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...

nottirednow, I was pretty cross to find out that I had been struggling to pay all those times when others had not bothered for such silly reasons - and I had, effectivly, been subsidising them. Luckily I had the moral high ground so that makes it all ok

If you are able to claim free school meals, you can access the 'Give it a go' scheme which is administered by the school - just ask in the school office for a form. It provides up to £300 for out-of-school activities, including residential trips.

When I was at school my parents were on benefits for a while and the school paid for me to go on the year 6 residential. Nobody knew school had paid for my place and it meant I still got to go and have a good time. My DH is a teacher now and he says if a parent can't afford a school trip then that child's place is paid for out of a fund in the school's budget. Please don't get too stressed about this, just speak to the head and they should sort it out. It isn't an unusual situation.

madhattershouse how did it go?

Thanks for all the replys ladies!! We tryed to see the heas today but they were "not available...". There is no formal arrangement for those on benefits as it is a foundation school, he's never had a holiday so I really want him to go.The school said there may be "some" help available but we have no idea what that would mean in real terms. Will have to try again tommorow, there is no way I want him left out...he's already said "guess I'm not going then" as he's used to us always saying no with anuthing where money is involved. At least reading this thread shows that we are not alone...

Hi madhatter

There is something which I think is called Remission of Charges (best google it first to check wording) whioh will apply to you. (I know as used to be school governor). Basically some of the cost the school CAN insist you pay and some it HAS to subsidise if you are on a specified low income (which I suspect you will qualify for if on benefits). So you will be able to get the overall cost reduced.

Being a foundation school makes no difference.

If head won't see you, write a brief letter that says that you would like to know if you are eligible for Remission of Charges. There is a proportion (either Board and Lodging or Education and Training) that you won't have to pay.

Only way they could avoid this is if trip is at weekend.

Our school subsidises and the PTA raises money with that in mind and chips in aswell. Go ask, the head will be very pleased that you put up the deposit.

Thanks for that maggotts it does seem that part of the cost should be funded, if I'm reading it right. Will try to track head down in the morning. Fingers crossed that they will fund a reasonable amount

gammy they seem to say there might be help but they sent out a snotty letter last year stating that if people don't pay the trips may have to be cancelled. Hopefully it won't be too bad, I just hate feeling that we have to go "cap in hand".

They say that in our letter as well. It pees the PTA off no end as a few of us are skinty magintys and know that no one will be left out if they ask the head. Why the guilt trip. maybe to stop the pony brigade? Although it would be the 3 legged pit bull brigade round here. Not much of a pony brigade.

Exactly gammy, those letters are aimed at people like I discovered in my school, money grabbing twunts, not people like you who have a genuine need and are the people these funds were actually set up for!

Well we spoke to the head. All they have offered is to pay by installments. They said "even if thgat means going into next year". It would take a payment of £30 per week to pay that and no way can we do it. Really pissed off, they don't understand!

Foundation school are not part of the give it a good scheme or I would try it.

I meant go..serves me right for trying to type whillst fending off dd

We are trying to figure out if the remmission of charges applies here before we go back to the school. We want to find out if there is a requirement for them to at least partly help. This is what you get for living in a more affluent area".

That your school is a foundation school matters not a jot - show your HT the following:

Residential trips
Schools are permitted to charge for the cost of board and lodging during residential school trips. This cost must not exceed the actual cost of the provision.

Where the trip takes place wholly or mainly during school hours, children whose parents are in receipt of the following support payments will, in addition to having a free school-lunch entitlement, also be entitled to the remission of these charges:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Child Tax Credit, provided the parent is not entitled to Working Tax Credit and their annual income does not exceed £16 040
Guaranteed State Pension Credit.
A similar entitlement applies where the trip takes place outside school hours but is necessary as part of the National Curriculum, or forms part of the syllabus for a prescribed examination that the school is preparing the pupil to sit, or the syllabus for religious education.

I am afraid that the school has to subsidise - if he still refuses, please make a call to the Director of Children Services at the LA - which I know sounds OTT, but I think you need to get this resolved and fast.

Sorry - should have cited the Act - The Education (Residential Trips)(Prescribed Tax Credits) (England) Regulations 2003

Briliant lattelady. Sohow may have already copied and pasted that gem for future use

If the instalments would be £30 a week that means the trip is in 6 weeks - have they only given so little notice or is it just now that payment needs to be made?

What kind of trip is it?

Lattelady, 'Where the trip takes place wholly or mainly during school hours,' but it isn't wholly or even mainly in school hours. School hours are 9 till 3 (ish) which is 6 hours. A 24 hour period then is 6 hours of school time and 18 hours not school time. This is talking about day-trips on the whole.

'A similar entitlement applies where the trip takes place outside school hours but is necessary as part of the National Curriculum...' I'm guessing it isn't part of the National Curriculum, etc if it's a residential trip in primary school!

Therefore the school does NOT have to subsidise. If the school has said they are not going to subsidise, then I'm afraid it's probably a case of c'est la vie. If they've said you can go into next year, I'm guessing they are allowing you to pay in smaller installments, as long as the balance is paid off by July. Perhaps you'd be better to ask them exactly how much you need to pay a week, rather than a) going in all guns blazing when you don't have a leg to stand on, and b) assuming it's going to be £30 a week which doesn't seem to be what they are offering you.

The trip is not till June but they seem to want mose of the money paid by Christmas. They state that it is a better way to learn Geography, away from local environment, but I'm guessing it is not actually a required part of the curriculem. They should not have said on the letter that they may be able to help if they won't!!

Are they planning to do the unit 'comparing/contrasting two localities' as part of this trip? If so then they are using the trip to deliver part of the NC! Lots of the centres used for these trips will have their curriculum links available online...it might be worth a look.

Also, are the school doing any fundraising for the school journey? My Y6s used to run cake sales which always made a decent amount of money. They also used to gather up unclaimed/named school uniform, I'd wash it and they'd run a secondhand stall in the playground. All profits went towards reducing the cost of school journey. Perhaps you could offer to organise a cake sale or three with Y6 on the understanding that proceeds would go towards the trip (namely your child's place on it).