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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How much would you/ do you pay for primary school trips abroad ??

26 replies

nutcracker · 23/01/2007 17:27

Dd1 is in year 4 and for the last 3 years the year 5 group have gone on a trip to france in March.

Dd has come home with a letter today saying that they have investigated how much next years trip would be and it is £260 per child.

They want to know how many parents might be prepared to pay this before they decide wether to run it or not.

I really really want Dd to go. It is alot of money but seeing as they are letting us know the cost over a year in advance i'm sure I could find a way of getting the money by then.
I don't want her to miss out because of me.

I have no idea if £260 is considered alot or not though and it doesn't say how long the trip is for (am thinking perhaps 4 days max).

Does your primary do trips abroad, and if so how much do they cost ?

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noddyholder · 23/01/2007 17:29

My ds is going to italy in may for a week He is 12 though and it is £310 Not sure how most people can afford it esp if you have a few kids.My ds was never offered trips in primary school

Original poster

nutcracker · 23/01/2007 17:32

No we weren't either tbh and I was surprised when I heard about it.

I think I would be quite dissapointed though if she couldn't go. We don't go on holiday at all and so I think she really deserves to go.

It is alot of money though I think.

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Ladymuck · 23/01/2007 17:40

Can the school or PTA do some fundraising for it? We seem to always be having barbqs or dances or something for a football trip or cricket trip.

serenity · 23/01/2007 17:41

Our school offers a week long trip to Cyprus in Yr 6, (we are a greek orthodox school, they learn the language and history etc so it is relevant!) but it is subsidised (by the Church and the Bank of Cyprus iirc) I think it's about £200. Money for us is pretty tight but I will still try and send DS1 (no worries yet he's only in yr4 atm!) I am quite sure that I will end up asking MIL and my Mum to help, in lieu of birthday presents.

charliecat · 23/01/2007 17:42

Its £5 and bit a week saved if you know a week in advance, get saving!!!

Original poster

nutcracker · 23/01/2007 17:44

As far as I know, the school don't contribute as they tend to pay for some other smaller trips throught the year.

I might get one of those money tins and start putting the odd pound coins and stuff in it, that way I will have the deposit at least by next March LOL.

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LIZS · 23/01/2007 17:46

What do they do on this trip ? Our year 7's do a similar 4 day trip to France for roughly that cost and ds will have a Year 5 activity long weekend in October for about £175(tbc this week), if that gives you some idea. Still seems a lot though.

goingfor3 · 23/01/2007 17:46

Thnigs like this annoy me because they can't tell people to pay they can only ask if you want to. I'm sure they work out the cost per child and then add on a bit extra to cover those who don't pay even though they will go.

charliecat · 23/01/2007 17:47

she will need a passport at £?? as well remember.

Original poster

nutcracker · 23/01/2007 17:48

Haven't a clue what they do tbh.

Do they have to have an individual passport ?? I didn't when i went with school.

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Original poster

nutcracker · 23/01/2007 17:49

Goingfor3, if they don't pay they don't go.

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goingfor3 · 23/01/2007 17:50

Every child needs there own passport to go abroad and they are really expensive.

Mercy · 23/01/2007 17:50

My dd's school doesn't do trips abroad. I'm quite surprised to hear that primary schools do them tbh.

I would have thought the trip would be for several days at that price. Do you know any parents in Year 6 that have already been?

goingfor3 · 23/01/2007 17:52

I thought they could go without paying as the schools couldn't demand money because they have to give each child the opportunity whatever their financial situation.

Ladymuck · 23/01/2007 18:10

Passport is £45 for a first passport for a child. Yes she will need it unless ID cards come in by then.

Goingfor3, I think that what you're referring to is the case for trips which form part of the curriculum but not for extra-curricular trips. Provided that the school teaches the pupils not going then I would have expected this trip to be for paying children only.

portonovo · 24/01/2007 10:28

Our primary school doesn't do foreign trips, but they have a week-long trip to the Isle of Wight which costs £200. Those on benefits etc are subsidised. We have to pay a deposit in October, then get a payment card and have to pay the rest by June.

My 13 year old is going to France for a week this year with the school, that will cost £300.

Children don't need a passport for school or youth trips - those that don't already have a passport will go on the school's collective passport.You just supply some passport photos. They will however each need a European health card - that is free and really easy to get, I applied online and got it within days.

sandyballs · 24/01/2007 10:33

A friend of mine was saying her Year 8 boy is going to Canada for a week and it costs £1,000!

julienetmum · 24/01/2007 10:48

The voluntary contributions thing only applies if the trip is in school time. residential and out of school hours trips can be done on a only people who pay go basis.

Dd's school as far as I know doesn't do foreign trips, the senior school do one which is for a week, I think it is around £500.

Ladymuck · 24/01/2007 13:01

Portonovo - how does the school collective passport work? Must admit I've never heard of it but then the dcs have passports anyway.

portonovo · 24/01/2007 13:36

For the collective passport, you simply have to fill in a form with child's details and if I remember correctly some parental details. The school also needs a couple of passport photos with name on the back.

I guess the school then collated all this information somehow to show along with the passports of those children who chose to take their own.

LIZS · 24/01/2007 15:12

Presumably that only works within EU - technically you only need photo id to travel to most other EU countries(hence how people travel on out of date passports) but carriers risk fines if they are not in order.

Hallgerda · 25/01/2007 07:40

My children's primary school doesn't do trips abroad, but does do a Year 6 activity centre trip that costs around that amount.

RosaLuxembourg · 25/01/2007 10:36

Our year 6 children are offered a trip to Italy - they are twinned with a primary school in Italy so the Italian children also come to us for a week. It costs £200 which I think is reasonable. About half of them tend to go - DD will be in year 6 next year but says she won't go because she doesn't like the idea of going so far away without us. She is going on another residential instead which is also for a week but only to an activity centre a few miles away - this costs about the same.
As far as passports go, as far as I know the collective passport has recently been discontinued - each child now needs their own individual passport.

portonovo · 25/01/2007 11:46

No, collective passport is still going strong - Yr9s at our school are using one in June anyway. Unless this is changing after this date?

MrsMuddle · 25/01/2007 12:53

To answer the original question, I think this price is OK. My DS is in P7 (age 11) and their residential trip is for four nights to somwhere about an hour from Glasgow, where we live (don't want to identify it further). It's an outdoor centre - lots of walking, climbing, watersports etc, although it's in March so hopefully no watersports... The accommodation is in bunkrooms. All the P7s are going, and I think it will be a great confidence building holiday (although it is my idea of hell) before they all go off to secondary. Anyway, the point of telling you this is to say that for 4 nights in a cold bunk house on the outskirts of Glasgow, we're paying........ £240 per child!!!

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