School trip for Yr6 - will it scar DD if she doesn't go?

[MaryBS]

DD is in year 5 at the moment. We've had a note home about NEXT June's trip for Yr6. The cost is £200 for 2 nights/3 days at an adventure place. Its apparently for bonding relationships for children going to secondary school, but DD won't be going to the school that most of them will go to. Not all the children go on it.

There's no doubt about it, it will be great fun, but I think £200 is a HECK of a lot of money (yes, I know they'll be more at secondary), and wouldn't spend it on myself!

Can we afford it? Well its pay in instalments over the year, and so we could find the money, although it would be useful for other things (DD's bedroom really needs a new carpet for instance).

DD said she thought it was a lot too, and she'd understand if she couldn't go, but she's quite softhearted like that. Plus there'll be other opportunities like Scouts, which don't cost as much...

Advice please...

We do one trip in our primary - and that is at the end of Year 6. They all go, and the PTA support some families I know. The children start planning who is going to sit next to who on the coach, share rooms etc in about YEAR 1.

It is a rite of passage as said before, and if all the others do go, she'll have that as a lasting memory of Primary I am sure. My DC have gone onto schools ( DS in Sept ) without their mates, and we see it as a fabulous final fling with the old mates before moving on.

If you can possibly afford it you should let her go. She will feel so left out when the excitement builds up before the trip and again after it.
It wasn't just about the bonding when my DCs went it was a part of growing up.
There was one girl whose parents wouldn't let her go as they thought it was too dangerous (this was PGL not an Everest expedition).Everyone felt sorry for her.

The school will very likely be able to help out with costs - speak to the Head directly and see what can be done for your circumstances. Residential trips are really important IMO (that's why we do loads at my school) - independence, team spirit, confidence etc all shoot up during a trip and can really accelerate a child's development.

DS1 (now Yr8) didn't get to go on his Yr6 residential because of a broken arm a few weeks before (still needed physio) and a broken wrist two weeks before (other arm) that someone did to him at school - the insurance wouldn't cover his two weak arms.

He was the only child that did not go and I felt so sorry for him when they did the leavers assembly as every child apart from him said one of the best things that they ever did was go on this trip and quoted bits from the activities that they did.

Our Primary do PGL trips and they are expensive. They go mid-morning on a Monday and come back in the evening on the Friday. DS2 will be going next year and we have just been asked for the first installment - total will be £370, but even if I couldn't afford it, I would find a way of making sure that they went. The experience for them is fantastic.

The school have already said they can't help with costs unless you are on benefits, and even then, there would be minimum help - it was all laid out in the letter. DD is still saying she is happy not to go, would rather have a laptop!

Can you really get a laptop for £200?

You can get a basic one for surfing, Asus do one. Or a refurb model.

My boys had a lovely time on their Y6 trip in May. They're twins and even though we're not the lowest earners in the world we did struggle a bit to find £200 per child. But it was worth it as they really did love it- great rite of passage, which I think they will remember forever. They and their friends are proceeding to a range of schools so the bonding for secondary school thing only applied to some but I think it was a great goodbye to primary school type trip. And imagine the horror of having to be in school and doing work with a younger class instead! But theirs was a full 5 days... I too am surprised your daughter's school is charging the same for just 2 days.

Let her go on the trip. She probably won't tell you how desperate she is to go, but tell her that you would like her to go and watch her face light up.

my step daughter has just been on this and honestly theyve been gearing up for it for flippin weeks. If your daughter doesnt go I think shell feel pretty left out nearer the time. Plus it is a great experience for her going in to secondary school. 200 over the year is only £4 a week...

and I'd start saving for Yr 7 now, my son's first residential in secondary cost £900

£900?!!! primarymum?! Did they go to Iceland for a fortnight?!

No, they went ski-ing for a week! It did include travel, all meals and ski hire with insurance etc but still!

problem was, when elder son went two years previously, the trip had been held in term time and was much cheaper ( a slightly more reasonable £650). So I saved and saved and off he went! In the interveening two years, the Head decided that residentials could no longer be held in term time but had to be in the holidays, so the price shot up accordingly. I could hardly tell younger son that he couldn't go when elder brother had ( and had a brilliant time!) so I paid out It cost more than our family holiday that year!