School trips

[StarDolphins]

Just opened a letter about a school trip & yet again, it’s the exact same place she went to last year AND the year before & I’m just a bit narked at the lack of variety. AIBU? Do your children go to the same place? My DD does enjoy it but it’s every year. I would love the occasional museum trip or just anywhere different! Just seems to be little to no thought gone into it. And it’s expensive too given she’s been there before at £15. This is meant to be a small contribution too as the PTA has funded most of it!

I will obviously consent to her going & pay the money but I wonder if I should mention it on the yearly feedback form as the years are ticking away but also wondering if this is normal?

What sort of trips do your Y4 kids go on, are they varied?

Do they not do any residentials at all? @StarDolphins

Do they ask for parent volunteers for trips?

No residentials at at until Y5 & Y6 and they then do the same both years!🤣 yes on the trips they ask for volunteers.

No class WhatsApp but the mums I’m friends with are all saying the same but currently we’re waiting for someone else to say something! I think it will end up me saying it!

Tbh its only really on Mumset I've seen multiple residential trips. Many families struggle to pay for just one residential trip in Yr6.

Even day trips can be too costly.

However that means its sense to choose the trips wisely, not just go back to the same place again and again.

I would have said something the second time 🤣 honestly it’s bizarre - as you can see from the replies on this thread. I’d get some of the others to send an email or ask the teacher . It’s not like you’re making a massive complaint!

@stardolphins - thats so bizarre. Why arent the children also being taken to see Christian places of worship, Jewish synagogues, Buddhist temples etc. Plus obviously the local interesting/beautiful places in your area. I would complain for sure.
I would actually rather take my kid out of school that day (if your work commitments etc allow) and take your child somewhere else - and Id be explaining to the school why.

If it really bothers you, take your child plus a few friends to visit a local place of interest. When my daughter's year 1 trip to Windsor castle was cancelled due to covid restrictions, we went on our own steam the year after.

I would do this but she wants to go so I just can’t disappoint her but I’ll definitely mention it to the school.

It seems odd to go to the same place! My DC is in year 4 and is visiting:

• the local mosque by bus - free
• National Trust style attraction
• children's museum

Last year she visited

• the beach
• art gallery
• theatre
• local ecology centre (she has visited this place at least 3 times as it's about 5 mins walk from school)

They also have 2-3 workshops a year at school. Costs do add up, so I imagine some people feel it's too much.

School trips require a lot of school support and for teaching staff to give up a fair bit of their own time to organise it - and for some trips before and after school, weekends and/or holidays - all for for no extra pay/overtime/time in lieu.

For example we are going in a trip soon and the teachers going have been on a pre visit during this half term to finalise details and activities. This is in half term. Not strictly essential but very beneficial and will make the trip much better and safer for the pupils.

We do go on school trips and have enrichment held in school.
We try to keep costs to a minimum but that means staying fairly local to reduce transport costs.

As said, we are due to go on a trip in the next couple of weeks. It's less than 10 miles away but the cost of the coach, as well as the entry/access to the activity centre workshops, is £15 per child. The biggest cost by far is the coach cost.

We don't duplicate trips, other than local area walking distance ones such as the local parks, between year groups. They are linked to the curriculum.

We have a whole school theatre visit - subsidised by the HSA.

And then each year group will have one further afield trip a year, though still one not too far away (young classes as infant school) that don't really impact the start/end of the normal school day.

Other enrichment is done in school with visiting groups/people and the local area facilities we can walk to.

The coach will be the biggest cost. They are incredibly expensive now.

The activities in such venues normally have a cost attached, which may well be different to if individuals go.

For example some of the activities we are doing on our trip can be done for free by visiting individuals in half terms. The active workshops when done by schools have a cost attached.

My kids school do 1 trip per term, but have a policy of total for trips been no more then £30/year (excluding residents in y6). Usually they do one slightly bigger trip and two to local free places, where the only cost is transport (beach, countryside park, free museum). DS is year 3 and we haven't had any repeats yet.

have you ever organised a party ? Well imagine the cost / stress / exhaustion of that X 10

then add possible litigation and complaints from parents

Are you aware that these trips are organised by the teachers, often in there own time?

@FrippEnos - so therefore make them worthwhile and varied ?

As many posters have pointed out, a lot of schools have their trip that relates to a topic taught in a particular year group, so the trip is already planned and oven ready without having to be planned from scratch every year.

And this requires the teacher to do all of the work to organise the trip.
Even trips that repeat each year require organisation every year.

I wonder when parents complain if they realise how much extra work it is and that these trips are not a requirement of the job, they are something that the teacher organises because they want to. not because they have to.