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Original poster

School trip - HOW MUCH???????????

100 replies

BethAndHerBrood · 04/05/2007 16:36

DS1 brought a letter home today about his upcoming school trip. Voluntary contribution of £11!!! WTF??? And if not enough pupils pay "there is a risk the trip will be cancelled" They might as well cancel it now, I can't imagine many parents will pay it!

As you can tell, I think it's a lot. You're all going to come on here now and tell me it's nothing compared to what you all pay, aren't you?!

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NoodleStroodle · 04/05/2007 16:37

Where are they going and what are they doing?

gothicmama · 04/05/2007 16:37

we pay £10 voluntary contribution

AnAngelWithin · 04/05/2007 16:37

we had exactly the same letter with the same wording today for a zoo trip it was £7!! am its guilt tripping parents!!

mosschops30 · 04/05/2007 16:39

where are they going?

we normally get asked to pay £5 or something for a small trip, weekend trips have been about £70

PestoMonster · 04/05/2007 16:39

I just had to pay £40 for dd1 to have 2 days out last week at an activity centre and then she's got a 2nighter staying away in July, that's costing a further £80!

FioFio · 04/05/2007 16:40

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mankyscotslass · 04/05/2007 16:41

Same wording for a trip costing £12. We could actually drive to the place and there is no entry fee so were a bit shocked!

Original poster
BethAndHerBrood · 04/05/2007 16:42

They are going to Ordsall Hall in salford. Some Tudory place, with an all day workshop. DS1 will be bored to tears!!

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 04/05/2007 16:42

Depends on the trip but they normally range between £6 and £20.

Having said that Dd2 is going on a day trip to London to an exhibition and that is £40.

RubyRioja · 04/05/2007 16:42

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KTeePee · 04/05/2007 16:48

Yr 6 in our school go on a week long school trip - between the cost of the trip itself and all the equipment you need to get, it probably costs almost as much as we spend on a family holiday!

goingfor3 · 04/05/2007 16:51

DD's preschool thrip to a farm is £9 per person, an adult has to go with each child so it's £18. We still have to pay the fee for the session if the child usually goes to prescholl on that day!

Troutpout · 04/05/2007 17:06

We've paid 12 quid for a school trip recently...and they don't even call it voluntary..they also say if enough people don't pay they will cancel.
Also paid 14 quid for a theatre group to come in to school to perform
mmmm

that's aprox 500 pupils in school x 14 quid
Perhaps it was the RSC.

Next year is the year 6 trip to france
285 quid for 4 nights

Ladymuck · 04/05/2007 17:09

Round here a 50 seater coach costs about £350 per hour, so I guess it depends on whether the destination is walking distance from the school or not.

Aimsmum · 04/05/2007 17:13

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Olihan · 04/05/2007 17:40

Just bear in mind that schools are not allowed to make money on school trips. The cost of transport is huge these days, coupled with insurance that covers your children for the trips as well as the entrance fee. In terms of voluntry contributions schools cannot insist that you pay and they cannot exclude your children if they don't pay, but if not enough people pay then the schools cannot afford to fully subsidise trips as it would take away from other vital resources such as books and teaching and support staff. Is there a better way that it could be worded? Unfortunately this is the true cost of trips, its either this or no trips at all.

(This is Olihan's DH by the way - she is upstairs)

LIZS · 04/05/2007 17:41

ds' trip is over £13.

wheresthehamster · 04/05/2007 18:33

The bulk will be the coach for the reasons stated - whether going a mile up the road or somewhere an hour or two away. Then add on entrance. Some schools include insurance per trip or charge a flat fee each September.

Most of ours are £8 - £12 at primary. Actually the zoo for £7 sounds amazingly cheap! It's either well subsidised or the coach is below standard.

portonovo · 04/05/2007 18:34

Sounds reasonable, although they certainly do mount up when you have a few children!

At primary school, day trips tend to cost £5-10, at secondary school we haven't had any costing under £12.

Schools have to say it's voluntary because they're not allowed to exclude anyone for financial reasons, but they also then state that insufficient payments will mean the trip is cancelled. Our letters are worded in just the same way - voluntary contribution etc.

It really isn't the schools' fault, most of the time the problem lies with coach fees.

The playgroup I'm involved with try to do the odd morning or day out for the children, always very local, but the coaches charge the earth. Last time, for a distance of less than 4 miles, we would have had to charge £5 per adult and something for the children, just for the coach. We managed in the end to do it via car-sharing, but it was a lot of hassle.

makkapakka · 04/05/2007 18:35

our trip in a couple of weeks is £15 (reception) - don't mind paying it, must cost a fortune to hire coach, pay in, etc.

roisin · 04/05/2007 18:36

Round here a coach plus driver costs c.£400 for the day. If that's seating, say, 60 children that's nearly £7 costs before you've paid any admission charges.

noonar · 04/05/2007 18:43

as a teacher, who has planned dozens of school trips, i second everything said by olihan's dh. the cost of coach travel often makes trips prohibitively expensive.

don't blame the school!

i do appreciate that it must be tough if you're on a low income. why not just pay what you can afford?

fannyannie · 04/05/2007 18:45

DS1's school trip this term is £11 too - don't mind paying it.

MrsWho · 04/05/2007 19:26

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MrsWeasley · 04/05/2007 19:34

The going rate for our school trips are usually about £10-15 but each contain the same line about "trip may be cancelled if parents dont pay" but I've never know a trip cancelled.
We also have to sign at he begining of starting school a home-school agreement that states we will pay the "voluntary" contributions.

Just had one for £8 cheaper than usual because the PTA are paying for the coach and it is the second trip this year.

If you cant fund the trips please speak to the headteacher they are likely to have funds available for such circumstances.