How many school trips is normal?

[FreddoBaggyMac]

I have two DCs in KS1 and I'm finding the amount of school trips they go on a bit of a shocker... they've both been on one 'big' trip per term costing approx £14, £9 and £19 per child, and the older one has been on a couple of smaller trips in addition to these (£5 and £10). This means I've paid a total of over £100 in school trip costs for my two children this school year... is this normal? (I have two younger DCs not at school yet and am feeling rather scared!!)

In the olden days when I was at school it was only one trip a year (... and we still had change left over for 't bag of sweets and loaf of Hovis )

Have things changed this much everywhere or is the DC's school a little OTT??

Oh buster I'll help on your Wicked Trip. Love that show

How did you get it so cheap though? Are you in London?

deleted my whole message
short version is - no trips at all for my DCs school in any class

DS2, Y2 - museum trip, £4 (coach) , panto trip before Christmas, £14 (coach + ticket), Beach trip, £6.50 (coach). Then there's the paid for school clubs, he does musical theatre from Sept - Easter, and tennis from Easter - July.

DS1, Y4 - Trip to St.Pauls' cathedral, £22 (coach, but we have to pay double as his yr group is only 30, coach for 60. If we don't pay double, their class doesn't get trips ), Cinema trip before Christmas, £9 ( bus, ticket + ice lolly). Also he does football that is done at the school by the local football team, £45 a term. And he does musical theatre Sept - Easter and Tennis from Easter - July. AND we have to pay £5 per swimming lesson...that they HAVE to do, and the school insists on you paying the whole lot up front in one go. Ten lessons is £50.

For the next two years the swimming is going to cripple me financially - The school in their wisdom sends Y3 & Y5 together (DS2 will be Y3 in Sept, DS1 will be Y5) ... and Y4 & Y6 go together. So that will be an upfront payment of £100 Due with a weeks' notice in either September or February. And I won't know which until it's their turn.

Am equally skint in an affluent area, and it sucks. 2012-13 school year is worrying me - DD will be in Y10 and needing £450 for the French Exchange, and at the same time, DS1 will be in Y6 and needing £215 for the residential week.