Have you said no to a 5 day class trip?

[jwpetal]

Any advice or experience regarding not sending your child on a class trip?

We attended a meeting regarding a class trip to Wales for my 10 year old ds. The cost of the trip is £355 for 5 days. We are trying to decide if he will attend as this is a lot of money that will impinge on family plans and financially will cause a strain. I asked parents if they would be willing to fund raise for the trip and of 40 parents only 3 said yes. We are an active family and my son does cubs so is already getting many of the outdoor benefits. I can't really see additional experience potential except for he won't be left out, which is a lame excuse, but understandable.

anyone else in this dilemma?

If you will struggle to afford it, then lots of messages saying what a bonding experience it is, how the ones staying behind feel left out, how it teaches them independence etc are not hugely helpful to you, OP. If your son is in Cubs I expect he will already have been away with them for probably less cost and with maybe even more independence than school trips. It sounds like this trip may impact family holiday plans so what about having to forfeit the bonding experience with your family in favour of one with school friends many of whom will presumably move on to other schools or other friendship groups next year at secondary school? This really isn't a once in a lifetime experience either, in DS's secondary school they did a similar trip at the end of Year 7 as a "bonding" experience.

DD has a trip in beginning of Y5 and one end of Y6. Y5 was 275 (3 nights localish adventure center, like PGL), the Y6 will be around 400 (4 nights Isle of Wight).

In Y5 only one girl didn't go, everybody felt quite sad for her and from last year's Y6 trip 3 didn't go (two classes of 30+ each).

The school runs the trips every year and are more than happy to give information about expected prices based on previous years as early as Y3 (we are a Junior school), obviously it will be a bit more expensive each year but it is a good estimate. They also are happy to discuss payment plans or quitely subsidese with money raised by the PTA, the PTA allocates a certain percentage of the annual funds specifically to subsidise trips.

We get the pricing for each trip around 7 months in advance, a downpayment as a confirmation that the child goes and then 2-3 installments or you pay weekly.

DD came back from her Y5 trip last September full of confidence, they use the trip to teach confidence, independence, dealing with others when you can't just walk away at the end of the school day. It is far more than most brownie weekends do.

£140 for 5 nights at my school - both the school and the PTA fund the rest. Help available.

£240 for 2 nights at my ds's school

I feel your pain re: the costs. I have year 4 twins who are going on a 5 day trip to Kingswood in June, £750 for both of them to go. The worst thing is that they run the same trip again in year 6 so I've already told my 2 that if they go now they won't be going in year 6. It's a ridiculous amount of money and I really didn't want them to go but they begged and said that everyone else was going so I caved in ( have since found out that at least 6 other children are staying at school ). I honestly don't think schools should be allowed to run such expensive trips, especially in primary school.

That's so expensive. Is it too late to lobby for youth hostelling or accommodation barns instead? I hope they're at least giving you good notice and offering easy payment options.

The junior school that ds2 is in (and ds1 left last year) runs residential trips for every year - overnight in Y3, 2 nights in Y4, 4 nights in Y5 and 4 nights in Europe in Y6.

I really don't approve of residential trips before senior school. I know that not everybody agrees with me but I don't think that they should be done so young.

At the dc's school, it is typically about a third of the year that's left behind, they say they organise a fun time for those left behind but in reality, as all the extra support staff are on the trip, there are not enough staff left behind to take the children on trips locally - where the activities they do on the trips (adventure stuff like climbing and canoeing and archery etc) are all available locally at a very reasonable rate.

It really seems like they are treated as second class citizens for not going - if the activities are as important as they say they are when trying to flog the trip initially then they should be providing them for the kids that don't go too. If they are not so important then they shouldn't be bothering with a trip. They can't have it both ways!

I know not everyone agrees with me, but it's a personal bugbear of mine that has annoyed me as I've watched ds1 go through the school, and now with ds2... Didn't help that some so called friends of ds1 then bullied him for not going and it screwed up all sorts of friendships.

