Cost of trips at secondary school

[LovelyBath]

OK so it looks great, the local secondary school. However it does have very expensive trips etc. I know I should be grateful as it's a state school and has lots of opportunities etc etc. BUT I'm a bit worried about how much it's all going to cost. Apparently most of the after school clubs are free at secondary though so I suppose that's good.

To be honest some of the trips don't sound exactly necessary, but I guess if they didn't go on it they'd be well, left behind (which I suppose might be a lesson that we can't always do as we wish)

When we looked around I asked the boy showing our group around about the trips. What happens, about the trips costing a lot? He told me, well the ones who can afford it go and the others don't. I'm not sure how true this is or if there is some sort of a fund to help people.

I would have thought it might be better to have some sort of fund raising for charitable type trips maybe but the ones which were described were ones like:

A trip to (somewhere hot can't remember) to go snorkelling
A ski trip to the USA which cost thousands
Geography trip to Iceland

They have trips every year apparently so you can see that with more than one child this could add up!

Any thoughts? You might think, well don't send him there but it has a great reputation and it's our local school. Other options would mean a costly bus pass, which again I'm too stingy to want to do.

I think some schools do expensive trips to put off less well off pupils applying.
Worked for us. Put preference for school that does, for example, geography field trip in Norfolk rather than 1000 quid one in Iceland.
Other reasons too.....

Thanks for your replies. It is helpful. I think it was that at the open evening there was quite a lot of mention of the opportunities and trips available, so this is what has got me worried about it. However, they are probably trying to encourage people to apply.

As you say, it is not a big deal.

My kids have all had one expensive, but super-curricular, trip 3x Iceland and one to Russia, and one to go.

The most expensive was Russia (£1200) but Iceland remarkably value at c£700 for 5/6 days.

The reason we agreed to these trips was that we could never afford them as a family.

I agree with most - these trips are 'offered'. The majority of pupils don't go on them, so there is no issues about being 'left behind'. If your child turns out to be a budding linguist, then you might decide that the exchange ones would be beneficial, or, if the school offer something your dc want to go on, and it's something they'd never get to go on with the family, and you can afford it as a 'one off' then apply for that one, but don't worry about them not going on most - that's very normal.
Certainly don't let this affect your choice of school.

Mmm- some children are never going to afford to go. Perhaps the schools hoping they will go else where to school?
Sorry- expensive, non inclusive, unaffordable trips to many make me cross....

If you are going lowest common denominator, pp, then there would n ear be any trips ever. Also not ideal.

Let's live in the real world.

What do you mean by 'lowest common demominator'?
PP= Pupil Premium?
Trips can be more inclusive if a school is willing and imaginative.

Pp = previous poster.

Thanks GinandJag re pp, which was me anyway!!

These trips usually have about 30 places. In a year group of 200+ it isn't noticeable who doesn't go.

My DDs school do:

Year 7 - Spanish water sports trip for a week (£800)
Year 8 - ski-ing trip to France (£1,000)
Year 9 - no big trip
Year 10 - South africa for 12 days (£1,750)

Lots of other sports team weekends/few days away and a few things relating to specific subjects.

Crikey- bloody expensive for most. Bang goes your family holiday or, in our case getting our house sorted out before it crumbles away!
Significant money.....

DS started secondary in September, a new Catholic school, currently 3 cohorts of children. He has been offered:

Trip to France (Disneyland and markets) 2 nights, 3 days £200
Water sports trip next summer £600 for 9 days
Choir trip to Czech festival of spiritual music £290 for 5 days.

He went on the choir trip, used birthday and Christmas money £130 towards it, plus one grandparent gave him an extra £50 as she thought it was a wonderful opportunity, plus he was prepared to use his money to help fund it.

The trip included flights, coach to/from airport each end, all meals, we had to provide spending money to a max of £25

He had already had 2 residential trips at primary (2 nights in year 4 and 4 nights in year 6).

DD1 has her first residential in April £200, seems a lot for 2 nights

Forgot to say, choir trip was 24 children, France 40 and water sports is about 30, from a school with 3 cohorts of 150.

Also have a maths challenge trip to London, cost is £5 for the train fare.

And had a compulsory team building multi activity centre day trip for £40

I am guessing if a trip compulsory, school might have to subsidise for some....

My DS' school is the same. The leisure trips are fully optional, the ones that are part of the curriculum can be subsidised by the school so children of less financially able households can attend. In fact some of those trips are so very expensive to create an extra "fund" for the less fortunate pupils.

Having said that.... I got the list of trips and prices, looked at DS and explained to him that the exotic ones, we simply can't afford them, and that if I had that amount of money I would much rather spend it in a holiday we can enjoy as a family. He was fine with it.

Now after 2 years in the school I notice that these very expensive trips are only attended by a handful of kids. DS doesn't feel left out, the vast majority of his friends are not attending either.

What's the point of these trips then if only can accommodate a few?
Are they all educational? If so, then those who don't go, for whatever reason, are disadvantaged?

fairydust completely agree with you. I have 2 DS in secondary school and we can't afford any of the trips abroad. We are talking about thousands of pounds for both of them to go. It is always the same poorer pupils that can't go. I don't see why the trips offered can't be more affordable for all.

My kids do feel left out when part of their friend group are all planning a trip and bonding over it. It seems to divide the kids. My heart sinks when I see a school email or letter about the latest trip because it's always 'no'. There are at least 2 every year.

I suspect the point of telling you about these trips at the open evening is to put off poorer parents from applying.

Looks like it's working.....

Glad someone agrees with me ILostit.
Sorry your children feel left out. I really don't like these exclusive, expensive trips.

Well I was put off ChalkHearts.
Going to the school that tries to include all- geography field trips in Britain, subsidised battlefield in France weekend etc.
Why flipping USA, Iceland etc?

I think you've made a good choice.

My DS goes to a school without the fancy trips, and with a lot of FSM pupils - and it's the right school for us. We wouldn't have 'fitted in' at the neighbouring school which has expensive trips.

I think and hope so ChalkHeart. Neighbouring school is seen as the 'go to' school for the more well heeled but somehow the other school appeals- trying to include all.....

Yes, I am not happy about the idea of these trips being for the more well off and others not getting the chance etc. Kind of why I posted really. As I mentioned, the other option is to choose elsewhere which would be a school out of town and a bus pass, which would be expensive (for two children around £35 a month extra) and time consuming. So it is a matter of weighing up the pros and cons really.

Sorry £35 a week extra, approx £140 a month for the bus pass (@ £17.50 each a week)