expensive school trips

[east-of-the-Rye]

My 13 year old, who loves art, has come home with a letter re a school Art Trip to Morocco - looks great: 10 days visiting palaces, castles, roman ruins, souks and the desert, presumably drawing, painting or just being inspired as they go. It's ?1500. Is this normal for secondary school trips? It's a state school and I know they've run trips to China, New York and Kenya before which I guess were also expensive. It's not till next year, so yes we could manage it but as with anything, it's the "opportunity cost" i.e. the money won't be there for something else (help with University - the older one hoping to go next year, my retirement trip to all the places the family won't go...)

What do people think?

[Fuschia]

bloody hell

[womanofdulwich]

Its just a freebie for those teachers. do not encourage them. say no and try and whip up other parents the same. At age 13 they are not all even going to choose Art GCSE. It is not uncommon ( the price) but quite unusual at age 13, I think.

[Ruth_Baldock]

At 13? Hell no. My art class at A-Level went to New York, but we were 18, and had known about it since the middle of fifth form, so had been paying in installments from then.

[kingy68]

My 13yr daughter is going sking next month the cost ?900 includes travel by eurostar,board ,food,hire of ski equipment i thought it quite resonable after the inital shock. Have been paying in instalments for the last year.

[redjam]

?1500? I think that's outrageous! That's an awful position to put those families in who simply can't afford it. And totally unnecessary - what, you can't draw in England? Honestly, I'm astonished - and I think it's a real cheek of the school to suggest it.

I know I sound 100 years old, but in my day you got a week sleeping in a freezing cold hut somewhere in the Kent countryside, being taken on thrilling visits to the nearby salmon farm (I can still remember the stench). I think they call it 'formative'...

[Dudley]

That is a disgrace.

You expect that type of nonsense in

Private schools but not state.

What a huge amount of presure to put parents under.

And in this economic climate.

That money should go on your eldest

University education.

I am 30 and I can tell you I went to a very

damp adventure park for my school tour and that was it.

And finally do not do anything to encourage a career in the arts as that pay is optional!

[zeban]

That's a complete disgrace and really ridiculous- not only for all of the above reasons but also because Morocco doesn't even cost that much to go to- even with all the extras. You can get flights for so little these days on budget airlines.

This is definitely not normal. I went to Kent in Primary School and was very lucky to go to and just about be able to afford to go to Italy in Secondary school which was about ?100 or so.

She's also only 13- will probably really appreciate this sort of thing when she's older- as you said yourself it sounds great and probably more suited to you. It definitely sounds like teachers want to get a freebie and the school's taking advantage of the large number of affluent families in the area. Which can only serve to put them under pressure and poor families probably feel completely inadequate.

p.s My Italian trip consisted of me and friends getting thoroughly drunk (we were abit older- 15) and talking to boys!!!

[Keef]

3 of us went to Venezuela last year for about that.

[LoopyMum]

Yikes !

[GinaG3]

Its obscene. I'm dreading school trips now!

When I was in year 7 (only about 8-9 years ago) we went on a school trip to wales on a adventure trip. We stayed for 1 week and it cost ?250 everything covered. I think thats fair enough. But ?1500, okay its abroad, they need to cover flights and everything but my goodness. Thats outrageous. Its obvious some parents wont be able to pay to send their child, which could result in teasing at school etc. Its unfair to put such pressure on parents. If they did a school trip for around ?300 and stayed in the country but took them away for 3-4 days that would be a lot better. There must be children that for no fault of their own are excluded from such school trips then in turn are excluded from talking about the trip for the next year! Schools are meant to get every child involved, not push them out for money reasons.

Out of interest, do they not offer financial help to lower earning parents if they couldn't afford to send the child on the trip? My secondary and primary school used to by head teachers discretion, although they were in Oxfordshire.

[reneet]

I think its that expensive. When I was in school (not in England), we paid very little for trips abroad, we always found a school that would offer us accommodation mostly we would live with local parent and we would offer accommodation to the same school when the students visited our country. It drove the costs down and plane tickets for students travelling in a group are always cheaper.

I also know for fact that they subsidise the teachers, my friend who is a teacher is going to Botswana or some country around that area for only 200 needless to say her students are subsidising her.

'Devils hat' - Our companies pay for our trips we never have to pay for work so why shouldn't it apply to teachers as well.

'Parent's hat' - Simply ridiculous.

[helena handbasket]

Personally I can't think of anything worse than having to take a load of 13 yr olds abroad......... they should be giving those poor teachers extra pay to take that on!

The longest field trips I've done with that age are a day, and wow does teacher need a drink at the end of that day! Oh forget the glass, just hand me the bottle!

If parents don't like the ideas of teachers getting free trips I know they can always use a few parent chaperones........

[sophiesofa]

Most schools do think of parents budgets so I'm very surprised that a ?1500 trip has been planned for 13yr olds! I wouldn't pay that; not even for an A-level student.

[Pugwash]

My daughter (now 25) went to the South of France when she was 15 and doing GCSE Art with Sydenham School, had a smashing time painting, visiting artist houses etc. Went for about 7 days and costs around ?300.

A friend's daughter who went to St. Dunstans went within the last 2 years to the far East for 2 - 3 weeks for ?2000 with the school

[zeban]

Is St Dunstans a private school?

[Huggers]

East of The Rye, I wonder if your child goes to the same comp as mine.(Two words, first word four syllables)

We have had offers of exorbitantly priced trips several times over the three years she has been there- overpriced skiing, ridiculously expensive short trips to the States and recently an art trip to Morocco- we said no to all of them! And so it seems did many others- the american trip was cancelled because of low uptake.

Instead, My daughter went on a budget skiing trip with her (very active!) granny last spring half term, at a quarter of the cost for twice the time.

She is not bothered at all about us dismissing these school trips. There doesnt seem to be big peer pressure- I dont think many are in the financial position to accept them and even if they were-they are clearly overpriced.

[acumenman]

It certainly is zeban.

Mine went to Alleyns but there were no trips costing that much east-of-the-rye and had there been mine would have been waving the coach goodbye from the pavement outside the school.

What is the point of such a trip when you can do so much for more, for soooo much less.

That kind of money can take the whole family away, and still have some change for ice creams.

[east-of-the-Rye]

Thanks for all your responses:

- I should say that the trip is completly optional - the school runs a Year 7 activity trip (to Devon, or the Lakes in recent years) that all children are expected to go on, it's much, much, cheaper and there is help available for families that would find it difficult. My older son's language trip to Spain and Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions to Wales etc (both with the school)have also been reasonable.

- The trip is very expensive but actually when I had a look on the web for comparable art-based tours they were also very expensive - it's not a beach holiday.

- it's not till next year so the children going will be 14 years up to 18, taking Art GCSE (they've chosen their options)or A-Level

- my son in fact agreed that he wasn't very keen to go , so he's not going

- and yes, Huggers, it's the same school