School trips

[BiscoffSundae]

Is there any help with school trips if your child receives fsm? I always pay for them myself but as the end of the year approaches there are so many big ones coming up that I don’t want my children missing out on but I can’t afford all of them, I asked the school in the past about help with uniform but they looked at me like I was crazy and just said no we don’t help with that, so I felt silly asking which is why I thought I would check this time before asking if anyone knows? I don’t receive any maintenance so that can’t go towards it.

Our secondary school offers a discount/free trips for children on FSM.

Our primary school only offered them for the residential school in y5/6.

Usually - ask the school.

Yes as I said I spoke to the school before as I heard there was grants for school uniforms but they looked at me like I was crazy and just said no so it was quite embarrassing so just wanted to check it was a thing first.

Most schools help with trips. Don't be embarrassed. The pta normally cover the cost for fsm children where I live.

Our school newsletter says please ask about help with trips or uniform, they don’t want any children missing out. So some
schools definitely do.

Our primary and secondary have uniform grants. Iirc the primary boy covered shoes but the secondary covered more and it was evident that they welcomes a confidential chat if more was needed.

Our local area has a place where you can donate second hand uniform and school coats which is distributed to people who need it.

Are you on Facebook? My local one often has outgrown uniform at a good discount

My dd's school ask fsm parents to contribute towards certain things - the year 6 residential for example they say can you pay the travel and we will cover everything else which seems fair.
Day trios l thinknschool cover it all.
Def ask the question op.

Uniform varies depending on borough. Ours say will only help in exceptional circumstances..

Trips.. have the conversation if some pupil premium can be used but it may already be allocated.

Nope. Some councils no long offer school uniform grant. Infants gave reduction for trips and clubs for fsm families. Juniors no reduction for anything. Secondary school give you uniform voucher for year seven only. Then everything else is up to the parent.

Our school trips (not the residential one) are voluntary contributions
Check with school whether it's the same

Thanks all yes they use to do school uniform grants through the council but they changed to an academy So the LA no longer give grants for it so that’s why I asked them as it said to on the LA website but they looked at me like I had two heads!

My DC get FSM in an academy school. Pupil premium is used for trips for those children in receipt, and they also fund 1 enrichment activity per child, per term (DD currently has music lessons his way) from it.

It's up to the school if they use PP money like this, but definitely worth asking! Maybe phrase it as "my friend told me at her DC's school (use me if you want - Bristol) they use PP money to cover trips, do you do that here?". If they say no, look at them like THEY have 2 heads and ask why and if they would consider this for Next year... Don't feel bad or shamed! There is no shame in this request 💐.

We get fsm it was the uniform grant they don’t do as that was done through the LA but they only cover schools run by the LA, I will ask the school about the trips

At our school they use pupil premium for this also. Definitely totally fine to ask.

If your child's school is in receipt of Pupil Premium for your child, then they have to account for how it's being spent to support your child. If your child isn't requiring extra support via teaching assistants, etc, then I would definitely be in their asking for their school trips to be paid for or at least a significant percentage of them.

This page has a list of ways that PP is frequently spent by schools. Please ask yours what the school is spending your child's £1345 on that supports him/her!

www.theschoolrun.com/parents-guide-pupil-premium