Here’s the maths

30 Year 6 pupils ( mine being one of them ) going on a residential to Devon ( From Oxon/ Bucks border ) for 4 days ( 3 nights )traveling by coach = £350 each.

Does that seem like a lot to you?

depends on the activities they’ll be doing. some need a fair number of trained staff to do. Plus the kids will be covering the staff food, travel and accomodation costs…

£1500 coach/travel
£1500 food
£2500 acomadation
£2500 teachers booze etc

3 nights plus travel plus activities plus staff supervisors for £350 sounds reasonable to me.

I guess they also have the coach for the whole 4 days too?

£350 for 3 nights seems dear to me but then I am tight.

Accomodation will be what…£20 p/n, coach £15 each way…food, £15 per day.

With activities on top and possibly the coach is on hire for the full time they’re there….Maybe not actually.

PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

It sounds a lot but probably isn’t…

I mean if you say it’s £35 a person a night that £105 of it already!

you ever tried taking 30 kids away ?

good luck finding somewhere to take 30 kids at 20 quid a night…..

school trips are like weddings – the merest hint of the words and the cost doubles…..

“PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!”

Well take your own kids then. – dont see many parents stepping up to that and getting the necessary qualifications to do it …. teachers give up their own time to give kids experiances like this. no one forces you to send your kids …..

Does that seem like a lot to you?

No (assuming that the trip is of proper educational value)

don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

What, they should pay themselves to look after other people’s children?

PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

Fair enough, but who do you think should pay for the staff? I expect they are already giving up their time so it’s only fair that their expenses are paid.

The annual residential strikes fear into the heart of all sane teachers (there are some).

3 nights of bugger all sleep and days filled with fear of losing one of the blighters bracketed by 2 coach journeys full of vomitting children.

School trips can be stupidly overpriced.We refused a two day trip at £180 a few years ago and for your £350 you could get a foreign holiday .The one we refused to let our son go on included very little of value.We had the same with a trip from Somerset to the Globe theatre which the school wanted to do as a two day jolly .I priced it with the globe and a local coach firm as a day trip for about £30 and got told you couldnt do it in a day .It was for year eleven and just the sort of trip we used to do

don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

Depends on the type of school and the purpose of the trip. If it’s a state maintained school, and the trip is educational (curricular driven) and deemed part of the course rather than a nice to have there are various rules iirc about the staffing costs (board and a food for staff) being provided out of the school budget and reasonable provision made to subsidise the trip for those that can’t afford it otherwise. If it’s a jolly the rules change and trip has to be self funded by pupil/parent contributions.

muppetWrangler – Member

PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

Fair enough, but who do you think should pay for the staff? I expect they are already giving up their time so it’s only fair that their expenses are paid.

All part and parcel of being a teacher I would have thought, and therefore covered by school funds.

you ever tried taking 30 kids away ?

Actually I have. Along with my Karate instructor and few other senior students we took 25 6-11 years olds on the train from London all the way up to Carlisle for a weekend of karate training and outdoor activities. Oh and it was the Easter Bank Holiday weekend in April.

I came back grey.

Kids all bedded down on the floor mats in the Karate dojo we were staying in.

Sunday night we went in a couple of vans (kids riding loose in the back) up to Dumfreishire and went on an evening adventure run. Ended up making camping out under an enormous tarpaulin sheet tied between a dozen trees with another one on the ground; kids all on that in their sleeping bags. Oh and it was dark by the time we got the camping spot.

Next morning we went swimming in the river. In March. In freakin Scotland!

Kids that could swim went in the river. Ones that couldn’t went in the inflatable digny.

I swam and almost got hypothermia.

To top it all off, we almost missed the train home!

I swear to go I am writing this and thinking how on earth did we ever do that and get away with it. It’s not like this was 30 years ago either. It was 2001!

60 kids traveling 100 miles on a coach to Newcastleton for 3 days all sorts of outdoor activities. £100 is this years trip.

But both my kids have been away to flasher place for about £300

I guess the main expense is how good the center is.

There was a bit of parent uproar at the £300 trip but all the kids went in the end.

Somerset to the Globe theatre which the school wanted to do as a two day jolly .I priced it with the globe and a local coach firm as a day trip for about £30 and got told you couldnt do it in a day

Depending on where you are in Somerset, you’re going to be spending something like 5-6 hours on a coach if you do it as a day trip. Can’t imagine many kids would be in a receptive frame of mind to watch a play.

My Yr5 Daughter is going on a 3 night activity centre trip in a few months – cost £110ish each.

This is within 50 miles of the school though so coach travel won’t be much.

I certainly wouldn’t (couldn’t) pay £350 though unless it’s something very, very special.

£10,000 or £350 each … they see you coming …

If its all-in, about the norm, and about what we paid last year for the same kinda thing (Bucks to Devon).

If you can afford it you have the choice of sending your child or not, if you can’t afford it you have no choice…

Doesn’t seem too bad when you considder the ratio of staff:pupils is probably better than most MTB holidays, and they often come in at £700 for 5 days guiding + the cost of transport!

Sounds expensive – my lad had a weeks adventure camp in the Italian Alps last year for £550 through his school. Coach and ferry from Gloucestershire.

Some kids this year are going to Nepal for a fortnight – £3500! – my boy is not amongst them! Teacher:pupil ratio is approx 3:1 – easy time for the teachers

muppetWrangler – Member

PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!

Fair enough, but who do you think should pay for the staff? I expect they are already giving up their time so it’s only fair that their expenses are paid.

Parents paying for teachers is probably inevitable.
BUT
I’d just like to contrast that with my other half’s experience as a guide leader, where the leaders pay their own costs for all trips.
They do not get any assistance or pass any of the cost onto the rest of the party (and have significantly less “own time” to give up than teachers).
Just saying like.

