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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

Not impressed by cost or appropriatness of school trip.

48 replies

FuriousGeorge · 06/03/2008 19:22

DD1,who is 4,came home with a letter,informing us about a school trip to a nearby agricultural college 'to see the lambs'.The college is about 3 miles away & we are being asked to pay £6 for her to go.

I and a lot of the other mothers,think it is exspensive for just over 2 hours and such a short distance.We also don't think it is a very appropriate trip for the type of school it is.We are in a very rural,still very agricultural area,where any child can look out of the school windows & see sheep & lambs.A high proportion of the children are from farming families and are currently involved in lambing themselves,so we are a bit annoyed at being charged £6 for something that most of the children can see every day,for nothing & probably won't be that excited by.

We have spoken to the teacher who has arranged it all & had a letter explaining why it costs so much (health & safety) & that if we don't want our children to go,to let her know. No one has said what the children who don't go will be doing instead though.

I feel in a quandry now.DD1 hasn't beeen on any type of school trip before & will probably want to go,so I'd feel horribly mean,not letting her go,but at the same time,I feel it is a bit of a pointless trip.If it was to a city,temple or a museum, something that she wasn't exposed to every day,I'd be perfectly happy for her to go.She spent yesterday afternoon down on our farm in the lambing pens with us,so it isn't going to be anything new for her,or most of her classmates,for that matter.

I don't expect any responses,but just wanted to get it out of my system.I've got to decide whether she goes or not,by tomorrow.

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NAB3wishesfor2008 · 06/03/2008 19:23

I have just paid £12 for my sons trip. 90 kids at £12 is quite a bit!

Whizzz · 06/03/2008 19:25

I don't that that 'health & safety' is the reason it costs so much - more like the insurance costs ??
To be honest I don't think £6 is that much, but agree if its something most can see evryday, you may not see the point - but then what about those that are not able to see lambing at close quarters ?

DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:25

coaches cost a fortune

avenanap · 06/03/2008 19:25

Is the £6 just for the coach?

My ds went on a trip a couple of years ago, it was free except for the coach, which was £7.50. I wouldn't have minded but he went to a museum 10 minutes walk from where we live. I was not allowed to save the cash and take him there myself because of the register mark. I had to spend £5 getting him to school on the bus across the city, so that he could come back again very close to home. Pathetic.

DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:26

adn if oyu opeted out on that bsis shed never go anwyehre
if she odesn go she will hate you

its a social thing too

choosyfloosy · 06/03/2008 19:26

What a strange trip to set up!

I think that in the same circs, I would ring round a couple of friends to find out if 'everyone' was going, and if most people seemed to be going, would shell out. I would then write a letter to the teacher asking for information about future school trips and what the rationale is for choosing destinations. If there were no useful results forthcoming, I think I would write again, to the governors this time, to ask them to think further about this issue, because as you say, surely the point of school trips is to broaden the children's horizons.

Perhaps your dd's school and my ds's school could do an exchange - ds would love seeing your lambs and your dd could enjoy a trip to, erm, the electricity substation?

constancereader · 06/03/2008 19:26

Possibly it is the coach costing this amount.
I would let her go so she doesn't feel left out, but do agree that it seems a bit pointless to do this in a farming community.

Kathyis6incheshigh · 06/03/2008 19:28

When we do trips with our students a coach costs £350 for a day.

DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:28

but deffo go along wiht it

after all what a pita to haev to look afetr random kdis hwo are left there cryig as their mates all happily skipp off to the back seat of the coach to smoke and bare their arses

brimfull · 06/03/2008 19:32

school trips are great fun at that age

so exciting to go on a coach with your mates

that alone is worth the ££

DualCycloneCod · 06/03/2008 19:33

adn the coke

wheresthehamster · 06/03/2008 19:38

That's about the minimum for a school trip and covers the coach and insurance. Although it's not something out of the ordinary for your dd it will be much more exciting with all her friends. And anyway it's the journey that they like the best. And eating lunch.

