# Sons school trip



## Steff (Oct 9, 2011)

Sorry just wanted to rant really, my sons year 6 class have a trip to devon planned for next year the school have been going for 4 years now,anyway they was a meeting with the parents and one of the guys who runs the complex in Devon all the usual was discussed, then he gets to the price they want ?300 for a 4 might trip to Devon I must be going mad but that is slightly overpriced.They must think all of the parents are secret millionaires.We are in that awful position that most of sons mates are going so he wants to go but far from robbing a bank how the heck we raise that kind of cash is beyond me grrrrrr.Oh and they want a ?40 deposit this Friday so dont give us long, basically if you pay that ?40 your then commited if you back and and your kid dont go you lose the deposit..

Rant over


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## Blythespirit (Oct 9, 2011)

I've been there so many times it's rediculous! I had 3 kids at school at the same time all wanting to go on expensive school trips. The emotional blackmail that 'everyone else is going' had me pulling my hair out. ?300 does seem a little expensive Steff, and very short notice for the deposit. I'm so glad mine have all left school now, although my grandson has just started nursery and my daughter is already finding it expensive. XXXXX


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## Northerner (Oct 9, 2011)

You have every right to rant Steff, that sounds like a lot of money to me too - especially in these cash-strapped times  Have you been given a breakdown of costs? Would like to know how they come to that price when it is for a block booking.


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## Nicky1970 (Oct 9, 2011)

If the trip is taking place during term time, then it's deemed educational and the school is obliged to at least part fund your son's fee. Worth enquiring as schools are obliged to help out children whose parents can't afford to pay the full cost of an educational trip.


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## Steff (Oct 9, 2011)

Blythespirit said:


> I've been there so many times it's rediculous! I had 3 kids at school at the same time all wanting to go on expensive school trips. The emotional blackmail that 'everyone else is going' had me pulling my hair out. ?300 does seem a little expensive Steff, and very short notice for the deposit. I'm so glad mine have all left school now, although my grandson has just started nursery and my daughter is already finding it expensive. XXXXX



Yeah I mean we got the letter Friday about the deposit and that meeting,I would of fallen on the floor if it wasnt littered with 10 year olds.


Northerner said:


> You have every right to rant Steff, that sounds like a lot of money to me too - especially in these cash-strapped times  Have you been given a breakdown of costs? Would like to know how they come to that price when it is for a block booking.




Well no offence to any devonaires but what the heck is the place providing for it to be that expensive.We all went away to Skeggy 3 years ago me son and other half for ?700 that was for a week.No breakdown of costs no just a few piccys on a projector with what activities go on and where the kids sleep etc etc


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## HOBIE (Oct 9, 2011)

Say 20 kids x ?300 = ?6000.  I know its nice in devon but what are they doing and are you paying for 5 star accomadation !!!!                    How far have you got to travel to the promised land ?   Rant on & on !


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## Steff (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks Nikki never knew that

HOBIE around 6-7 hours-400 miles ish


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## Robster65 (Oct 9, 2011)

Does it include activities such as adventure stuff, etc ?

Might be paying for instructors, insurance, etc

Just a thought. But still seems a lot and too short notice.

Rob


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## Steff (Oct 9, 2011)

Robster65 said:


> Does it include activities such as adventure stuff, etc ?
> 
> Might be paying for instructors, insurance, etc
> 
> ...



Yeah theres tunneling,surfing,abseiling,rafting,speed boat rides etc etc...Plenty to keep the kids happy while the mums and dads back at home are putting there vital organs on sale at Ebay to pay for it


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## HOBIE (Oct 9, 2011)

Kids who would have em !!!                                                           Hope u get things sorted and do well on ebay !


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## Ellie Jones (Oct 9, 2011)

If you broke it down to..

Cost of traveling to and from..
Cost of instructors for activities and looking after the children 24/7
Cost of breakfast, dinner and tea..

Then compare that to how much it would cost for an individual to say in a BB for one night..  It just sounds expensive rather than is expensive...

When my children were at primary school those who were on benefits were helped out with costs so no children needed to miss out, all money for this was raised via PTA...


