Have the school sent kids on similar trips in the past? Maybe try and contact parents from those?

No direct experience on that type of trip,but this year we’ve been fundraising over £4k for trips my two are making, happy to offer ideas if you end up needing them – first one being any money they get for Christmas and birthdays goes into the “trip” lot, plus what you would have spent on the family holiday you can no longer afford!

We had this two years ago with a “once in lifetime trip” to Malawi, I came out of the presentation and wanted to go ffs! It was a slick, quick, very well presented affair which hadnt just been cobbled together, imagine time share quality.
It left a LOT of parents feeling inadequate and some even left during the presentation when costs started to be mentioned. Several of our daughters friends went and at first she was hugely disappointed that we said it wasn’t happening, she’d never really been told no before but it was such a huge amount of money for a holiday for one member out of a family of four.
Many signed up and paid deposits, some kids did really well with the fund raising (only so much bag packing at Morrison’s can be done) and some ended with grandma paying 3k towards it, one girl even started selling her clothes to pay, others just dropped out.
The kids all survived, one has unfortunately come back with an m e type condition where she’s permanently fatigued, the others well no one really said it was life changing.
Left me feeling a bit bad as a dad but she went on to have a great summer last year with her other friends doing loads of other stuff including her first solo festival and the ncs scheme.

£4 k!

Flight to Oz, £1k, padi course in cairns £1k

Leaving £2k to travel about and do stuff

Stick it in an account until she is 18?

I honestly think that’s madness. Our school does this sort of stuff (and its a fee paying school) and i was in a meeting where there was a general concensus that this stuff was getting out of hand costwise.

. I honestly think they should stop all of these absurdly expensive trips abroad – all it does is sort out the rich kids from the ones from normal backgrounds.

I agree 100%

The opportunity sounds amazing IMO, but from what lots of others have posted I too would say “nah” wait till you are 18 love.

And I wouldn’t put any money into an organisation that says “nope, can’t have your money back”

Banks, quite helpful in situations like these.

I did a part funded week(some commonwealth fund) to Zambia a few years ago and it’s was really tough on the fundraising front. By the time the bag packing, bake sales, car washing etc had been done it’d been easier stumping up the cash. Some groups, rotary etc will have funds for these types of thing but to be fair it’s quite a toughy.

I looked at running this type of trip (basically a really nice holiday) and there were weekends away training for the kids, medical training for adults. So not just a pay up, pack up and go. Don’t underestimate the staff commitment, they’ll have earned a pint by the time they get back. (And will probably never volunteer again)

You can get a diving certificate for a lot less than this will cost.

You can become a certified diving instructor for about the same money

So will the trip be during year 11, or over the yr 10-11 summer?

I’ve just had one go through yr 11 and GCSEs and it was a hell of a lot of work to get good results with the new format / syllabus. I really wouldn’t want 4 weeks of distraction mixed in with that (and school shouldn’t be encouraging it).

Youngest is now in a similar situation with a USA ski trip planned for March of yr 11 (so right before GCSEs). We said no to that – partly due to timing and partly due to cost. A more modest 1 week European ski trip could have been done a year earlier with less disruption and a cost that opened it up to a wider range of kids.

we should also ban any cars/houses/power kites that are too expensive to afford for people earning the national average wage. Why should other people have nice things just because they have more money to spend?

Thanks for all the comments and advice so far

Just to confirm, she would be in Year 11 / 16yrs old next year if she went on the trip

What I also have to consider is that I have two other kids (twins) who are a year younger so if we say yes to one we have to say yes to all of them. And that’s a lot of money before you even start to think about Uni fees, driving lessons, car insurance etc etc which is all just around the corner… Kids eh, who’d have ’em?!

I’d think hard about if you really want to go to the presentation this evening. I very much doubt you’ll see anything that will be reason enough for her not to go. By going you are effectively saying to your daughter that it is something you would like her to go on. If at a later date you say the money can’t be justified you’ll look an utter git in her eyes. You should only go if the money is already committed and are happy to spend it if you like what you see.

