General Chat

When did schools become dictators re school trips?

Our end of year academic report on how the school had performed also informed parents of suggested trips relating to various subjects during the next academic year.

Parents could then weigh up the advantages of particular trips and decide whether their child/ren would benefit (each child is different of course, some would loathe being abroad for a week).

Plenty of notice given and alternative activities would be offered to those children not going on a trip.

The cost was broken down into accommodation, food, entry fees and insurance, the school would give a contribution from their funds. Parents could then work out if it would be cheaper to arrange something privately.

Seems nowadays that parental choice has gone!

Sue

Just read the rest of the thread.......


Dawnieher3headaches Report 16 Oct 2011 17:41
Mildred at ours you get a letter about trip stapled up and asking not to tell other parents as some of them dont like it and cause trouble but tells you about trip and that you get it free and with the tear off slip on.


...tbh I am totally shocked about this. Seems very underhand and dishonest to me...if that is their policy they should be honest and upfront about it !! Not pull the wool over other parents eyes like that !!! I'm sorry to say that makes my blood boil !!!

Do they give provision to everyone who is struggling to afford the trip or do certain rules apply?

We're a dual parent family and we struggled bleedy hard to find £70 for youngest to go on an over night residential in November....We were given a deadline to secure the deposit and were allowed to pay the rest in installments ...on the understanding that if the full balance wasn't paid in full by the time allotted then she'd lose her place and someone else who didn't get the deposit in on time would be able to take her place...and I'd lose the deposit I paid.

Fair enough. No probs with that at all.

Not giving time to pay the balance after a deposit has secured the place sounds wrong to me. I'd write to the governors about it.x

Mildred at ours you get a letter about trip stapled up and asking not to tell other parents as some of them dont like it and cause trouble but tells you about trip and that you get it free and with the tear off slip on.

Yes mine gets them free but way I look at it is I claim free school dinners but she wont eat them so takes sandwiches so school get that extra money each week anyway.

Laddo has never bought letters home about trips as he knows that we cant afford them now, he did go to France at primary but we were allowed to pay in instalments and even got money back at end when they did all costings and hadnt come to amount we paid.

I REMEMBER A SCHOOL TRIP TO LONDON ZOO I WAS 7
THAT WAS IN 1957.I BOUGHT MY MUM A TINY CHINA RABBIT,SHE DROPPED IT A FEW YEARS LATER AND IT BROKE

I STILL REMEMBER HER CRYING SO DAD STUCK IT,SHE THEN CRYED BECAUSE HE MENDED IT

I STILL HAVE IT

In all the schools my kids have attended, none have had mention of non payment expected for individual groups of people on any letters sent home regarding trips.

For one it would be embaressing to feel one needs to accept freebies, and for another it would cause a riot amongst those who can pay.

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

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

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

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

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?

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.

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

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

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 !

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

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**

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

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**.