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## Catwoman76 (Oct 9, 2011)

Steff said:


> Sorry just wanted to rant really, my sons year 6 class have a trip to devon planned for next year the school have been going for 4 years now,anyway they was a meeting with the parents and one of the guys who runs the complex in Devon all the usual was discussed, then he gets to the price they want ?300 for a 4 might trip to Devon I must be going mad but that is slightly overpriced.They must think all of the parents are secret millionaires.We are in that awful position that most of sons mates are going so he wants to go but far from robbing a bank how the heck we raise that kind of cash is beyond me grrrrrr.Oh and they want a ?40 deposit this Friday so dont give us long, basically if you pay that ?40 your then commited if you back and and your kid dont go you lose the deposit..
> 
> Rant over



That does sound very steep steff.  My Tia is going away on her first 5 day trip with the school on Oct 17. The cost was reasonable( just under ?200) and also it is in the same county as us, so only about 1 1/2 hrs on the coach( petrol etc,driver , usage of coach) probably plays a part in the cost 
Tia will be outdoors a lot, studying wildlife, the sea shore and bird and badger watching   I do hope your son can go, but I do understand the predicament you are in.  It's very expensive and the school should know this, did you get info about this months ago? eg year 5, so you can start to save and for your boy to help by doing jobs to earn money, that's what Tia had to do. Hope you can sort something out, Tia is so excited about going, as she will be 11 and one day old! yikes  Sheena


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## Steff (Oct 9, 2011)

Ellie Jones said:


> If you broke it down to..
> 
> Cost of traveling to and from..
> Cost of instructors for activities and looking after the children 24/7
> ...


Ellie when you put it like that I guess I can see why the cost is steep x


Catwoman76 said:


> That does sound very steep steff.  My Tia is going away on her first 5 day trip with the school on Oct 17. The cost was reasonable( just under ?200) and also it is in the same county as us, so only about 1 1/2 hrs on the coach( petrol etc,driver , usage of coach) probably plays a part in the cost
> Tia will be outdoors a lot, studying wildlife, the sea shore and bird and badger watching   I do hope your son can go, but I do understand the predicament you are in.  It's very expensive and the school should know this, did you get info about this months ago? eg year 5, so you can start to save and for your boy to help by doing jobs to earn money, that's what Tia had to do. Hope you can sort something out, Tia is so excited about going, as she will be 11 and one day old! yikes  Sheena



Well we knew they would be a trip as they school have been doing it years Sheena,BUT we had heard on the grapevine all sorts of diffirent prices,its just the shock in the cold light of day thats all.I guess the ?1 a week my lad gets for his piggy bank will have to cover his fee .


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## caffeine_demon (Oct 10, 2011)

Steff said:


> Yeah theres tunneling,surfing,abseiling,rafting,speed boat rides etc etc...Plenty to keep the kids happy while the mums and dads back at home are putting there vital organs on sale at Ebay to pay for it



Can I have first refusal on your boobs?


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## Steff (Oct 10, 2011)

caffeine_demon said:


> Can I have first refusal on your boobs?



ROFL deal


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## cherrypie (Oct 10, 2011)

It is hard Steff when these things come along and you want your kids to enjoy everything on offer.

When mine were little it wasn't so bad as nobody could afford it so nobody went and the School dropped the idea.  There were a few exceptions but not enough to make the trip worthwhile.  I am sure the kids missed out but they were all in the same boat.  It is the peer pressure that gets to you.  You know you cannot afford it and yet you cant let the kids down.  Not a nice place to be.


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## Northerner (Oct 10, 2011)

When I was about 13-14 we had a school trip to France, I think it was about ?50 for a fortnight. We took the school minibus and camped, taking lots of food with us (I remember huge cans of Irish stew!) and travelled through Brittany and Normandy after crossing from Southampton to Cherbourg on the ferry. I got a Frech girlfriend whilst I was there and remember sitting on the roof of the minibus watching the Bastille Day fireworks over the harbour  Where are you now Sophie? 

When I was about 15 they had a skiing trip, but it was way too expensive and only the rich kids could go on it.


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## Monica (Oct 10, 2011)

Carol was offered to go to France (for a Histroy trip). The 4 day trip cost ?370!! Included in that is the coach, Eurotunnel, accommodation at a Holiday Inn (probably 4 in a room), food plus the tours they're going on. For the trip down and home, the kids have to organise their own food.

Carol really wants to go and is saying that all her friends are going. That can't be right, as her best friend's mum definitely can't afford it. On top of that there are only 40 places, so it's not as if all the year 10s are going.

Our biggest problem is that If we let Carol go, then when it comes to Fiona's turn we can't say no. Mike has actually priced up the trip as a family and it only cost ?600/?700 for the 4 of us.

So, Carol isn't going!!


