Cost of School Trips

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Next summer (year 6, 10/11 year-old) my daughter has the opportunity of going on a residential school trip to one of those adventure/activity places in deepest Norfolk.

It's four nights away from home - travel out Monday morning, come back Friday afternoon.

The school treats it as a fait accompli that all the kids go and present it as a key part of the curriculum and value for money (although they don't at this stage give any details of what they'll be doing or justify the cost).

This will cost me £300.

I can't help thinking that I'm getting screwed here and so would like to hear that all you other parents get the same sort of abuse from your kid's schools?

[Yes, I know she doesn't have to go]

[Yes, I also know it will just get worse at secondary school when skiing trips, climbing the north face of the Eiger and solo circumnavigation of the globe in a bathtub become key parts of the curriculum]
 

mark barker

New Member
Location
Swindon, Wilts
I worked at an activity centre 15 years ago, and for most of the kids that came to the centre it was their first time away from home. This tends to be a huge learning experience for the kids, so if they get nothing else from the trip then they'll have that experience.

From a purely educational point of view, the centres are normally set up to support the curriculum and the sessions will be tailored to the needs of the school.

I know a lot of parents feel under pressure to find the money for these kind of trips (I've got 3 daughters and the list of trips and optional groups are endless) but most schools will have a discretional fund to subsidise the costs on an individual basis.
 

zimzum42

Legendary Member
I remember feeling crappy that my parents didn't have the money to send me on the school skiing trip every year, but looking back on it I don't think I missed out too much

Anyway, it's only Norfolk, perhaps you should save the money for more decent trips in the future?
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
My daughter announced last year that her Guide group would be going on the Guiding centenary camp - 6 days I think it is. Everything provided, all the tents erected by professionals, all the catering done by caterers, special 'themed zones', all provided by hired in companies. I'm not sure what Lord Baden Powell would have made of it all, but it's setting me back 400 squids.
 

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
get your kids to join the local cadet forces when they are old enough. I spent 5 years in the ATC (air training corps) but any of the forces will be great fun.

Usual commitment is 2 times a week. Adventure training weeks rarely cost over £100, and for a military training week it usual cost me about £70.
Skiing for a week with all day on the snow and brilliant instructors cost me £450ish

Struggle to beat those prices to be honest
 

upsidedown

Waiting for the great leap forward
Location
The middle bit
My two daughters have both been on ski trips, one to Maine, the other Colorado. The first was £1100 the second £1300.
Somehow i don't think i would have got to go on either when i was their age.
 
U

User169

Guest
upsidedown said:
My two daughters have both been on ski trips, one to Maine, the other Colorado. The first was £1100 the second £1300.
Somehow i don't think i would have got to go on either when i was their age.

Why does the school take them so far when there's decent skiing much closer?
 

wafflycat

New Member
With school trips, the cost of the school staff is factored into the cost the parents pay (you pay for the teachers to go), so that bumps the cost up somewhat.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
[quote name='swee'pea99']My daughter announced last year that her Guide group would be going on the Guiding centenary camp - 6 days I think it is. Everything provided, all the tents erected by professionals, all the catering done by caterers, special 'themed zones', all provided by hired in companies. I'm not sure what Lord Baden Powell would have made of it all, but it's setting me back 400 squids.[/QUOTE]


£400 quid FFS.... £67 a day.... Crikey, we charge about £25 for a whole weekend, that covers site fees, activities, and top notch catering by the Leaders.... ouch !
 
zimzum42 said:
I remember feeling crappy that my parents didn't have the money to send me on the school skiing trip every year, but looking back on it I don't think I missed out too much

Anyway, it's only Norfolk, perhaps you should save the money for more decent trips in the future?

Likewise for me, if the school was not paying I was not going.

300 does seem a bit steep for 4 nights in Norfolk and like the OP I'd like to know what the whole package contains.
 

arallsopp

Post of The Year 2009 winner
Location
Bromley, Kent
£150 gets you all the accommodation, food, and shelter required to have a week's cycling adventure. Just write to Audax UK asking for an entry form for LEL :thumbsup:
 
U

User169

Guest
upsidedown said:
No idea, guess it's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, for the teachers.

It seems quite common. My sis is a PE teacher and they seem always to take their students skiing in to the US. I seem to recall her saying that non-availability of booze was a big attraction of the US.
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
mark barker said:
I know a lot of parents feel under pressure to find the money for these kind of trips (I've got 3 daughters and the list of trips and optional groups are endless) but most schools will have a discretional fund to subsidise the costs on an individual basis.

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.
 
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