is this really fair ?

[PellyM]

yesterday DS had. School trip and all parents in his class of 30 were sent letters asking for the £10 (so called) voluntary contribution and the permission slip to be signed, these letters were sent out 2 weeks ago - yesterday the teacher informed the class that she did not have permission slips back from 12 pupils and unless they are filled out there and then their children would not be able to go, so there was everyone filling out the slips and saying "oh I don't have any money' etc etc so out of class of 30 12 families children got to go free (and I am not just talking about ones who really do need to go free !) - surely the schools can add a date to letters saying the permission slip has to be back by a certain date etc .......it's crazy why is it the same parents feel obliged to pay and others don't !

I work in a junior school and help out in the office at busy times, amongst other jobs, collectingnpermission slips and ticking off names on a list. It would be nice to think that putting a date on permission slips would mean that everyone would get them back by that date, but sadly it doesn't work that way. Every trip we do the secretary has to ring a couple of parents to get slips signed at the last minute, or at least get verbal/emailed permission. In those cases, obviously we can't get the money, though a lot of the parents dont take advantage and do come in and pay later.

Although it's nice to get the money, and in many cases it would be impossible to run the trip without it, it's really the permission slip that's most important - we've never left a child behind because they couldn't pay, but sadly on a couple of occasions children have missed out because despite repeated reminders their parents haven't given permission and haven't been contactable on the day.

One of the reasons might well be that two weeks is very short notice, we have to give at least 6 week's notice if the trip or event is going to cost more than £5.
However, there will always be parents who don't want to pay and know that it cannot be enforced. We have had to cancel trips and give refunds if we haven't had the money in at least a week before, although we gave a lot of support and advance warning about the consequences of non-payment.

Are you asking is it fair that some children go for free? Personally I think not when it is quite clear that the parent can't be bothered, doesn't see the point of the trip or just wants to use the 'can't afford card'.

But officialy, and for good reason, you cant stop children going just because they can't pay. There are just too many variables, perhaps they've just had an MOT and had to be pay for lots of repairs, perhaps child 1, 2 and 5 also has a trip that week - there just is no way of knowing who actually can afford it and who can't.

I have had children say 'My mum isn't paying cos she doesn't see the point' and I really wanted to say that the child couldn't go but wasn't allowed. It is part of the child's curriculum - lots of parents dont see the point in art, RE, music or whatever but that doesn't mean I don't teach them! And anyway, then the parent would have got exactly what they wanted!! It just saddens me that they don;t see the benefit of trips and are happy to deprive their child of them.

Just because they haven't the money on them doesn't mean they won't drop it into the office later. I'd rather drop it into the office than give it loose to a rather stressed form teacher anyway.