£75 spending money for school trip?!

[Reallynothappy]

Year 6 residential coming up, already paid for. All meals and entrance fees included. It's only 4 days.
So I was a bit shocked at being advised at meeting that they were recommending £75 spending money. If they dont want to carry cash children are allowed to take a cash card. My dd doesn't have a cash card! But she wants one now, to fit in. Grrrr!
Is this not a bit excessive? WIBU to make a stand and just give her enough for a fiver a day, even if it singles her out? It's just quite a lot, and the trip wasn't cheap to begin with.

Ds2 went on his recently. We were told £10 for spending money.
They were at an activity centre the whole time, so money was just for sweets/souvenirs.

DS1 just done 3 days with £8 spending money. There is no way I'd send £75 with a 10 or 11 year old.

DD was allowed up to £10 for her Y6 PGL trip a fortnight ago. She brought a fair bit back too as not much to buy at their shop.
France trip in Y5 think it was £15-20, but in Euros. She did spend most of that,but mostly on gifts for us and her best friend from out of school, and a gift for herself too.

DD doesn't have a cashcard either.

£75 for 4 days. No way would I send mine with that kind of money.

That is a daft amount of spending money for a 4 day trip.

That's insane. Primary DCs don't get the freedom to spend anything like that, normally. However, do check they aren't stopping at motorway services. A simple hot chocolate each way caught DD out.

I always double what senior school say, as I know DD1. Her taste in things is nice, but not cheap. Having nice things to keep and give us is part of the experience for her.

Glad it's not just me who thinks its excessive! Maybe I'll up it to £10 a day, and see what she thinks of that!
I've never heard of it before, but I don't really mix with the other parents so have no real parent friends, and I'm uncomfortable asking other parents their views as they didn't bat an eyelid when it was mentioned. In fact it was a parent who asked if they could take cards.

That does sound a daft amount of money for a Y6 residential. DD has just been on a five day trip and they actually built £20 spending money into the cost and distributed it to all the girls once they were there. However if I'd heard a sum like £75 mentioned I'd have questioned it in the meeting as it is so much I can't think of any other explanation than there are costs the children will need to pay that you are not aware of. I think you need to follow it up with the school.

Incidentally I know my bank (HSBC) only issues a cash card once a child is over 11 so some y6s could not have one even if they wanted to.

I was a bit at the suggestion of ?80 for 4 days for DD's (Y7) trip to France.

I guess the teachers want them to be able to buy rounds when they go down the pub. Oh no, wait - THEY'RE TEN!! What the hell would a ten year old need £75 for? They'll need to buy a few bits of crapola in a gift shop, some unhealthy snacks and maybe a couple of postcards. £10-£15 should do nicely.

Gosh, that sounds a lot. I'd expect £10-15.

And for the week long trip abroad for Y6 the limit was ?20.

That's mad money. DD2 was recommended £30 for a 4 night residential in the Isle of Wight, and she brought most of that back. She was recommended the same for a trip for Germany this year.

DD2 is going to France in October, I'll be interested to see what's recommended for her.

My DS2 on a Y10 residential trip to Belgium for 5 days wasn't allowed more than £50 worth of euros. £75 is utterly ridiculous!

Good heavens! I very nearly posted a week ago complaining about the £5 limit for a y3 school trip being £3 more than I thought reasonable.

DD asked to bring £15 for 5 day trip, and meanie me is letting her take it all out of her own cash (I think £3 ought to be enough).

I would go and ask what they're expecting it to be spent on. It might be that there are evening activities that are expensive or, say, they all tend to want to buy the residential tracksuit. I doubt it, but I'd want to check first before my dc was the "only child not able to XYZ"

But it may be worth telling the teacher that my dc's residential they were allowed £10 for the week. One dormitory of 4 decided to blow their entire money together on sweets for a midnight feast on the last night. £40 of sweets= 4 not very well girls at the end.

Are you certain it wasn't a misprint for £7.50? And the teachers will have a fit when they find children with that amount of money.

Ds3 has just been on his year 6 residential (4days) we were recommended to send between £5 and £10, he didn't spend all of it .

It doesn't actually surprise me that much. We used to go on a PGL weeke every year in secondary school and were allowed £35 spends. The first time I went is 22 years ago...

That's too much money for a school trip and to suggest a cash card is wrong. What are they doing to need this money?