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## muddlethru (Oct 10, 2011)

My daughters youngest son has just started college. The price of a trip to Iceland,the country not the shop is going to be ?850. With another son at uni it is hard going on her pocket. It beats me how parents can do it , no wonder families get into debt.


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## novorapidboi26 (Oct 10, 2011)

muddlethru said:


> My daughters youngest son has just started college. The price of a trip to Iceland,the country not the shop is going to be ?850. With another son at uni it is hard going on her pocket. It beats me how parents can do it , no wonder families get into debt.



How come she will need to foot the bill for Iceland.............?


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## Steff (Oct 10, 2011)

*Phew*

Phew well grandparents to the rescue my dad is going to pay the ?40 deposit for me and they school have agreed to a payment plan that suits our means


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## novorapidboi26 (Oct 10, 2011)

that's great news for the wee man, does he know yet........?


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## Steff (Oct 10, 2011)

novorapidboi26 said:


> that's great news for the wee man, does he know yet........?



Not yet no gonna tell him Friday when im handing the deposit in


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## casey (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm soooooooo pleased your little lad is going to be able to go on his holiday. Bet he will be thrilled when he knows.


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## SacredHeart (Oct 10, 2011)

Talk to the school, Steff. I know that every trip I went on when I was in school was subsidised - they have a fund for this, and it's meant to be used. Might as well benefit - no-one ever knows!


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## Newtothis (Oct 10, 2011)

Have you asked if you can pay in installments or if there is a fund you can apply for? Amanda x


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## Steff (Oct 10, 2011)

Amanda,

Yeah I had a word today im able to send money on a weekly basis via a payment plan


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## HelenP (Oct 10, 2011)

Steff, I'm glad to hear you've been able to come up with a solution.  I'm really surprised that a 'payment plan' wasn't mentioned at the information evening, when my children were at school that's how EVERYbody paid, whatever their means, so it was the same for all families.

I'm really surprised that the school is sending the children so FAR!!  Our primary school trips were usually to the Dover area, in Kent, less than 100 miles away.  I'm sure it would greatly reduce the cost if your lot went somewhere closer - there must be beauty spots/places of interest in your Northern neck of the woods!

Sadly, my kids already knew there was no way we could afford to send them abroad on ski-ing trips and such when they were at secondary school, that IS a problem when they go to schools in posher areas, it's just assumed you can afford that kinda thing.

Let's hope he enjoys himself after all this, lol.

xx

xx


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## Monica (Oct 11, 2011)

Yay, your lad is going on the trip.

I'm quite surprised too that school hasn't done a pay monthly plan. That is what our schools do.

Helen, there are good places up north. Our girls went to Robinwood (I went with Carol as she was newly diagnosed and school didn't want to take responsibilty. I had a great time!!), which is in Todmorden and Carlton Lodge in North Yorkshire. So neither of those are that far from Danny Dyer's pocket .


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## Steff (Oct 11, 2011)

Monica said:


> Yay, your lad is going on the trip.
> 
> I'm quite surprised too that school hasn't done a pay monthly plan. That is what our schools do.
> 
> Helen, there are good places up north. Our girls went to Robinwood, which is in Todmorden and Carlton Lodge in North Yorkshire. So neither of those are that far from Danny Dyer's pocket .



Yeah they never told us the price until the end of the meeting we were all wondering when that bombshell was gonna be dropped


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## ypauly (Oct 11, 2011)

I know how you feel steffi, my daughters school arranged a trip to new york ?1400  

I had to tell her no.


There have been several trips like that we have had to say no to, but she understands and usually gets something else instead lol.


She does go on the cheaper ones though. And it's good grandparents helped out.


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## Steff (Oct 11, 2011)

ypauly said:


> I know how you feel steffi, my daughters school arranged a trip to new york ?1400
> 
> I had to tell her no.
> 
> ...



I just wish they would think things through Paul, i mean by no means is he in a bad school but its not the best area so they know the kind of kids that attend,telling them stupid prices to a trip and the wondering why theres no one interested seems abit docile to me


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## ypauly (Oct 11, 2011)

Steff said:


> I just wish they would think things through Paul, i mean by no means is he in a bad school but its not the best area so they know the kind of kids that attend,telling them stupid prices to a trip and the wondering why theres no one interested seems abit docile to me



True steff, My daughters boyfriends father is a teacher and he has just got back from Japan. Of course it doesn't cost them.

I always wondered if the cost of the teachers is built into the price or if the school pays. Maybe somebody here will know if the poor kids are paying for the teachers.


