school trips grr.

[devon0000]

Just received a letter about a trip school has organised for next week. As I have 2 dc I will be required to pay £20 for this trip in less than a week.
Sometimes I think school thinks we are made of money.

I guess we are lucky in that the school publishes a calendar of all trips for the year in September, and then the demands for money permission slips go out 12 weeks beforehand.

However, they also ask for most donations per family (for things like swimming classes) rather than per child which does seem unequal.

@ Chopstheduck

It's fantastic that your DC get to visit all the interesting places, but lots and LOTS of children don't.

I worked in a very deprived London school where most of the kids had never even been into the centre of the city. They had visited the local high street, and that was about it.

The Science Museum was a manic day out!

Payment is voluntary, and schools do subsidise the downfall. In fact, most trips I've organised have made a loss for the school Not my bad maths, I promise! We have to charge the DC exactly what it costs, and if we have 'no-shows' then school has to pick up the bill (for coach costs etc).

If a lot of parents don't contribute, the school is perfectly entitled to cancel the trip.

I personally don't get the voluntart bit either. all recent letters just say "the cost of the trip is XX. This also applied when outside agencies come in to do themed days. In fact I know of a parent who was telephones because they hadn't sent the form in . The attitude was "we don't want your child to miss out". so clearly there is nothing voluntary about it.

There you go devon

voluntary contributions

Do try the 'I'll pay a bit at a time' approach and if they're funny about it draw their attention to the LAW.

DD2's school has a very well thought out system:

In September of each Academic Year, they publish the details of all school trips for the forthcoming year. They break it down by year group, and state the value of the 'voluntary contribution' that will be requested.

Parents can choose to wait for the letter requesting the contribution, or they can pay over a number of weeks, or pay the full amount at any point prior.

DD2 went to a garden centre's arboretum this week, and the voluntary contribution was £10.50 which we've known about for 6 months.

Ds1's school has taken it to the other extreme - got a letter home today asking for payment voluntary contribution for his summer trip in July.. Payment needs to be made by 31st may. By which time I'll have forgotten if I paid or not...

At least if they ask up front at the start of the year you know where you are - sending today for the end of the summer term just seems very random!

Thanks lemonmousse. Shame our school don't follow that.

devon I think they probably are very much aware of that but they are not saying on their letter that it's voluntary therefore giving parents the impression that they have to pay. Bit sneaky TBH but they maybe think that will mean that no one will pay and then the visit will not go ahead.

They can't not take a child on a visit because the parents haven't paid but they can cancel a visit if they don't recieve enough money to finance it.

Hi whyme2

It's such a bad problem at our school that they actually report how much money the school is subsidizing field trips by.

So far this year £2000 and counting has been subsidized by the school for children to attend field trips and the school are stating flatly that this does not include Free School Meal children who are funded through the LEA.

We know the culprits because it is a single form school and you can't help but get to know people well. With many parents working in the school as well, this kind of thing gets out or confirmed.

School in the area I live have to use coaches aproved buy the council for school trips. This means they are not cheap about £500-600. This means that most trips are about the £8-10. Each child only goes on one a year at our school. They also have visiting theatre company's but that is about £2. What bug me is the near constant charity non uniform days and cake sales.

Our school has reduced the number of trips, due to transport costs, but instead arranges for the activity to come into school. For example the local museum staff bring artifacts in for a themed Roman or Victorian day. This cost £1 per pupil rather than the £10 for a coach trip to see the same items.

Chippy our theme days cost about £8.00. It would be great if it was only £1

PastSellByDate Re ticket stubs versus ticket costs, it almost always costs more than the ticket stub price to go to the theatre- there are booking fees which can be quite hefty (£2 would definitely not surprise me).

Hi AllotmentLottie:

Regarding booking fee explaining discrepancy in ticket cost vs. request for funding from school.

I initially thought this might be the case - like credit card bookings for cinema/ theatre tickets for ourselves. But no! The school letter quite clearly states the ticket price included all booking fees, etc... And the ticket showed booking fees were forgiven as this was a school theatre trip. (Ticket price: £9.50 Booking Fee £0.00 - SCH TRIP printed on bottom of ticket). Transport & insurance were listed as separate costs (so it isn't that everything was all one lump sum).

We then thought - maybe they bought the kids an ice cream or something. But no - another parent pointed out that we were all asked to send water bottles and a healthy snack and since she attended as parental help on the trip, she can confirm no snack was purchased for the children by the school.

Then we thought - oh maybe we're paying for parent volunteer tickets - but the school has written separately regarding the non-payment issue on trips and stated that we are not subsidising parent volunteers on trips, that is paid for separately.

So yes, there is rather a mystery here. I haven't raised it with the school - because what's the point. But there is a growing acceptance that they 'take a cut' from these trips - and given the chronic non-payment problem we suspect those of us paying full fair are subsidising those who won't.

I don't blame the school - they've got to fund it somehow. But maybe these trips need reviewing: possibly better explanation regarding educational benefits, how it links into learning going on, etc...

Unfortunately I don't believe the non-payment problem at our school is about financial need - I suspect these parents aren't paying on point of principal. But it puts the school in a very difficult position clearly - and may well be raising the cost for those of us who do pay.

School trips are a nightmare to organise and hard work for the staff. But great fun ! Schools don't make a profit and sometimes quite a big loss cos parents don't pay up. I spend more time chasing permission slips than anything else.
Chops - I think your child must be at same school as mine ! Can't believe 2 schools do such a similar trip (C school in S).
I've paid out over £900 on school trips this year - but knew about all of them ages in advance so could pay in instalments.

PastSellByDate, I see. Tricky one there then.