It is about standard price for PGL or something similar with experienced and qualified staff involved.

I see it will impinge on family plans so it is not exactly the case that there is not enough money: it was earmarked for other things. That is not quite the same as being very poor. FSM children often get a helping hand re finances from PP money. Are you FSM?

Regarding the experience of the trip. They are usually fantastic. Where I am a governor every child goes and we do subsidise a few children. We do not like to see children not going because it pin points them as poor and separates them from friends, so we make every effort to help. It can result in the problems described by confuugled1 so you have to factor this in when making the decision. It is inevitiable if you separate yourself out from a group of friends. They carry on without you. I guess people do not want to fund-raise if they can afford it and perhaps think you can too, if you wanted to.

It is not too young to go on a residential at 10/11. Mine went for a week in Y2. We are made of stern stuff in this area. Only a handful did not go on this trip! My children also went on summer residentials, because they enjoyed them, from age 9. They learn independence, getting on with others, try all sort of activities, learn about challenge and overcoming fears, and on a school trip, have a laugh with the teachers! That is priceless!

Thank you for all the responses. We will not be a family that would get support from the school and I have been advised that any money raised would have to go to all the students so we may do fundraising outside the school with a few other parents. We are a family that travels and does a lot of extra curricular activities and he does cubs so in May off to a 4 day camping trip and has been doing trips since he was 7. Trips away are not unknown and he is very independent.

It is a question of priorities. For that amount, we could do a number of things as a family. I think I might be bothered at the assumption that we have £60 for 6 months just hanging around without prior notice etc.

I will speak to the school to find out what he would be doing if he stayed. Last year, 4 students stayed and they designed a robot.

Ooh designing a robot is cool! I'd be tempted to take a famiky holiday then simply as I'd consider it better use of money but if there's cool things at school that could be good too!

Ladylannister I have twins in year 2 and I have already spoken to the other twin parents (3 sets) so that they are prepared. I take heart to your solution as I think for those with more than one the cost is prohibitive.

At my kids' primary the Yr 4&6 residentials are known about long in advance as they happen every year. The dates are advertised at the start of the school year, and payments are staggered across the year. The Year 4 & Year 6 payments were even in different months so it was easier to budget for parents who had kids in both years. And the cost is approximately half £350 for the year 6 trip, and less for the year 4. I'm staggered a state school thinks it's OK to put on a trip that costs that much. If I've understood your post at 14:10 you are being asked to find £60 a month for six months in a row? That's crazy. I paid c£50 a quarter for my youngest's trip.

That said, I think school residentials are awesome. My kids got so much out of theirs. It was worth every penny. They were great bonding events and are remembered with happiness for years. I have two DCs with Asperger's. One of them has always refused sleepovers but he did manage the primary residentials (and later secondary ones) which was good for him and encouraging for me. (I'm not saying that all autistic/SEN kids should be forced on residentials, no value judgement here, just saying it worked for us.)

What I do feel about residentials is that they (well locally) do a lot of expensive outward bound type activities, which ups the price with equipment/specialist instructors.
When I went we had 4 nights in a County Council owned place with I think 2-3 resident instructors.
The first night was a local nature walk. Then we were split into three groups. All groups did orienteering (here's the instructions, here's your pack lunch, try to be back by 4pm and set off on a course that they'd set off over the Yorkshire countryside. I don't believe they had ever lost anyone ) all groups did a town day (visit the castle, do some project work on the local architecture and have a short time left to spend any money in the town) and then each group had a more specialise activity done with the resident instructors (our groups did caving, down a lead mine and mountain biking).
It cost us £21.50 for the week.
We also did the setting of tables and clearing away (I've half a feeling we had to do washing up as well, but I may be misremembering) and had a rota of chores for the evening.
The last morning was spent cleaning the place/stripping beds etc. followed by time spent locally.

Now my dc's trips go along the lines of 2 activities a day both of which are along the lines of abseiling, dragon boating, dry slope skiing etc.

