"voluntary donation" for school trips?

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BoltBlue
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:19 pm

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by BoltBlue »

scarlett wrote:Do your children know you find them boring, Boltblue ? Or do you wear a fixed grin throughout ?!
I never say they are boring to their face.
Musuems that you have to look at things... extremely boring, but I just grin and think "I am giving them an education".

Space museum.... that is different. Things to do. Interactive is fun. Looking is boring.

Then again, I also hate beach holidays. I want to experience the culture in a different country and explore. A paradox!
MrsChubbs
Posts: 363
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:36 pm
Location: High Wycombe

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by MrsChubbs »

My understanding (going back to original question) is that charges can be made by law for the board and lodging elements of a residential trip.
My children's school offer two residential trips (one in year 4 and one in year 6) and the overwhelming feedback is that they are one of the very few times when the children are away for the week from TV's, computer games and spend the week outside in the fresh air in the day, and talking (that long forgotten art) to their year group in the evenings. They are expected to make their own sandwiches for lunch, do chores and generally develop some independence from their parents. They come back more confident and grown up, and really chatty. If the parents can't afford to pay they can talk in confidence to the school who will look at each case on its merit to see whether they qualify for funding. The teachers come back exhausted! :wink:
BoltBlue
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:19 pm

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by BoltBlue »

In my childrens' school there are 60 children per year and each trip on takes 30 children.
If more than 30 want to go, some cannot.

Is this fair?
BoltBlue
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:19 pm

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by BoltBlue »

Sorry duplicate deleted!
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by yoyo123 »

My previous school used to run a residential trip and most parents paid in weekly instalments. We went to a field centre and the days were packed with activities - including a lesson in the evening. For the children who weren;t going on the trip the programme was replicated as far as possible with days out to the local corn mill, pond dipping, measuring the flow of the river at different places etc. They did miss out on the social side though. I was amazed at how many children have never made a sandwich or had to make a bed!
push-pull-mum
Posts: 737
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:52 pm

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by push-pull-mum »

Be honest, folks, when you look back at your own school memories, aren't the school trips some of the highlights? (although sometimes not for the reasons the school intended. :lol: )
I remember the girl with the arm in plaster (Year 1) who couldn't hold on tight on the coach (days before seat belts) and kept rolling me onto the floor and not being able to get up.
The gross injustice of the boys going to the B.lood.y Tower and the girls seeing the Crown Jewels instead (Year 2).
The coach driver stopping on the way to the Imperial War Museum and refusing to drive on until the back rows stopped singing rude songs (Year 9 - lovely Girls' Grammar :oops: )
My first kiss - on a balcony in Greece. (Year 10 :oops: :oops: )
I couldn't put a price on those memories - and they were all educational (in their way :D )

My daughter didn't go on the Year 6 residential. I spend a lot on music and dance tuition and, since she wasn't at all keen on going, I was happy to save the money - especially as she would have had to miss several of her lessons in order to go. When there's a holiday she's really keen on (or more likely a choir or orchestra trip!) then I'll be happy to fork out - even if it doesn't automatically appear 'educational.'

A propos de rien - if you go to your User Control Panel you can elect to ignore anyone you choose. I don't like the fact that they are called 'foes' - it's more a way of ensuring they don't become your foes.

Filled with sweetness and good will to all .... :wink:
marigold
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: essex

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by marigold »

Oh yes, the best memories of school...

-The post O'Level trip to Wimbledon during the wettest week of 1978, we saw 30 seconds of play on court 12.

-Day trip to Bolougne during France's wettest week of 1978 and my first experience of a proper French Loo.

-Getting my leg stuck down a cattle grid on a biology field trip and having to take my trousers off in front of the whole class.

And as I was at school in Bath, so many trips to The Pump Rooms that I positively LOATHE anything to do with Jane Austen.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by Sally-Anne »

push-pull-mum wrote:A propos de rien - if you go to your User Control Panel you can elect to ignore anyone you choose. I don't like the fact that they are called 'foes' - it's more a way of ensuring they don't become your foes.
I didn't even know that! :oops: I assumed it was for PMs only.

Sadly, I don't suppose a Moderator can really choose to hide any posts, as tempting as it may be at times ...
Wolfgirl
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:50 pm

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by Wolfgirl »

I work in the office at a Primary School in a VERY poor area, and book coaches, venues etc for school trips. We never add extra costs on to cover teachers etc. But saying this the coach prices this year have have gone through the roof and trips are becoming very expensive.

Even though most of our parents arn't very well off, nobody ever moans and we nearly always receive all money requested. It is still amazing when our KS1 children go to Weston Super Mare that the looks on their faces are pure joy as around 50% have never even been to the seaside.

Now on the flip side DS has come home from GS today really upset as the trip to France he had his name down for was over subscibed and he hasn't got a place (all his friends are going). I now have one very upset son and wish I could magic a place for him.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: "voluntary donation" for school trips?

Post by Sally-Anne »

Even the teachers have some wonderful, life-long memories of school trips. My mum (who was a teacher) remembers taking 180 infant school age children to the seaside back in the 1970s.

The trip was the first time that many of them had seen the sea, and my mum helped the the Head to buy 210 ice cream cornets! The ice cream seller wished her a Happy Christmas at the end. :lol:

A few years ago I checked the school out on Friends Reunited, and there were so many comments from people who said it was one of their earliest childhood memories.
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