General Chat

I think this is totally unfair.My daughter had a letter home on Wednesday about a school trip in March.My daughter is a single mum of 3.The trip was £30.She went into the school today and asked if she could pay £10 a week for three weeks so my grandson could go.Was told no and there was 200 places and now only 30.My daughter does also work but with 3 boys cost a bomb.Its not a problem as we have paid for him but what about all the other children like my daughter that can not afford money in one go.I thought schools were more sympathetic and gave every child the chance.
Annie

i also think its unfair good job you were there to help out
its always the same money talks

this sault of thing make my very mad
if your daughter was on benafits her child could of gone on the school trip for free some think eals the schools dont tell the perants

i told this to my daughter once and she hapend to be in the school office when another mum was telling the resepanist that she couldent pay for her twins to go on a trip

yep my daughter nowing the other mum was on benafits told her in frount of the resepanist that was dident have to pay
resepanist wasent to happy

and i think your daughters school was meen on not letting her pay off for the trip as most school do give you this opshion

being in work or not dosent meen you have the money in full

pretty sure ours would of let you pay in instalments so totally unfair of the school.

Tiddler has just got a netbook through school and if they want to bring them home to use then we have to pay £6 a month, school have made it possible to pay any way you can and if you dont want to thats fine they just keep them in school so they still have them to use in lessons.

I know there is funding available to schools for children on free school dinners for trips and definitely shouldnt be peanalised because you wanted to pay in installments.

x

I was a headteacher until I retired and always made provision for parents to pay for trips etc. a little at a time. There was a ruling that no pupil could be excluded from activities because of the parents' inability to pay. However, it's eight years since I retired so things may have changed. Are the school governors aware of this policy - if that's what it is? If not, maybe they should be made aware of it.

Annie

I am totally disgusted with this school.There must be parents that feel inadequate.I could understand if the trip was next week,but its in March.I dont know if children whos parents get benefits go free but all the working parents have to pay.As my daughter said its first pay that can go.Other parents if told the same will probably try and save and then it will be too late all places taken..Daughter said if she had only paid £10 and could not have afforded the rest there would have still been children that would have jumped in so dont know what the problem is?Thats my grumble of the day treat everyone the same.
Annie

Its sad that these things happen ,usually out of ignorance of basic facts of the childs circumstances. However ,Would it not be possible for the Father to pay towards these things? after all they,re his children also,and responsibility for them does,nt stop because of the family split. perhaps, as some one else has stated, the school governers should be made aware of this problem and sort it. **M**.

Merlin,the father can not help.The police put my daughter and her children in a refuge over a year ago and he must not know where they are although at mo in prision for what he put them through.I shall tell my daughter to contact the school governors.Joan you are so right about the way the better off children ridiculed the poorer children
Annie

I wonder if the PTA. (If they have one at that school ) have a special fund for that sort of thing? if not it might be a good idea to start one.**M**

I wonder if the PTA. (If they have one at that school ) have a special fund for that sort of thing? if not it might be a good idea to start one.**M**

Our Primary School was very good and no child was ever excluded for whatever reason.
On the year 5 and 6 residential 5 day trips all parents could pay weekly or monthly or all at once, there was no pressure.

The Comprehensive trips seem to be a first come first served.

My Son went on a trip to France which consisted of getting on the coach at School at 5 am one morning and getting off at School at 8pm the following day.

It cost £130.00 !

I did let him go as he never asks for anything and was keen to goand learning French, but other trips such as sking are out of the question

My SIL is paying in the region of £400 for a five day French trip for her Child!!!!! The School concerned was first come first served basis but did allow weekly and monthly payments.

Teresa

How very strange they wouldnt take the first £10.00 as a deposit, if the trip isnt till March.

As for your daughter being a single parent on benifits should make no difference, I am sure children from low income familes with 2 parents who would just the same struggle to find £30.000 in their weekly budget a strain wouldnt get preferential treament !

Nothing changes remember 30 yrs ago. when my children were young, my friend asked if she could pay in 3 installments for a school trip, they flately refused, yet children whose parents could not aford it all went free.

Carol

I was lucky enough to find out about a local charitable trust who would help parents who couldn't afford school trips etc, always got help with the trips and with his uniform and some extra music classes and gym classes when he was younger as well.

The school should know if there are similar trusts available to help or the local library might know.

Hope your daughter is feeling safer now the ex is inside

Lizx

If its limited places then places cant really be held by deposit.
This often applies if the balance has to be paid in full by a certain date to secure the trip.

If there was enough places for all the kids & no number limits, then the school would have issued a letter with the option of paying in full, or in instalments on given days.Especially if the balance isn't due to nearer the trip.

Both my two have missed out on trips, when we couldn't find the cost in one go. Both then understood that not everyone could go & they accepted this.

We had a similar situation this past week, now resolved the wrong way. My granddaughter brought home a letter asking parents if they would be interested in their child attending a 3 or 7 day trip next June. Total cost was to be approx $300 for the 3 day trip, and could be paid over time.
A few days later another letter came home stating that , as only 25% of the families in that class showed any interest, the trip was cancelled. They are now offering an overnight trip for June, much closer so the cost of bus transport won't be necessary. This one is to a local university with excellent facilities, still $100 but much more affordable for most families, even those paying on time.
I find that my daughter always wants her child to participate in any activity which is offered, so they don't miss out on things which benefit their better-off classmates. She tends to make the decision based on emotional self rather than intellectual self which should be the voice of reason, who is aware of precarious bank balances.
I understand her point of view but do the worrying about how it will be achieved. I am told that, when she herself was a child, I always found a way to allow her such opportunities, no matter how difficult it was. Thus my reasoning falls on deaf ears!!
When a trip is a month or more in the future, we definitely would be allowed to pay a bit at a time. Sad when trips and other school extras are only available to the "financially elite". It is also beyond me as to why a trip is offered with limited spaces, surely every child should receive the same education and school experiences?

MY GRANDDAUGHTER WHO IS IN FIRST YEAR MIDDL,E SCHOOL BOUGHT HOME A LETTER RE SCHOOL TRIPS,
FREE IF ON FAMILY TAX BENIFIT NOT WORKING PARENTS BENIFIT,
OR ASYLUM SEEKERS CHILDREN EVERYTHING FREE
MY DAUGHTERS WORKING TAX BENFIT HAS JUST DROPPED TO £17 A MONTH FOR 2 CHILDREN ONE AT SECONDARY SCHOOL,SHE WORKS PART TIME AND GRANDSON BOUGHT A LETTER HOME SAYI NG HE NEEDED A FULL RUGBY KIT ONLY AVALI BLE IN ONE SHOP COST £130 AND IT WAS NEEDED THE NEXT WEEK

What a well written beautiful prejudice school letter that one is Dizzi, no doubt will stir up lots of animosity amongst the school community and lots of bigotry comments, the author of that one must be really proud

THAT HIT THE RIGHT BUTTON AT THE SCHOOL HAYLEY
IT SEES THAT IF YOU WORK HARD TO KEEP A ROIOF
OVER YOUR FAMILY,FEED YOUR KIDS,STRUGGLE TO GET BY
YOU GET NOWT
ON AVERAGE SCHOOL DAY TRIPS ARE £20 BAD ENOUGH ONE CHILD IF YOU HAVE MORE
HOW DO YOU CHOSE ONE OR NONE
OR HOW IMPORTANT TO THEIR LEARNING IS IT

think school trips are worth every penny
and the children do learn from them
and it also teaches the children to bond with each other better
so if you can afford them its well worth it
but i do undeerstand its hard for some parents to afford them