School trip

[KamiKaur]

Advice please. School are having a residential trip and there are not enough places for all kids-first come basis which means 4 children will be excluded from the trip. I think it's really unfair as raises issues of inclusion for all children and the impact it will have on a child then can't then go as a result of this. Does anyone know if this is even legal?

[QuietlyQuaffing]

Apologies OP I obviously missed your later post. Is it a small year group?

[Hoppinggreen]

Hopefully there will be at least 4 who can’t/won’t go, that’s my experience of every residential both my dc have ever been on
If not they shouldn’t go, it’s totally unfair

[QuietlyQuaffing]

4's an odd number, I expect it's because there's a hard limit of 90 or whatever. In secondary it's normal for there to be vastly fewer spaces than children, so I think it's unlikely there is legislation about it.

Thinking back to my children's residentials in primary, there was always a handful of children who did not attend, for all sorts of reasons. Realistically, it's unlikely in a big group that every single non-PP family can afford it, every child is ready to be away from their parents, no one has any weddings/holidays/dance shows/important football tournaments AND there's no one whose parents won't let them go for religious/cultural reasons. I would bet good money that the 4 will be found from people who don't sign up anyway, or are ill on the day, and this will be a non-problem. I bet school also know that more than 4 decline, or don't attend, every year.

However if they literally exclude just 1 to 4 children who did sign up, that is awful.

[HomeMadeMadness]

Only 4 children will be left out? That seems a very odd choice. I'm sure they could have found somewhere that would accommodate all the kids.

[ineedaholidaynow]

That seems so wrong. I can understand if it was limited to about 50% but not to miss out 4 children.

[KamiKaur]

I think in previous years some kids have left in year 5 so maybe the demand hasn't always been there but all kids apart from 2 are wanting to go this time-which means 4 kids are on a waiting list hoping that someone might drop out!

[NWQM]

Sounds very unfair but worth checking if this is because of their previous experience of drop out / non-sign up rates. My sons school is a one form entry and at least that number each year seem not to go.

[RedSkyLastNight]

Does every child actually want to go? It seems very odd that the school would book a residential trip which has almost-but-not-quite enough spaces for everyone unless past experience suggests that there will be a few children choosing not to go?

There were 80 places for DD's year 6 residential in a year group of 123. Only 77 children chose to go, so lack of spaces simply wasn't an issue.