Youngest is now in a similar situation with a USA ski trip planned for March of yr 11 (so right before GCSEs). We said no to that – partly due to timing and partly due to cost. A more modest 1 week European ski trip could have been done a year earlier with less disruption and a cost that opened it up to a wider range of kids.

Schools are keen on North American ski trips because of the tougher controls on booze. It takes a huge chunk of the hassle out of running a trip. I know people who will volunteer to use a week of holiday to take a ski trip away but only if it’s to North America. Most schools have been burnt at some point in the past.

OP – Camps International is not a ‘partner’, they’re a profit making company with an obscure system of companies registered at companies House, seems like dormant company and only operated since 2017 yet history (unpublished) back to 2009. I’d ask some steep questions about them being partners with the school…

Regarding all these big camps and trips, I’m a fan and think they have their place.

That said, so many are run by commercial companies out to make a good chunk of the cost as profit. Better partners include BSES, Project Malawi and partnerships with NGO’s in developing countries.

Safety standards are variable, to day the least.

I object to the cost – many seem to decide wonderful places to go, rather than pragmatic places that can be just as adventurous.

I object that due to cost they are highly selective, and often end up with Tarauin’s parents asking me to sponsor or donate for him to go, when mine can’t afford to go.

I would rather the schools looked at a trip to somewhere more affordable and adventurous – they do exist.

Emotional 16 year old girls will argue!!! And all those hunky macho instructors with all those muscles and good looks…..

You make it sound like the girls will be fighting over the hunks 🤣🧟‍♂️🕺

What I also have to consider is that I have two other kids (twins) who are a year younger so if we say yes to one we have to say yes to all of them

Same here…. very worrying.

I went on a school skiing trip when I was about 9. Broken my leg on the second day and spent the rest of the week either in hospital or in the hotel reception with the kid who broke his leg on the first day!

I didn’t get to go on any trips after that.

that’s a lot of money before you even start to think about Uni fees, driving lessons, car insurance etc etc

There is that too – we have started a savings account (£100 a month for each of them) for the Uni fees (or to help support our twins in whatever route they decide to take) so they should have a decent leg up when they get to 18 but we’d need to be finding another £100 a month from now (to save for the next six years) in order to have that sort of money to pay for a school trip in yr 11.

As I child I did get upset at never being one of the kids that got to hand the form back in but as an adult I now fully understand my parents did what they could for us all. I just wasn’t lucky enough to have rich parents or grand-parents.

Why should other people have nice things just because they have more money to spend?

Wasn’t Thatcher’s Britain great.

Why should other people have nice things just because they have more money to spend?

Err because they are school kids and the school should be encouraging activities the majority (if not all) can afford to do. If the rich kids’ parents have money to burn, have a nice holiday outside of the school environment – there are plenty of organisations that would be happy to take their money.

Even here in deepest Surrey I’ve not heard of a 4K school trip for a state school.

MrsG’s school does a low cost trip every year to Tanzania where the pupils build schools and teach the local kids. They also raise more to give to the local Tanazian charities / NGO. Seems like a much better option.

Never did any foreign school trips when I was at school (but making up for the foreign travel now!)

I have been on two trips as a member of staff both of which were a two week duration (India & Morocco). They involved…. acclimatisation to the country, voluntary work, expedition such as trekking the tea plantations or summitting Toubkal, R&R. A 4 week stint would be pretty tough, the kids i’ve worked with have just about had enough at the end of the 2 weeks.
Students fund raise in various ways, bag packs, sponsored walks, washing cars at school, sweet stalls, race nights, curry nights etc. If some students are struggling we will help them out in school where we can. Due to the demographics of the school we find some parents just pay for the trip whilst others fund raise the entire amount. My observation would be that the students that fund raise get more from it.
We use a company called outlook, very good and very professional. They have an ops room in the UK that is manned 24/7, they also have people in country that they can call on if they encounter any problems. We had a schedule and were required to check in on certain days. Other safety measures included a very comprehensive first aid certificate and a direct contact number for a doctor. As well as myself and another staff member from the school the expedition was lead by a member of staff from outlook, usually somebody that is ML qualified.
Most of your questions will be answered at the presentation evening but as suggested try and find first hand information such as blogs etc.