Sounds about right. I’m guessing the coach costs alone will be about £2-3k

– easy time for the teachers

Until something goes wrong when they’ll properly be earning their money… oh no wait that trip will be in their holiday and they’ll be running it for free!

To be fair I’d happily run a trip to somewhere like nepal as it sounds like a right laugh. I regularly go on school trips and I’d say most of them are some of the hardest weeks of work in the calendar year. Rewarding but knackering!

I’d just like to contrast that with my other half’s experience as a guide leader, where the leaders pay their own costs for all trips.

It’s a shame that that is the case. It’s enough that people like your partner invest their time, no way they should be a penny out of pocket.

What kind of hotel will you get for 3 nights for £350?! Sounds low to me.

Are you sure that is not per night?

When I was involved as a governor at the primary, we made efforts to get prices right down. Managed to get 17 seater minibuses for £30-40 per day by ordering and booking through local council transport pool, then staff or parent volunteers can drive (but not be counted as supervising kids for the ratios). Youth Hostels and Scout/Guide permanent camps for accommodation, self guided activities where it didn’t need instructor etc. Still an immense amount of work for those that organise them and go along, but well worth it. Took kids to Whitby who had never paddled in the sea before, real fossils from Boggle Hole, and had every hire bike from Purple Mountain for a gentle loop at Dalby, real eye opener for lots of the kids.

trail_rat – Member
you ever tried taking 30 kids away ?

good luck finding somewhere to take 30 kids at 20 quid a night…..

school trips are like weddings – the merest hint of the words and the cost doubles…..

“PS – don’t like the idea of the parents covering the costs of teachers going?!?!”

Well take your own kids then. – dont see many parents stepping up to that and getting the necessary qualifications to do it …. teachers give up their own time to give kids experiances like this. no one forces you to send your kids …..

You OK there?

Teachers don’t give up their own time do they? It’s part of the package of being a teacher, as is the several weeks holiday they get oh and the inset days. Not calling teachers btw. Many of them do a good job.

And the idea of a school trip is that they go with the school. So your “take your own kids comment” is utter turd.

Not sure what you don’t see many parents stepping up to? Being teachers? Do you expect all parents to become teachers?

I’ll come back to you on the accomodation for £20 thing once i’ve done a bit of digging.

Sounds about right. I’m guessing the coach costs alone will be about £2-3k

What! If its half that I’ll be surprised.

Fill yer boots – http://www.hostelworld.com/

What! If its half that I’ll be surprised.

Exactly.
Someone’s making a killing. My two are in year 6 and are going to an outdoor centre 40 miles away for two nights/three days for about £250. The price has rocketed this year as my eldest went to the same place two years ago for 4 nights/5 days for the same money.
School reckons the price for more than two nights is too high so they’ve reduced the length of time they’re away which I think is a great shame.

Teachers don’t give up their own time do they? It’s part of the package of being a teacher, as is the several weeks holiday they get oh and the inset days. Not calling teachers btw. Many of them do a good job.

never seen it in my contract to supervise kids 24 hours a day or go on residential trips or to pay for my own traveland costs on the trip.
Price is steep but having taken 6th formers away for biology field trips at field studies centres I can see how that could be about right.

Dont these kids have parents who could take them to devon, and pay for them without taking the teachers as well.

Patriot pro im not a teacher neither am i a parent but that really is a mouth breather attitude. Im guessing you hae no direct experiance of teachers – you couldnt pay me to do their job. And my mrs regularly gives up her contractual holidays that are part of her package to supervise other peoples kids unpaid and not part of her contract and package

Your either seriously jelous of teachers and very nieve or a really bad troll

Off for a run now . dont wave your daily mail too hard in my absense

b r – Member
Sounds about right. I’m guessing the coach costs alone will be about £2-3k

What! If its half that I’ll be surprised.

That’s what we have to pay for uni field trips.

We have budgeted £16,000:00 for our school trip to Lesotho.Twelve pupils (13- 16 y.o.) and each participant has to pay £600:00, the rest is raised by a whole host of different activities held over the past year or so. Plus a £1,500:00 grant from the British Council. We will plough the excess funds into trying to fund some Basotho pupils to visit us at some point in the future.

Fundraising has been a cinch- Curry Nights have raised £400:00 at a time, bag-packing in local supermarkets has been great too. The community council and the local twinning association have also been really supportive. And the planned auction may raise something in the region of £2- 4,000.

Email in profile if you want to know more.

You guys crack me up.

“Covered by school funds”

If you realised how little money was in education you might retract your foolish comments.

Teachers are not paid to go on school trips, yes they will not have to pay for any of the expenses but you re giving up an awful lot to go. You are on duty 24/7 and quite frankly less and less teacher are doing it.

So either shut up and pay and be thankful someone is taking your wee brat way or don’t bother going.

So either shut up and pay and be thankful someone is taking your wee brat way or don’t bother going.

Stay classy, Stevewhyte

So Patriot Pro doesn’t like the idea of teachers not having to pay to go on school residentials……would you pay your own accommodation if you were working away? What if you were working abroad? Would you pay for your own flights? Thought not.

Hey Stevewhyte..how dare you ” ..shut up and pay…be grateful” you have no idea. Let me come and do some work in your house and when you question the bill I’ll tell you to shut up and be grateful that your tap no longer drips for instance.
I have 5 children and I know how to budget. Oh and btw my eldest son (17) is going with college to France for 10 days of Aboriculture ( tree-felling )…£200.

Maybe I should be especially grateful and pay more.