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## Steff (Oct 11, 2011)

ypauly said:


> True steff, My daughters boyfriends father is a teacher and he has just got back from Japan. Of course it doesn't cost them.
> 
> I always wondered if the cost of the teachers is built into the price or if the school pays. Maybe somebody here will know if the poor kids are paying for the teachers.



Yeah good point Paul,I remember going on a skiing trip in the final year of senior school and in the end only about 15 kids went I was lucky because at the time my dad was working 7 days a week earning a good wage.


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## HelenM (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm glad he's able to go, most children get so much out of these trips away from home. Like others I'm surprised that a payment scheme wasn't mentioned at the outset.
I arranged this type of trip for about the last 15 years of my teaching career. I'm sure I'm not the only teacher  that spent a lot time and energy trying to reduce costs. We knew how difficult it was for some parents  but we had no funds to subsidise the trips.
 I remember searching for a cheaper alternative when it became clear that one place we had used had raised it's costs because of losing local authority subsidies. I doubt any of the centres now have any subsidy.
 DIY like Alan did is undoubtably cheaper,  a couple of times  we did trips using a youth hostel as a base and organised our own activities.  However, this type of trip  both reduces the activities available  and places more stress on the staff.    I think most teachers quite rightly feel safer  staying in specialist centres with staff qualified in outdoor activities.
 Just to see what prices were these days I did a quick google, several centres were charging almost ?300. My favourite  place Sayers Croft costs ?236  next Summer, with 1 free staff place per 15 children. We would have probably taken at least 1 extra member of staff  so that  extra cost  and  then travel costs would have had to be added.  (costs also go up if it is a small year group so doesn't fill the accomodation).   I think I would have got the cost under ?300 but not by that much.
Staff don't pay, it isn't a holiday for them and they are on duty 24hours a day for the week. I enjoyed going but came back exhausted. There is a huge amount of stress involved dealing with all sorts of problems from the inevitable groups who refuse to sleep,  and those who are  homesick to more serious situations like an asthma attack in the middle of nowhere (parent didn't say child had had asthma so no inhaler). I don't think you should expect anyone to pay do their job and doubt you would get many volunteers!


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## Monica (Oct 12, 2011)

HelenM said:


> Staff don't pay, it isn't a holiday for them and they are on duty 24hours a day for the week. I enjoyed going but came back exhausted. There is a huge amount of stress involved dealing with all sorts of problems from the inevitable groups who refuse to sleep,  and those who are  homesick to more serious situations like an asthma attack in the middle of nowhere (parent didn't say child had had asthma so no inhaler). I don't think you should expect anyone to pay do their job and doubt you would get many volunteers!



You're totally right, it's no holiday for the teachers!!
As I said before, I went with Carol. And I didn't have to pay for myself only for Carol. I shared a "flat" with 2 teachers who looked after the girls. I looked after Carol at night. During the day, I was in Carol's group with a teacher. Normally it's just one teacher per group and at first I was told I'd get my own group. Naturally, all the kids knew who I was, but the staff didn't. So I became a "teacher" It was a bit confusing, when the kids called me either Mrs. W. or Monica, depending on how well they knew me. 

I actually dreaded going on all the activities, but ended up having a great time. I'd love to go again (even though I'm too fat for the caving now)


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## Steff (Oct 12, 2011)

Well son came home with a payment card today we can pay a fivva a week so yipee thats definetly doable.


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## Monica (Oct 12, 2011)

Steff said:


> Well son came home with a payment card today we can pay a fivva a week so yipee thats definetly doable.



That's good news


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## Northerner (Oct 12, 2011)

Steff said:


> Well son came home with a payment card today we can pay a fivva a week so yipee thats definetly doable.



Ah, that's great news Steff  I'm sure he'll get a lot out of it - if only they had made the financial arrangements clear from the start!


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## Twitchy (Oct 12, 2011)

So pleased your lad is going to be able to go! Our little man has just started school, so we've got all this 'fun' to come...eek! 

I used to do lots of camps with cadets, as a member of uniformed staff I could claim pay for the days I did (which as someone has said could be more or less 24h/7) but had to pay mess rates and for my meals. Camps were blinking hard work, tons of paperwork & a lot of admin, but really rewarding in terms of seeing the kids develop & try new activities etc. One of the nice things about being the boss of the cadet unit was I usually could get the unit's civilian committee (fundraisers & responsible for welfare) to subsidise costs when needed - although in fairness a uk camp for the cadets usually costed around ?40 all in, so in a more manageable league than ?300!


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