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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

cost of nursery trips, am a bit shocked

27 replies

gingernutlover · 14/04/2009 17:22

my dd is in the preschool room at a private day nursery and today we have had aletter come home about a trip in a few weeks time. It is costed at £25 a child to include coach, entrance and tractor ride. This is in addition to the normal cost of the day at nursery and includes no food (which is paid for in the nursery fee) is this normal?

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LIZS · 14/04/2009 17:25

Seems excessive but coaches do cost a lot to hire. Is it optional ?

rubyslippers · 14/04/2009 17:27

wow - that is pricey

where are you going - entrance fee may be really high?

itchyandscratchy · 14/04/2009 17:28

Have never had to spend more than £12 for a school trip - is entrance to the farm very expensive? I'd give it a miss if I were you - it seems very excessive

compo · 14/04/2009 17:28

our preschool trips usually involve us taking our children and paying to get in and just meting up with the others there

LIZS · 14/04/2009 17:30

Thinking of a farm we visited last week entry was over £7.00 for over 3's , tractor was £2.50. There may be a discount for groups but you presumably subsidise the staff/helpers. Coach could be £10 per head. It all adds up.

Original poster

gingernutlover · 14/04/2009 17:31

yes i know that coaches are expensive, i teach reception and we worry about charging more than about £12 for trips.

We have been to the farm before, including petrol to get there and entrance fees it would cost me about £7-8 to take dd there mysself . the tractor rides are extra but only about £1 i think.

She wont be going, and yes it is optional. I'm not complainging, just wondering if I was the only parent who was going to be a bit when i read the letter

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Original poster

gingernutlover · 14/04/2009 17:31

i did consider asking if i can take dd in the car and meet up with them all

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LIZS · 14/04/2009 17:32

If it is optional can she still attend , will they split the staff and run a session?

Original poster

gingernutlover · 14/04/2009 17:34

there is a space on the form to say my child wont be attending and it says the cost of the trip is in addition to the normaal daily cost of nursery (£48) so |I assume she could go to nursery that day and stay behind with the younger children/any others who are not going

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lynniep · 14/04/2009 17:37

I've got no idea in general. I'm going on one with DS on Thursday (although Im not taking their provided bus as I get motion sickness as a passenger and its worse now I'm pg). They've asked for £10 per adult and £6 per child That includes a buffet and the coach hire. I know that admission normally is £6.50 for an adult, and it would be free for the child, so actually it would be a lot cheaper for me to take him myself. Now why didnt I think of that earlier!

coppertop · 14/04/2009 17:39

£25 seems a lot to me. Our school trips are rarely more than about £10, and we're not already paying £48 to start with.

Original poster

gingernutlover · 14/04/2009 20:23

well, she's not going.

I will take her to the farm another day myself with friends, so that fine. I think to pay £48 for the day at nursery plus £25 for the trip and have to provide a packed lunch too which is normally a hot meal cooked at nursery is a lot to pay. I can't imagine they are making money out of it, Must just be the ridiculous coach costs and possibly a very very small adult to child ratio

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Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 08:33

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I just took dd to nursery and handed in her slip to say she isnt going on the trip and the nursery nurse just looked at me and said "oh, she's not going, I see! Poor Emma, it would have been really improtant in terms of her Learning journal, she'll be missing a big bit of evidence now"

pmsl

I dont think the NNEB knows I am a reception teacher, I think its hilarious that there is apparently no other way my daughter who isn't even at school yet for goodness sake, can access that bit of the curriculum

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morningpaper · 15/04/2009 08:40

lol what a load of TOSS

Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 08:57

I know, I just said "oh, well I'm sure she wont mind"

btw the NNEB is not the room leader, I think i would have had a totally different response from her.

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Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:00

apparently its to fuffill the bit about leanring about animals. I sent in photos of me and dd visiting a lambing day about 3 weeks ago and have plenty of [picutres of her terrorising our cat if they want them - shall I offer ? he he

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TotalChaos · 15/04/2009 09:09

at the Learning Journal comment. Surely that's the nursery's problem (if there is an issue which surely there shouldn't be), not Emma's or yours. I mean - reception are hardly going to say - Emma can't come this year, her learning journal for last year just wasn't up to scratch

TotalChaos · 15/04/2009 09:10

btw when DS's private nursery did a farm trip, I didn't get charged anything for it. (to be fair it was a cheap urban type farm, so only a quid or two for entry for kids)

Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:16

it did occur to me that they obviously are not subsidising the trip at all - maybe their margins are really that tight.

I think the learning journal thing is so funny, cos obviously there is only one way dd can show that she is aware of animals ha ha ha

I will certainly bring it up with her reception teacher as an area for improvement, and discuss what her next steps are

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Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:18

just hope she is not te only one who wont be going

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Shoshe · 15/04/2009 09:18

Send her to a Good CM,

We are going to a Farm trip on Friday, will be feeding the animals, having discussions about the lambing, having a packed hot lunch (in food flasks, fresh veg soup and rolls, fruit and yog)

Cost of the day normal fee 35.00 for the day, no additional fee.

And I do a trip like this most weeks.

Learning Journals get covered all the time at different times. {grin]

Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:24

shoshe, she's happy at nursery and I feel its the best place for her as she is an only child and she only has a year before she goes to school. Your trip sounds lovely by the way, exactly what I do with her when we go on outing on my days off.

But I am shocked at the cost. I don't know why they haven't just asked us to drive them to the farm, bearing in mind your child can only go if their parent accompanies them.

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Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:27

a;lso, wow at £35 a day, where are you???

We are in kent, near london

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DontCallMeBaby · 15/04/2009 09:49

That's a LOT of money on top of your daily fee (the nursery, not shoshe obv!) Makes me wonder if they've just thought 'oh, they can afford £48 a day normally, an extra £25 isn't much' and just failed to be reasonable or imaginative in keeping the cost down.

The nursery DD went to stopped doing trips just as she got into the age range that they did them for - was a bit disappointing, but then I don't know what they charged (or IF they charged for that matter). Instead they'd do a whole week with a bouncy castle in the garden, themed days, all sorts of activities, whole nursery could join in. Animals came into the nursery - a Mini Beasts man who brought in bugs, frogs etc, and later a vet who brought in a rabbit, guinea pig, lamb (aw!) etc.

She's got her first school trip next week, I feel faint thinking of a bunch of mostly 5yos running around a farm park, never mind 3yos.

Original poster

gingernutlover · 15/04/2009 09:58

i do wonder if they assume that all parents who use day nurseries are mega rich and will just shell out without a thought.

Maybe they dont get that their normal feesa cost me more than half my salary and the rest goes on bills - so none left for £25 trips to the farm!

She will still be there next year in the preschool room as she will be very nearly 5 when she goes to school so maybe if they plan a trip then I could save up for her to go, I am not convinced she will be that aware of not going this year to be hoenst

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