Cost of School Trips

[yellowbean]

What do you pay for school trips, on average, for a one day trip? I'm trying to price a school trip up that includes 4.5 hours of guided learning in the gardens of a stately home... pupils do some hands on gardening, some art work and numeracy and literacy work based on horticulture. All the activities meet natioanl curriculum topic areas. Children get to explore the gardens, woodlands, play on the lawn, picnic, etc etc...I'm trying not to make it too expensive as i dont want to make it inaccessable to poorer schools.

thanks x

First thing, I'd look at the prices offered by already established venues.
Secondly, it's the cost of the transport that is crippling school trips.
Coach prices are astronomical and have to be factored into the price for parents.

Well how much will it cost to do the things you've got in mind?

I have looked around but prices vary so much, and theres no one else locally offering what we are proposing. Its the cost of transport that is affecting how much I charge, i know how expensive that it.

In terms of the cost to me, there are some costs involved, staff, supplies and i have to pay the gardens 50%!...

Would £6 per head seem about right? its basically 6 hours work on the day, plus 2 hours min preparation time and some costs in terms of snacks and gardening supplies...

We can't afford anything over £3-4 pounds per child ( and then usually only 1/2 times a year). As other have said, it is the cost of transport that takes up the majority of any school trip ( a whole day trip will cost around £400 per coach, taking around 50 pupils, so that's £8 before we start!) We simply can't expect parents to pay over £10 per child, no matter how interesting/worthy the activities.

spanieleyes.... is that the cost for a local trip? what area are you in?

Last year we asked for a voluntary contribution of £5, but I'm currently costing up ours for the same trip this year and it's all gone up! £4.50 per child for the activities, NT school membership divided by the year group (we are the only year group that does a NT trip), insurance of a few pence per child, then coach hire. Scarey! We calculate all costs involved and divide it by the number of children we plan to take. Then look at whether that figure is going to be acceptable to parents. Usually we cut the figure hugely. Schools can only ask for a volunary contribution towards the trip costs and at best we get 75% paying, so we always run at a big loss. I've been told we can't carry more than a certain loss this year, so will approaching the PTA to subsidise it by paying the coach costs (hopefully) or this trip can't go ahead.
If you are planning a trip, I'd compare the costs with the other options in your area. Can you offer options? So some schools can take a cheaper option with less activities or where you don't provide anyone and the schools run all the activities and others can take the full package. It might be worth canvasing a few local schools for their opinions as well. If you undercut a current trip with similar options you could be on to a winner.

I don't think you need to get involved with snacks.

If the coach is needed only between 9.30 and 2.30, the cost is halved to £200, but as soon as you go out of these times ( either before, after or both) then the £400 applies. This is because we are in a rural area and all the local coach companies are used for school runs, if we need a coach which interfeers with the school run times ( effectively from 7.30-9.30 and 2.30-4.30) we have to pay!

Yellowbean that sounds lovely - agree its usually the transport that bumps the cost up - last school trip to a forest 20 miles away (so free entry) cost £9ish per head

£10 seems to be the mental cut-off for parents here, and I live in a green leafy rather well-off area.
The key is what can they do there that isn't possible in school and is of value and interest?
Playing in the woods and gardens and picnics would not be selling points here.

I think £6 is expensive for most schools as you need to add on travel costs and insurance.

and, not being funny, but we have our own gardens, woods, vegetable patch, fruit orchard, flower beds etc which are all maintained by the children ( although I will admit, we don't have our own stately home)

Thanks for your opinions.... I am looking a developing a range of packages.... including going into schools and delivering sessions so there will be a range of pricing options. I'm operating in Norfolk, where not all schools are able to pay that much for trips so I'm conscious not to make it unaffordable..... particulary for schools who dont have gardens, fields, veg patches and orchards!! there are many kids who never get to experience any of what we have to offer... last year we ran these trips and i was amazed by how few kids had visited a place like ours, or built dens in woodland....or grown veg... it may sound like 'easy' stuff but if theres no one doing it with the kids then they dont get to experience it..... and we do make it relevant to the nc.... its not just about getting them to romp around and play.... I agree, on the face of it it doesnt seem like an expensive activity.... but the staff costs and preparation are costly... experienced horticultural staff, entry fee to the grounds, linking it directly to nc.... this is a very hands on activity with learning objectives and outcomes..... In my experience, schools who have veg patches, orchards, wide open spaces and a structured learning outside the classroom programme are not that common.... its not just about doing gardening... its about USING gardening to teach numeracy, literacy, art, science etc....

Well, the only way to see if there's a market is to pilot it. I hope it works out for you, we find using the grounds as a cross-curricular resource is of immense value.

There is also a big Forest School cluster in Norfolk, so you do need to check your market.

Just FYI. at one of our local outside learning centres (offering similar activities to you), they charge a set fee per head (£4.50) plus a group fee per activity.

easterbunny.... whats the centre.... i wouldnt mind seeing what they do... x

Chiltern Open Air Museum

Here in SE London a day to the Environment Curriculum Centre, a mere 3 or 4 miles away costs.... £12 per child (two-form entry school). That price is for the coach alone - the actual visit is free!

It's a fantastic place to take a class to go orienteering, willow weaving, learn about maps, life cycles, animals, habitats etc. etc. but the price of transport is what has prevented me booking it for my Y4 class this year.

My dd's school do 1 big trip per year - she went on hers (Yr 1) just before the hols and it was £10.50. Not an especially wealthy area and we were given the option to pay it in 2 installments if necessary, over a few weeks. Semmed ok to me - it was a day out to a big open-air museum nearly an hour's drive away.

Around £5. The most we have ever paid is £7.50, its usually a lot less.

But we have a grant from a local charity that helps subsidise school trips (PTA will eventually take over, I should think, but is still very small and new - wouldn't be able to yet).

£1 to £2 but tend to be subsidised by PTA in primary