So I can't afford the school trip...

[madhattershouse]

Basically I'm on benefits My twins have a trip totalling £26 and my older boy has a week trip costing £256...I can pay the deposit BUT where the hell do I get the rest from?? I have just about got the £76 to pay in the morning but there is no way I can get £200 for the full price. This is a foundation school so I have to see the head to ask for help with funding. Hate to feel like a beggar...how do I go about it?? There is no way I can fund the full amount ( I have paid in full for every other trip they have had) dreading dealing with the head as I just can't stretch to this. Your thought's please...

Well my DCs school's head would be lovely and sympathetic. Lots of people can't afford trips from time to time, and circumstances change. Just go in and try to be unemotional (although DCs head is a sucker for tears), and just explain.

Good luck!

I agree - go and see the head, he/she won't bite! Explain that there is no way you can afford the whole amount. See what is suggested.

My first thought, however, is that not all of the children in your older son's year will be going on the week long trip, so maybe tell him that he won't be able to go because it's just TOO expensive.

our school will subsidise if you are in reciept of certain benefits, although it's a state school

Go and talk to the head - you aren't the only one - honest.

They may have a scheme in place for reducing the cost, or paying by installments. And at the end of the day your DS1 doesn't have to go.

We decided not to send ours on a trip because we didn't have the money spare at the time. If I remember rightly they ended up cancelling the trip so I presume we weren't alone in opting out.

You could tell him you can't afford it. I doubt he will be the only one not going. HOw important is this trip really?

There are very few people who haven't been broke at one time or another, the Head will be sympathetic.

i'd be careful about paying the deposit before you talk to the head, unless its definitely refundable. just in case, last thing you want to do is lose it

I find most school trips ridiculously expensive and ambitious tbh

what's wrong with going to the local museum

That's such an expensive trip! What an earth are they doing?

If the trip is in school time then your contribution is voluntary, schools may not exclude a child because they cannot afford the trip. At the school where I am Chair, no child is left behind even for our Year 6 week off-site - now it may be that the parents cannot pay all of the costs but a token is acceptable or even nothing.

Talk to the Head, as governors we budget for this and we use other funds which the school receives to pay for this, it is what they are there for.

Yes if the school trip is classed as EDUCATIONAL then the money is a voluntary contribution. Therefore your DCs trip could be paid for by the school if you do no voluntariy contribute. They are within their rights to not take them if it is not classed as educational though.
Most week long trips will be subsidised by schools where there is an issue of the cost for parents - school will have an idea of who may require support anyway beacuse of the free school meals.

I know one parent who has never paid for a single trip for her children because she says its volutary, but she can afford it!!
I would go and talk to head, its not begging either

I agree, check the deposit is refundable before you pay it otherwise you may lose it.

If its a residential at the end of year then the head should let you pay in weekly instalments. If its a social trip just offered for those wishing to go then there wont be any extra funding from the school.

Our school runs overnight trips in year 6 but every parent knows the trip will be coming up so is expected to budget for it if they wish their child to attend.

I think I would be inclined to take the £76 with you when you see the Head along with a budget plan that you've worked out for yourself showing that you're willing/able to pay X amount in total (even if it's not the full amount). Explain to the Head that you'd like your DC to go on the trip, that you believe you are entitled to a school journey grant for the board/lodging and that you can afford £X if paid in instalments. It may be that the PTA will fund some additional places if approached by the Head.

Blookin eck! I'm a teacher and we are not allowed to ask parents to pay more than £5 per trip!! y6 trip is more though.

It's a nightmare trying to organise trips on such a small budget though.

Even with the £5 - we still get families that don't/can't pay.

I'm not sure a school would help with a week trip unless the whole class will be attending as part of the curriculum. Normally when I've organised trips I've run a savings club over the year so parents could pay weekly.

All schools should have a charging policy which says what they will and will not charge for. Schools are not allowed to charge for trips/visits/activities relating to the school curriculum but may ask for voluntary contributions. If you are on benefits - income support, jobseekers allowance, some child tax credits - the school cannot charge you for any of these activities, including residential trips and may not exclude your child from these trips if you do not pay. At the school where I am a governor, we deal very sympathetically (and discreetly) with these matters. You should not feel embarrassed about approaching your headteacher.

A lot of schools (including ours) have a special fund to help out parents like yourselves. All kept very confidential.

Our school has a special fund that will help if you are in receipt of certain benefits.

If school cannot/will not help then have you worked in any industries/sectors that have a benevolent association? E.g the motor industry has an organisation called BEN see here. There are lots of these charities about and they have quite a wide remit to be able to help people. They help not only people who have worked in a particular industry but also the partners/dependents. Most help is subject to visit from a case worker.

I was like you when on benefits, always paid for trips, scrimped and saved, went without and so on - as is reasonable IMHO. Same as you, dd had a big trip, I went to the head who laughed at me I was so worried and embarresed to be asking. His response was that they would certainly help and that I really should be going out and asking other parents who else had asked for help from the school fund...turns out there were people who had asked because they had just paid the deposit on their new car, another who had just bought a pony and "simply couldn't spend any more" and so on and so on. It was toe-curlingly embarresing to hear all these stories of "poverty" given out - and the people actually expected sympathy

In short, you will be surprised who has the cheek to ask for - and get - help from these funds, I suspect most heads are quite happy to be able to help someone who actually needs help!! It is not the case that you are "sponging" (to coin a DM phrase) you have tried hard to pay your way and benefits just do not stretch to this kind of thing!

nottirednow - if your school is a state school then the tactic you've described is not allowed! I know it seems to make sense to charge extra but I'm almost 100% certain that schools are only permitted to charge each parent the cost for their child alone. If a school wishes to offer an option whereby people can pay more to help avoid cancellation of the trip due to insufficient funds then that's acceptable. Overcharging is not.