Associated costs with school trips

[Tudorfan]

I just wondered if there were any teachers or staff who work in schools who have insight into the costs for school trips?

My daughters school are taking them on a trip to the cinema - they have asked for a voluntary contribution from parents for £5.00. They subsequently have changed the conditions of the trip by sending a second message advising that consent for the trip is linked to payment. Meaning the payment cannot be voluntary?

They have advised the school is covering the bulk of the costs of the trip.

They will be walking to the cinema and having packed lunches, so no transport costs. The cinema includes one member of staff free for every 10 students so no staffing cost. The cinema charge £4.50 per student for a cinema showing.

Are there additional costs occurred by a School for insurance for such a trip? I’m slightly confused how they have advised they are covering the ‘bulk’ of the costs.

It definitely won't be teachers "making money" from parents.

But is is still not permitted for schools to increase the costs of a trip to the parents. There must be no "extra" 50ps - whatever the intent for their usage is.

Parents must only pay the correct per child share of the cost (rounding should be only a few pence - not the 20% that 50p on a £4.50 trip would represent if £5 were charged for it)

If there is a shortfall, then either, school, PTA or some other random benefactor needs to make it up to the full sum. It is not legal for state schools to exclude DC from activities because their parents cannot pay (or take the piss and don't, even when they could). If the shortfall cannot be covered, then the trip has to be cancelled.

I know from DD that school trips with transport are expensive due to the cost of bus hire and the amount charged by places for trips with any kind of workshop can be very high, but a trip where they walk, fairly sure insurance is across the school rather than a single trip basis, parentpay like most app payments comes at a cost so won’t help

Actually I’d like to know what it goes on to be honest! I’ve just paid £600 for 5 days residential 😟

My friends daughter in another school is going to the same place and it’s costing less than half that

Are the schools near each other, transport is often the main cost

Some schools do fundraising or use PTA funds for the residential trip.
The centres charge more at popular times.

So it comes down to... are you paying over the odds or are they paying under the cost.

One school my Dds attended used to do fundraising like tombola and cake sales to reduce the cost

The most likely two extra costs are taking extra adults not covered by the one ticket free per 10. They may need extra staff who are one to ones or simply taking an extra member of staff above ratio as that what they need from their risk assessment. Or a contribution towards cover costs. (In the past when budgeting school trips, I had to add a pre-agreed cover sum.) Given it’s only 50p extra, I suspect it’s extra adults.

Although it may be annoying, I wouldn’t be making a fuss and asking for break downs about 50p. Teachers don’t have to do school trips and it’s a lot of extra paperwork which you get zero time for.

You can ask but:
cover costs - one school can manage with minimal or no cover, the other needs to bring in cover teachers or supply.
Transport - depending on when they booked coach costs may change. (They are £££ these days.)
Centre charged them different amounts.
If one is private they may have a different policy on paying staff for trips.
One school may need to take more staff than the other - risk assessment dependent.

There is no harm asking the teacher in charge of the trip and asking you could have a quick chat. School down the road is doing the same trip for 1/2 price and I was wondering why.

It can also be number and type of activities included.

Just because it's the same venue doesn't mean that it's going to be the same activities

PTA could have covered part of the cost if another school is cheaper.

Teachers don't get paid any differently to normal when they go on residential trips. Schools do whatever they can to keep costs down. They aren't adding more to cash in. I would guess extra 50p is for popcorn. Just ask if you want to know.

I hadn’t paid yet as they’d advertised it as being
voluntary. Yet my daughter has come home from school yesterday advising that those whose parents hadn’t paid yet had essentially been shamed. By having their names written on the board and being told when they get home to tell their parents to pay, as payment is linked to consent.

For clarification on previous comments, the class is Key Stage 2 (for ratios).

I think a cinema trip expects payment as it is not essential to the curriculum. However they can't charge you extra to cover others who might not pay.

One year my child's trip was cancelled due to parents not paying. Not because they couldn't because it said voluntary. I know this because on the what's app group they discussed not paying because it was voluntary and didn't see why they had too. My DD was upset and didn't understand.

I think it's great they offer this for the children that need it. I think it's a shame some take advantage of the voluntary contribution. As for what it's made up of I'm unsure. I know other trips a lot of the cost is the coach! They are extortionate.

Our local cinema also does a booking fee of 50p per ticket. It may be that?

It’s private and I’ve a feeling we are also paying towards the teachers costs. Feel like we are being battered at the moment. £40 for hoodie with name on it ( every one gets one apparently) £50 for leavers party & photo book 😩

Shaming the children isn't on.
The consent thing... might be a clumsy way of saying that no payment means no consent form (but if you contact to say you can't pay that might over ride that bit?) Otherwise they may be considering no response to mean you don't want your child to attend.

Are they doing the same activities? When my child did a residential they had to pay per activity. So if they did less activities it worked out cheaper. The cost also went down the more children that went as they book the whole centre?

They should not be making who has paid and who hasn't visible in any way to pupils or parents.

Sending one reminder is fair enough. More could be ruled as excessive.

Voluntary shouldn't be interpreted here as "optional". It means you are paying even though you know you cannot be compelled to pay (charges to state school parents are circumscribed by law)

If you cannot pay, then have a discreet word with the school - they may have hardship funds (probably via PTA)

If you can pay but just decide not to, and if other parents share that response, the trip will probably have to be cancelled as some shortfalls are too big to be covered.

I volunteered to go on a school trip as a parent recently. They covered my entrance fee and the teachers offered to buy us coffee. I thought we should buy them gin tbh! There was one adult per five children. Perhaps they need extra adult tickets? The school is covering the bill of the costs is standard wording on all trips. Maybe they mean in general?

Perhaps ask yourself why you are choosing not to pay if you can afford to?

Trips will stop if everyone thinks like you.

I’m not sure tbh - this could be a reason. I expect my dd to be on the next Tampax advert if so! 😂

@Barefootsally would transport costs be different? Coaches are horrendously expensive now. PTA/other fundraising activities might have reduced the cost.

Where did I say I could afford to? I’m a single parent who is still subject to post separation financial abuse following a coercively controlling marriage (which ended nearly 6 years ago). Having experienced financial abuse I wanted to ascertain from others who worked in schools what the bulk of the costs they were referring to may be. It was a genuine question.

If it was made genuinely voluntary and only half the parents pay, then the school will have to fork out hundred and schools are really really skint. I mean every bill has gone up. The pupil premium children will not be paying, there are things like that that they wouldn't disclose to parents. They are probably having a snack too. We do not make a penny on school trips, never ever charge above the actual cost

Go in to the school and say you can’t afford it . See what they say.

This isn’t financial abuse op it’s just a school trip to the cinema - if you were to take your dc by yourself it would cost a lot more than £5

Insurance

Staffing - the ratio for a trip is smaller than the ratio for in class. It's not the cost of the staff entering the cinema. It's the cost of any cover needed back in school as instead of having 1 class teacher for 30 children in class, they now need up to 3 members of staff to accompany them.