Cost of School Trips

[taxing]

When I was at school I went on trips to France three times, they cost £125-£150 each. At the time I didn't even think anything of it, it was a school trip and I should get to go, but now I feel like such a dick about it. My mum paid up without a peep and we never had any money. What a selfish little twat I was.

 

[ChrisKH]

I've got the same next year (Kingswood, wherever that is). Senior KH will be in year 6 and the school has a tradition of sending the whole class for a week on an Outward Bound week to 'develop' them or some such. Tbh I have no truck with it because a) we didn't have it as kids and I would have loved it and you only go to school once and he is in a great class and it's something of a rite of passage for all of them. I can understand for those who have a lower income than me, but I would happily pay more if it meant someone less fortunate could attend. And I don't mean the teachers.

On the opposite side of the coin I always said no to expensive school trips as I knew my parents struggled with four of us. But my elder sister and two younger brothers still went on them, including expensive skiing trips to the States. I just wasn't mercenary enough, clearly.

 

[mark barker]

I've got the same next year (Kingswood, wherever that is)

Thats where I used to work! Its in Albrighton, just outside Wolverhampton!

 

[shippers]

These trips are fantastic. I'm one of the teacers who get to go for free, and it actualy makes the trips cheaper for parents. I'm paid anyway, and wthout me and a couple of my freelaoding colleagues you'd have to pay for more staff at the centre to supervise the kids 24 hours a day!

TIP- if they get the chance when at big school get them onto Duke of Edinburgh schemes.

 

[iAmiAdam]

I've never been on one of these trips, and turns out, I really didn't miss much at all.

 

[lanternerouge]

Teachers look down on and get very angry if anyone so much as suggests they are poor and can't afford these lavishly expensive trips. When I went to school the discretional funds were just there to make the school look good (they didn't actually pay out).

I agree with what zimzum and others have said.

I'm not having that Marinyork! Maybe you've had a bad experience, in which case I sympathise, but I'm a teacher, and I know that I would never take that attitude with a parent.

 

[marinyork]

I'm not having that Marinyork! Maybe you've had a bad experience, in which case I sympathise, but I'm a teacher, and I know that I would never take that attitude with a parent.

Well good. Not all people are like that, but I'm afraid a lot of teachers do think like that - I've known plenty of teachers and overheard plenty of conversations in pubs and restaurants and around school. In some schools trips have got wildly out of hand with oneupsmanship. When I occasionally see an Aunt it's one of the most boring topics that crops up - the trips aren't interesting enough, a school down the road goes to x, all these good for nothing 'chavs' making up stories about not being able to afford it and trying to stop everybody else going off to y.

In the context of this, £300 is absolutely a lot of money. I think holidays are probably a good thing for schools, but it's out of order if people on a third or a quarter of the salary of a teacher are subsidising a holiday but hey that's why we're peasants.

 

[vernon]

Parents do need to declare and interest and a lack of money to schools on a more frequent basis and the £1200 trips will disappear off the menu.

My school is offering a £1300 trip to America and the interest in it is amazing. A few teachers get free passage all other teachers pay full whack on the expensive trips.

I organise value for money trips that are heavily subsidised e.g. three days in London including a show, two evening meals and breakfasts paid for all for the princely sum of £50 with some kids travelling free.

I enjoy chasing down a bargain and exploting pricing loopholes like paying for one adult breakfast and getting two childrens breakfast free for thrirty kids which entailed paying for only ten breakfasts - £70 to feed thirty kids with as many full english breakfasts as they could eat - a bargain.

 

[Maz]

My daughter asked about going on a residential trip to one of those outdoor pursuits efforts (just remembered it was called Kingswood). I thought it was overpriced so I said straight and honestly 'sorry, no , you can't go' and explained why.

 

[summerdays]

As a child I don't remember many trips at all. Mine have gone on both Y5 and Y6 trips, and both of them managed to go on Choir/orchestra trips abroad when at primary school - each trip was under £150/180 I would guess. At secondary school I decided that I wouldn't say yes to every trip and so said no to the first one. This has slightly backfired with the eldest not even telling me about some trips that I would have paid for. However they have got more expensive - more like £300 and then large amounts of spending money on top.

 

[Over The Hill]

I went to Belgium at that age and loved it.

My daughter is currently in Paris on a 4 day trip that is about £300 odd. She is 15 so may need less supervision/teacher ratio.

 

[marinyork]

There was only ever one school trip in infant/first/middle school that was overnight - a weekend locally. In secondary school and college there were two overnight trips - one to germany (none of this annual chances that seem to go on in schools elsewhere) and another to Cambridge University. I went on 2/3 so count myself lucky. One of the good things these days is the dropped charges on national museums, that would have made trips to the things like the London Science Museum a whole lot easier for a generation.

 

[Ivan Ardon]

£300 does seem steep. My youngest has just done a Mon-Fri at a residential in Brixham, including sailing, pot holing, abseiling, canoeing, fishing all meals and accommodation.

£170.