Janni · 06/03/2008 19:40

If she wants to go I would let her go, if she's not bothered I'd give her a day off and tell the teacher why. If she DOES go she will enjoy the whole experience, even if the lambs are familiar.

My parents were very cynical teachers who believed that a ride around a big car park in a coach, followed by lunch, a fizzy drink and a trip to a gift shop would have been the kids' idea of a fab day out !!!

Reallytired · 06/03/2008 19:59

I think you are being unreasonable. Going to an agricultural college 'to see the lambs'is very educational. They will probably get to see other animals as well and have a lovely time.

When my son was in reception I paid £5 for him to go to a park in Luton and play rounders. I was sceptical quite what he would get out of a trip to Luton (of all places?) but he had a lovely time.

It is against the law for schools to charge for outings in school hours. All they can do is ask for donations. Obviously if there are not enough donations then the trip can't go ahead. There are funds for people who are suffering real finanical hard ship.

Hence my son's school just played rounders in Luton for their annual

Original poster

FuriousGeorge · 06/03/2008 20:01

Coach is £3,the college charges £3 too.Lunch is not included,there will be no school meals that day,so everyone will have to eat their packed lunch before they go.

One of the mums suggested that one of us take a sheep plus lambs to school.Everyone gets to see them & no one has to pay anything.

My uncle said he'd happily allow the whole school in to see his sheep & only charge them £1 each for the privilige.

I'll probably let her go,but plan to put my points in writing.Have also warned the teacher that dd will probably be telling them how everything should be done.That should be fun for them.

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Original poster

FuriousGeorge · 06/03/2008 20:06

Reallytired,it isn't going to be educational for at least half the children in dd's class.They live on farms.Even the ones that don't only have to loook out of the school window at a whole field of sheep & lambs.As another parent said to me tonight,this time of year,all you can hear are sheep baaing.

As for not being allowed to charge,that is interesting.We weren't aware of that.

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sherby · 06/03/2008 20:08

Love the name FG

Original poster

FuriousGeorge · 06/03/2008 20:10

thankyou sherby

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MaloryTowers · 06/03/2008 20:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bellavita · 06/03/2008 20:15

I have just paid £10 for DS1 (Yr6) to go to Eden Camp for the day. £8 coach and £2 entrance fee.

I have his residential in June - £311 plus we need the entire contents of Blacks to kit him out.

Original poster

FuriousGeorge · 06/03/2008 20:16

bellavita

OP posts:

morningpaper · 06/03/2008 20:19

I think you aren't seeing the wood for the trees here. There are lots of things that they can do in school that you could say "FFS they can do that every day!" e.g. reading books and colouring. It is all part of the learning experience. This isn't really about lambs. It's about a school trip which has probably had hours of consideration about how to apply the curriculum and will probably result in hours of projects and relevant learning with the children. Don't get too literal!

bellavita · 06/03/2008 20:20

Furious - suppose we are lucky really, before we had this Head, the old one had a residential in Yr5 and Yr6 and if you had two children at the school it did cost a bloody fortune.

Must admit, I am sick of paying out all the time. They should just ask for £20 by direct debit at the start of each term for the travelling theatres that come to school etc.

mysonsmummy · 06/03/2008 20:33

but its not just about seeing the lambs. as you said she has never been on a school trip before and for some kids it may be easier to do something familar with all the new stuff on the day.

its about the excitement of getting on the coach with all your friends. choosing who to sit next too and having a giggle. its probably the start of many trips.

im sure if it was that boring for all the kids why would the school have arranged it.

Reallytired · 06/03/2008 22:11

Ok, FuriousGeorge I didn't realise that you lived in the country. Prehaps going to see lambs is a bit of waste of time for you.

My son's school is very different. Many of them have never seen lambs. Some of the children have never been for a walk in the country. I would have been very happy for them to have an outing to see lambs.

Instead they had a picnic in Luton and played rounders. I was really sceptical about the educational value, but my son really enjoyed it.

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