Were these parents right to complain about free school trip for poorer children only?

[JamesMitch]

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/education/parents-debate-as-wealthy-entrepreneur-funds-primary-school-trip-for-select-pupils-only-3854343

Are you James Mitchinson, editor of the Yorkshire Post, trying to whip up some reaction to your story on here?!

I wouldn't have complained , children from poorer families don't get as many opportunities as children from wealthier ones. I wouldn't begrudge a child a free trip.

I’ve seen some threads before about this type of additional activities for some children only. Personally I think it should be that the trip is offered to all, free for those who need and payable for those who also want to go. I remember on the other thread people were saying well in that case it’s not an advantage for the poorer children is it if everyone goes. I don’t know really it’s very difficult. xo

I'm not going to click the bait. But in principle evening out the inequities is fine by me.

My children have been very fortunate that because we are the type of parents who not only value educational and cultural opportunities, but are able to pay for them, sometimes by going without other things.

I do not for one second begrudge a child who does not have these advantages getting anything for free, even if my child "misses out" because in the wider scheme of things the other child will have missed out many, many more times over the years.

In theory it sounds great but in practice if it becomes known those children have gone because they are poor it’s really not great. What’s better is to have a trip for all pupils with donations or pupil premium to pay for the children whose parents can’t afford it. The advantage is nobody is othered. Being different is one of the worse things about being a poor child. I remember back when I was at school there was no help and myself and the other poor children were just all kept doing work in a classroom. The week all the other kids went to France sticks in my mind at High school, about 15 of us were in the class, crap times.

Not a problem that poorer children were funded - that's great - but badly managed overall, creating a division between children and their friends and risking stigmatizing some children.

If a donor wants to fund trips then create a hardship fund for the school and let the school admin manage invitations.
Or, fund something completely outside of school time.

No problem with the free trip, but other families should have had the opportunity to pay and go too. Otherwise it’s needlessly singling Dec out as poor and causing resentment.

I think the problem is it was handled badly - but that in itself is a dilemma, if you don't tell the kids why some are selected and not others that's not really fair but at the same time they don't want to say 'only the poor children are allowed to go'.

TBH I don't think this is the way to level kids up, taking all the kids on the trip wouldn't have made the trip any 'less' for the 'poor' children, it wouldn't have negatively impacted their experience. They others should have been given the chance to pay and go if they wanted. Also the 'rich' children might actually miss out on school trips because there are not enough 'voluntary' donations to cover costs so sometimes no one is able to go.

What the 'poor' children need IMO is large amounts of time enabling them to catch up and keep up at school, they need to be able to read well by the time they hit the juniors. They need the fundamentals really driven home before they are moved on and on relentlessly through the curriculum.

No, I would not have complained. I don't know why anyone would begrudge a trip aimed at supporting the kids from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

Having said that, I think it could have potentially been made available to other families on a fee paying basis.

I agree.

On other occasions groups of children get singled out for extra activities, for example sports teams, or G&T activities.

Bet those kids are delighted that everyone knows they’re the poor ones now.

I hope he funded some high vis jackets for them all to wear round school too 🙄

When did 'not on benefits"= "wealthy " ???

What a fucking world we live in now where wealthier humans complain about kids getting the same advantages as their kids when their parents don't earn as much.

Fucking disgusting attitude and that's why our country seems to be going to shit.

Entitled wealthier rude twats

I haven't read the article, but if there is an issue, I'd think it was the way those in need are identified. IME it's those families just above the FSM threshold that struggle most.

If it's really wealthy people complaong obviously that outrageous.

If it's the working poor feeling that their kids miss out no matter how hard they work, I can see their point.

I think if people are moaning that they wealthier kids are missing out, then their has to be a blanket rule of all kids get go in trips full stop regardless of money.

It's not fair if poorer kids are missing out on some trips because they can't afford it, it the wealthier parents are happy for that to happen only to moan about their kids missing out because, well they can throw money at it and can't accept them being penalised for "having too much" however that was determined.

I'm not articulating this very well.
If you are going to be ok with kids being penalised and missing out on trips, you need to accept it can work both ways, having too much or having too little.

In my opinion, a school trip should be accessible to all, but sadly that's not the world we live in.

I remember the thread on here (it might have been about this school) where the teacher was going to pretend the names were pulled out of a hat. I don't agree with othering the children who are on pupil premium, not all of them will be disadvantaged - eg a parent could have been made redundant, claimed universal credit for a couple of weeks, and then got another high paying job - that child would then be on pupil premium for the next six years.

If the school made it clear from the outset what the criteria was then I can't see anything wrong with it. At secondary school, some outreach trips to universities are only open to disadvantaged children and I can't imagine any parents complaining about that.

I wasn't allowed to go to the 'Jam Butty Camp' (Salford By The Sea Children's Holiday Camp) when I was 10 - 1979 - because my parents had taken me to Spain earlier in the year. The only kid in the entire year who couldn't go. My parents offered to pay but were told no.

At one time parents were asked to pay voluntary contributions for school trips within school time and those children who hadn't paid would be paid for out of school funds.

I thought those on free school meals got free school trips ?