Merchant Taylor:question for parents starting this year Sep

[Middlesexmum]

Whilst I agree with some of what's been said and some school trips are prohibitively expensive, should schools stop offering such trips for fear of upsetting those who are unable to go?

Trips are optional and by not going, it's not going to affect a child's overall education in the long term. Most learning is done at school and at home. Parents who are interested in education and support their's child's learning will find ways to supplement their education in other ways.

It's never going to be a level playing field. You could take it further to say it's unfair to have indie schools at all as the vast majority of the population will not being able to pay fees.

I would rather have the choice to send my child on a trip or not.

[tiffinboys]

Totally agree with southbucks3 on this.

I think the message we are trying to project is that; it is time we all said a combined emphatic no to these expensive trips asking for cheap British alternatives instead.

I agree it is a crying shame that only a percentage of kids can go on these trips, surely if the rich want their kids to play holidays with one another, they can arrange it themselves outside school.

[Yamin151]

Whilst I agree with some of what's been said and some school trips are prohibitively expensive, should schools stop offering such trips for fear of upsetting those who are unable to go?

Trips are optional and by not going, it's not going to affect a child's overall education in the long term. Most learning is done at school and at home. Parents who are interested in education and support their's child's learning will find ways to supplement their education in other ways.

It's never going to be a level playing field. You could take it further to say it's unfair to have indie schools at all as the vast majority of the population will not being able to pay fees.

I would rather have the choice to send my child on a trip or not.

Completely agree that the trips are not educationally necessary. What I feel to see is why schools feel the need to offer such expensive trips that can be done much more inexpensively. It strikes me that it has become a competition, rather than a balancing of resonableness with a bit of novelty. So, maybe they want to move beyond a youth hostel in Wales (lets say for arguments sake that there could be 90% take up for that), but do they have to go straight to Florida or Canada (F.S.A. 10% take up)? Maybe middle ground would be, say, France? That way, they may get take up of 40 - 50%. This surely acknowledges that state or private, more people are having to watch the pennies than not, but doesn't play into the hands of 'everyone MUST be able to afford to take part', then your argument seems totally reasonable to me.

[Middlesexmum]

But it doesn't have to be either or. Not ALL school trips are thousands of miles away and hence very expensive.

Suppose, for arguments sake, there are enough pupils who want to go on a particularly expensive trip. Should a cheaper alternative be found even though the trip is filled by those who can go?

I know from my own experience schools do try to take cost into account. When my dd went skiing in Austria it was the first time they had gone by coach as the school said flying made it too expensive. We were fortunate to be able to allow our dd to go and she had a great time and experienced skiing for the first time.

But conversely if there was a trip to say the States which we found too expensive and she couldn't go, I wouldn't mind at all that it had been offered. Not the end of the world that they don't go on every trip on offer.

[kittymum]

Blimey I went to the wrong school clearly! The most exotic thing we did was 5 days in Derbyshire for Geography - and I caught measles

[tiffinboys]

Of course, we can eat the cake, if there is no bread. What's the probem?

[Middlesexmum]

Tiffinboys, I see your point BUT exotic school trips are such a tiny part of a child's overall school experience, I really don't think dc miss out that much if they don't go. In fact the vast majority of a school's population will NOT go on any such trips.

I don't know why schools are getting such a bashing about this and I don't think it's about competition, e.g. who can provide the flashiest school trip. In my experience schools are realistic that most people have limited resources and they are sensitive to people's means.

I think there is a lot of over-thinking going on here. If you think a trip is good value for money and you have the means to send your child, then send your child. If not, then don't like the vast majority.

[Yamin151]

Tiffinboys, I see your point BUT exotic school trips are such a tiny part of a child's overall school experience, I really don't think dc miss out that much if they don't go. In fact the vast majority of a school's population will NOT go on any such trips.

I don't know why schools are getting such a bashing about this and I don't think it's about competition, e.g. who can provide the flashiest school trip. In my experience schools are realistic that most people have limited resources and they are sensitive to people's means.

I think there is a lot of over-thinking going on here. If you think a trip is good value for money and you have the means to send your child, then send your child. If not, then don't like the vast majority.

Because maybe parents of child A would love to send their child on more trips but cannot, and as they are 'sold' as educational (justified or not, that's what they claim), then they should be more accessible, and to think that over £1000 is mindful of parents incomes, in a state school (GS or not), is simply impossible. Ok, so even at £400 some parents cannot afford it, but they will capture more of their so called target audience, that they are apparently trying to educate on these trips.
And if it's not competition or upping the ante, why were these trips not so exotic 10 years ago? Flights are more costly (tax not basic) than they were, not less.

[tiffinboys]

Well, of course, middlesexmum, it's parents choice. But how are schools sensitive to parents' means if Science trip is to Florida and perhaps, Geography trip to Alaska? History trip to Darwin?

And aren't some controlled assessment work is based on field trips? May be not any more, I am not sure, if majority of the class choose not to go there.

[southbucks3]

Also, even on the pure pleasure trips, there is no alternatives at our school. Skiing in wherever, great wall of China, Iceland or zip! Why can't they organise a week hiking in the highlands of Scotland, or learning to surf in newquay, or mountain biking in Wales if they,are looking for memorable experiences. Then an even cheaper level, a weekend in Derbyshire camping or something.
Ie.something for all budgets.