Personally I think there are a number of children who would prefer what we did. not every child wants to spend the entire time doing these things, I know I wouldn't. Why not have on offer (the site does do this) a craft session, dance, den building etc? Which wouldn't require the expensive equipment or the instructors.

I'd also be interested to know how they would deal with a child who has a disability that restricts mobility on the basis that the child with a broken arm was told that they could come but would only be able to watch.

To be fair, OP didn't say that it wasn't affordable, it came across to me like they were trying to decide whether they could stretch to it by compromising on other things. That's not the same thing and that is why I made comments about why I personally think these trips are important.

OP stated that she was struggling to see the benefit of such a trip which is why posters are talking about the benefits.

The school does sound like they handle kids missing the trips well though.

At my DCs school there is a residential trip in yr5 and in yr6 apparently. My ds is yr5 and we were only told how much it would be last month. We were offered weekly payment plans but as we're both paid monthly it all has to come out of one payday. It has made me really cross as the school could have given us an indication of how much it would be much earlier. I will be insisting on finding out how much next years trip will be in September.

I wouldn't be fundraising either as a parent, I wouldn't want others to be paying for a holiday fo my child and I'm guessing by the lack of responses that other parents feel the same way.

Upto you if you finance it or not. Most schools do a residential in year six so it's known years before.

Er yes, OP, of course any school based fundraising would need to subsidise the whole class, not you and a few more parents!

As I said, in our school the PTA raised money to subsidise each successive year for the residential. It made it much more affordable for all. Very community minded school.

School trips are not 'once in a lifetime ' 😂 there will be loads of school trip opportunities at secondary school including trips abroad, skiing etc.

....and you think those are going to be more affordable for the OP? I think they are likely to be beyond their means also..
It was a fair point, that OPs DS will only have one trip at the end of primary, before the class disperses to diff secondary schools. Ski trips etc generally only attract < half the DCs (the ones with wealthy parents).

Tbh I think year 6 is too young. Where we are the secondary school does a similar trip 1st term of yr 7 so it's hardly once in a lifetime.

From your most recent post OP, I think you'd be quite cheeky to ask others to fund the trip! You state you travel a lot, do lots of extra avtivities etc. Some kids don't do any of this! I don't think you should be asking others to fund this just so you can prioritise elsewhere

Tbh I think year 6 is too young.

Too young?

Ours start at Grade 2 for an overnight camp, then two days in Grade 3, 3 in Grade 4, and 5 days in Grades 5 and 6.

Our school has mixed 5/6 year..The year 5's are doing some trips so assume any year 6's not going would go on the trips.

Agree it's incredibly cheeky to ask others to fund it. If you want your child to go, you need to pay for it. If not, then they don't get to go.

It is a great opportunity for them to spend time alone with their friends; I would talk to the school, make some sacrificies somewhere else, do some fund raising with the other parents who said yes.

At the end of secondary school I did some fund raising for the school trip, we did not get enough money. My parents were having some financial difficulties and my mum had to make a loan so I could go on this trip. I had such an amazing time and I remembered this trip for years. I am forever grateful with my mum. We made the most of every hour we were on this trip coming from state schools and the majority from working class families so did not have holidays every year let alone with friends. We went on this trip with a private school. I don't think they enjoyed it or valued it as much as we did as they were used to having holidays every year.

I know this is primary school and year 5 but still a great opportunity.

Our school does a y5 trip (£150) and a y6 trip (£320) People on FSM get a discount (£50 ish if I recall correctly)

At our school only 1 or 2 don't go.

My oldest dc didn't go on them. They didn't fancy it - were homebodies who didn't want to be away from home that long. They are now in late teens/early 20s and don't feel deprived. It had no impact on friendship bonding or willingness to go on trips when they were older. They spent the week helping out in reception class and had fun.
Youngest dc is much more social so will probably go.

£355 is a fair bit of money. I'd ask for help if you need it or for an instalment plan.