't always happen. Our primary school's last Yr6 day trip was to London and every adult going paid their own way - staff and parent helpers alike. In fact we paid more than the children. I know many trips offer one free place per 10 children or whatever, but not always.

Flamesparrow · 28/09/2006 13:36

We were allowed one big trip each during senior school, anything else if we wanted to go, we had to raise the funds ourselves.

My sister managed to fund 2 extra ski trips with birthday/christmas/pocket money, and I managed to do a trip to Italy.

It was a good system.

portonovo · 28/09/2006 13:37

Just to add, there usually is funding available to pay some or all of the cost of 'educational' trips for families on low incomes. For instance, our Yr4 and Yr6 classes do 3 and 5 day residential trips - in each case, the cost is reduced significantly for those on free school meals, thanks to county funding.

Similarly, there is help at secondary school, although I don't know how well advertised this is!
For example, my son's class went on a 2-day camp last week and is going to @Bristol next week - in both cases his friend from a very disadvantaged background had all the cost paid. I don't know if that was via school, county or a charitable trust or what.

mell2 · 28/09/2006 13:39

My dd skiing trip was £1200

She never went on it!

Blandmum · 28/09/2006 13:42

Sbnorkle, yes, you do have to cover the cost of the teachers going. But hang on a minute, how many school trips do you think there would be if the teachers had to fork out to pay their own fees?

No teacher is required to take a trip.

It takes a massive amount of preparation, risk evaluation, writing proposals etc sorting the whole thing out, getting the money in etc. This is all done on top of the normal teaching load.

When the teachers go they are on duty 24/7....they get no overtime payment. This might well be over the weekend as well, so they give up that time.

And now you expect them to pay their way as well? SO yo expect them to pay for the chance to take your kids some where?

I wouln't take them if that was expected

snorkle · 28/09/2006 13:52

Message withdrawn

mell2 · 28/09/2006 13:55

I don't think snorkle was saying that teachers should pay their way. I think she was letting me know why it was so expensive.

mell2 · 28/09/2006 13:56

I knew what you meant snorkle

Blandmum · 28/09/2006 14:00

phew glad to read it.

I am rememinded of a primary school where I worked for two weeks while I did my teacher training (I'm a secondary teacher). The staff had taken the kids away from Friday afternoon to monday morning to an outward bound centre. It was a residential trip, the kids had a blast, and the staff returned knackered at the end of a full weekend's work to start another day on the Monday.

Do you know how many parents said 'Thanks'?

None of them.

mell2 · 28/09/2006 14:04

Know what you mean MB. When I picked up my dd from her yr6 trip (5 nights) the teachers had aged 5 years!!!

BTW I did thank them

beckybrastraps · 28/09/2006 14:05

My first ever school residential (year 7, PGL in France) had 3 of the 46 children in hospital at one point. One broke his foot stepping off a kerb (!!!) and two bumped heads in the swimming pool.

My next one I had to organise myself - A level field trip to Cumbria. The paperwork! The panicking senior staff! The gormless children leaving rucksacks on trains! Still...

Blandmum · 28/09/2006 14:07

Becky, I think teachers that do them are saints! I will never do one myself.

beckybrastraps · 28/09/2006 14:08

But you're a BIOLOGY teacher MB!. Actually, I didn't teach the ecology module (not my thing) but I had to organise the trip as HOD.

Blandmum · 28/09/2006 14:12

Ahem All the people who teach the A level biology course hate ecology . We are biochemist/physiology/genetics types.

So we don't 'do' that module.

My brother does at his school , loves it, and the kids love it too. He teaches in a very deprived school in the West midlands and many of the kids have never seen the sea! they have a great time.

I wouldn't do it, not my 'thang', and too risky in these litigious times.

beckybrastraps · 28/09/2006 14:15

Am at no ecology module .

I too am a biochemist, but fortunately could farm out ecology to another "proper" biologist, leaving me with the good stuff!

But did have to do the trips though...
Frantic cribbing of sand dune succession on the train!

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