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

[BethAndHerBrood]

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?!

We've got one coming up for £12 but we'll pay twice for dt's.

They're only in reception - I know this is going to get expensive.

My boys' primary does fantastic trips, but also does all it can to keep costs down. DS1 is going on a residential next week - 2 nights at a youth hostel, 3 days in the Lake District. Included in the cost is coach, steam train trip, aquarium, two boat rides, full board, trip to swimming pool, lots of walks and activities. The total cost to us is £70, which I think is a bargain.

I don't know quite how they do it tbh. I know they have a longstanding agreement with the YHA so probably get a very good deal there. Also to avoid the costs of wastage all the children have to make their menu selections in advance so there is no wasted food. Also they have paid for school staff to be trained and qualified as outdoor instructors, rather than having to pay external bodies. Normally the two classes (60 children) have two teachers plus an odd TA or something - obviously there are far more staff going on the trip (some diverted from other duties some employed specially for the week - brought back from retirement or employed for extra hours that week); but this staff cost is not factored in to the trip cost.

In the secondary where I work the 5 day trips to Europe cost £300 to France and £250 to Germany. (It's 7 hours from here to Dover btw!)

But again staff time is not factored in for that. We take 5 members of staff on each trip (40 students) - we do this voluntarily even though we are 'working' far more than our contracted hours. But also the school has to pay considerable sums of money for supply staff to cover lessons that week for the absent teachers: say £200 per teacher per day = £5000. So you could reasonably add an extra £125 per child to the costs.

DD2 is going on a residential trip (4 nights) after SATS and it has cost us £250. Roisin - I don't know how your school does it!

It might be subsidised Yoyo. I was asking dh the other day to put his governor's hat on and ask, because to me the figures just don't add up! I know what most of the individual attractions/activities would cost, plus the coach, and even with hefty discounts I can't work it out.

Sorry if this has already been said - haven't read the whole thread. We pay the 'voluntary' contributions to dds swimming lessons, simply 'cos if we didn't the school would have to find it from somewhere else. Appreciate that some families can't/won't, but surely every little bit helps, especially as it seems they're giving them a fun day.

I'd say that was standard for a day trip.

Just thought this might interest you. From DDs newsletter yesterday:

On /date/ Miss X has organised a workshop for all the chidren to attend. \dinni Ngwenya is a Zimbambwean dancer, singer and drummer.

I don't think £11 is bad,the coach hire will be really expensive.

I'm amazed that anyone is expected to sign a home-school agreement to pay the full price for school trips. Unfair and unenforcable (they are not allowed to stop children going just because their parents can't afford it). And if I were strapped for cash I would object vociferously to having to go and explain my reasons to the headteacher, as if I were a naughty 3yo. My personal finances are none of their damn business.

I appreciate staff put in a lot of time and effort, but pressure on parents and children who may not have much spare money lying around is unkind and unfair.

Has anyone been asked to sign a home school agreement? I must have missed that bit of the thread.

I thought a letter came home. I'm confused now.

While I agree that your persnonal finaces are your own buisness, the reality is that schools cannot afford to finace whole sholl trips. unless people are asked to contribute the trips will simply have to stop.

Goodness knows schools often don't have money for books, let alone trips.

I never organise trips. The risks are, to my mind, too high.

MB: we sign a home school agreement when the children start school in Reception then again in year 3, it covers; doing homework, getting to school on time;wearing uniform; paying for trips etc.

Our infant school is very good and always offers the option of installments.

My DD year six residential trip cost £250 (from monday to Friday) in year 8 her skiing trip is £550 but installments are available for both. (the skiing is an extra not like the other type of school trips. ie.limited to about 35 many going)

Any trip[s the DSes school organised, or outside organisations coming in have to be subsidised by the parents. However, our school is notrious for sending letters home on a Thursday saying "We are doing such and such tomorrow and ask for £5 each child to be paid".
At Christmas we had the following to pay out

2x Christmas dinners @ £1.50 each
2x Visiting pantomime @£5.00 each
3 x tickets for DS1 class concert, at £6.00
3 x tickets for DS2's nativity play @ £6.00
2x class partys @ £1.75 each
2 x class trips @ £5.00 each. All these had to be paid in the week before Christmas.
It worked out at quite a bit, and as I said above wouldn't have been so bad if they had given parents more than 24 hours of the payment being needed

edam: I can fully understand why people wouldnt want to talk openly about their finances but our head is the nicest, most understanding and caring women you could ever meet. She knows all the children my name and wouldnt make anyone feel at all bad about discussing a sensitive issue. But I do know that not all teachers are like this! We are so lucky to have her

No, personal finances are no business of the school's full stop. They don't become the school's business because it decides to put on a trip.

FWIW ds is only in the nursery part of his school, starts reception in September and so far we've been asked to contribute small amounts for cookery, other stuff I forget, and donate to things like Red Nose Day. But all done very nicely, in a 'it would be nice if you could' way. However, there is another type of letter they send home implying that the school won't be able to do x, y and z if parents don't stump up for the Friends - basically saying LEA won't allow them to expand to two form intake so the school is struggling and if enough people don't sign up to a regular direct debit then your child's education will suffer. Outrageous. I know the LEA has been dragging its feet for three bloody years over expanding places but the direct debit thing makes me fume.

If you are genuinely unable to pay then you are entitled to go into school and tell the head in confidence that it is too expensive for you. There is usually a small pot of money available to help those who genuinely need it and I doubt many schools would have a problm with that.

Unfortunately, I knnow from experience that the parents who really can't afford it will find the money and those who don't contribute are often those who plead poverty but manage to kit their kids out in Nike trainers, the latest Ipod, PSP, etc.

WRT to notice, I would complain to the head everytime it happens, and get as many other parents to as well. That's just poor organisation to demand payment 24 hours beforehand. Not much is arranged that late in the day.

Edam [shock}, they want you to set up a direct debit to basically fund the school? What the hell is happening to state education? That's appalling!

I think school trips are often one of the hallmarks of a good school. They can be expensive particularly if you have more than one child. I don't think schools could afford to finance them in full and if the SPA doesn't raise lots of money, then it falls on the parents. If people are struggling then I guess they can either 1) ask for a subsidy or 2) regretfully not let their child go on a trip.

That was happening when we were in Australia -'voluntary' contributions to state schools. Some people were being asked to contribute A$800 (over £300) per year. It hit the papers because of the amounts but also because some schools were displaying lists of familes that hadn't made a contribution!!!!