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[Cooks]

I received an email from the school stating that in Activiities week later in the school year they have three options.

 

Option 1 Derbyshire residential Cost: £190

 

Option 2 Normandy, France residential Cost: £345

 

Option 3 Stay at school... get this!!! Cost £15.00

 

How can we be charged for keeping our children at school??? I have never heard this before in my life. I am slightly miffed by the cheek of it.

 

My son does not want to go on any of these school trips, for numerous reasons.

 

edited for typos

Edited February 4, 2009 by Guest

[Minnie the Moocher]

£15? Is this during term time?

[Cooks]

yes the normal school week 6-10th July

[Minnie the Moocher]

What a cheek! Have they done this previously?

 

Surely they can't be allowed to do it?

[Cooks]

he's my oldest in year 8 so I;ve never come across this before, it's certainly odd to be charged to KEEP them in school.

[Egluntyne]

It seems very odd. Worth challenging?

[Cooks]

you betcha it is!, an emails already been sent asking for clarification, the cheek of it!

 

Son said.. can I just have a week off then??.. you've got to give it to him for trying

[fluffyfeet]

Do you know if they arranging specific activities for the kids in school that week?

 

If they are then the money might be to pay for that. My son's school occasionally has theatre companies or the zoo man to visit and we are asked for a 'voluntary' donation of usually about £5.

 

I've often wondered what would happen if I didn't 'volunteer' the £5 - would he be excluded?

 

Dawn x

[Guest]

The school can't make you pay. If a "trip" is part of the curriculum you can simply say you won't pay. Obviously this won't work for the residentials but they certainly can't make you pay for the activities they are arranging in school. It is not compulsory to pay for trips etc during school hours that are linked to the curriculum.

 

This is one of the reasons school trips are so expensive, some people "work" the system and don't pay as they know they can't be made to - the cost is therefore spread across the rest of the pupils. When you cost out a school trip you don't divide the costs by the number of kids expected to attend, you divide it by the number of kids you expect to actually pay!

 

There is no reason they should even ask you for payment to stay in school, I guess they are getting people in etc and trying to spread the cost of that but tough. Heres a BBC article about payments etc http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7867848.stm

[Cooks]

thanks I dont mind paying if he's going away on a trip, I did that last year no problem, even though I found out others went and did not pay, like you said. I even pay for theatre to attend the school and for special items he's made in technology etc that use up their materials.

 

but I will not pay for him to stay in school out of principal, I would rather use the money to treat him to do something that he really wants to do. I think they are trying their luck and your right, there is no way they can make us pay but they are trying none the less.

[ClaireG]

I can't believe they are trying to charge you. As has been said, fine for charging for trips or activites that use resources but not for normal lessons.

[poachedegg]

I think maybe other activities will be arranged for those staying in school - hence the cost.

 

Think, however the school should have explained better.

[Nutmeg]

Definately worth challenging and asking what justification there is for charging £15.

 

Always tricky whether to pay or not, I once refused to pay £2 voluntary donation for a puppet show visit to the school as we had been asked for three other costs in the same week and the teacher said out loud in front of the whole class to my daughter "Don't forget to bring your £2 tomorrow as you are the only one who has not paid!" She was mortified, I was livid!

 

On a separate note, I once paid £30 for my daughter to go to the theatre with the schoo. On the day, she was ill, so I phoned to ask could we have a refund as they were not buying the tickets until they got to the theatre, to be told NO. So I replied, fine, keep my £30 and I will then deduct any money you ask for from future trips, as you now owe me!

 

Sorry rant over

 

It will be interesting to know what the £15 is for, good luck.

[Cooks]

I think maybe other activities will be arranged for those staying in school - hence the cost.

 

Think, however the school should have explained better.

 

 

yes but even if other activities are planned for the children at school, this is what they come to school for isn't it?, I am getting fed up being charged for everything. Its the same with YS school, but at least with him I get to buy his uniform wherever I like and dont have to buy from the school like OS!, talk about expensive!

 

 

*huffed face*

[Ygerna]

Any response to your email yet?

 

If its not an acceptable reply I would be inclined to take it to the LEA, a local MP or even the local papers. However, I am a bit like that, as I really dislike being TOLD to do something and yet be given no choice or alternative

 

I hope they can honestly justify the added expense.

[Cooks]

No reply yet, but sons school got closed this morning so thats understandable.

[Ygerna]

No reply yet, but sons school got closed this morning so thats understandable.

Did they charge you for that too?

[Cooks]

I'll wait for their invoice!

[Chicken Licken]

I used to be involved in activities week at my last school. For us it was 'alternative curriculum week'. Loads of different activities and trips going on. We used to have an 'outings day' at the end of the week and that was what parental donations funded. I guess not knowing what that £15 is for means it is a lot of money potentially for no visible return. If however there is an outing or a visit then it would go towards transport costs and insurance - all of which are prohibitively expensive. It sounds as if you got a badly worded letter to me. A week out of the classroom in July sounds great - now you just need to pin them down to what your donation is for exactly and then make an informed decision as to whether you want to pay it.

I could still wake in a cold sweat about co-ordinating the visits for 300 year 9's and getting them all to the right place at the right time and having the right consent forms and payment - spare a thought for the poor teacher who has been landed with that one!!

[Cooks]

I sympathise with the teachers totally believe me.

 

I guess your right, I will wait for explanation, but it definately said option 3 is stay at school so, I would assume by that there is no trip involved anywhere otherwise it's hardly staying at school.

 

The school trip prices are getting steeper and steeper each time I read letters like these, OS said he doesn't know anyone thats going on either trip, so thats a lot of 'staying at schools'

[bronze]

Tell him you'll be keeping him off that week and charging them £50 for it

[Cooks]

my son's already said he'll stay off the week I said noway!!

I moved to this house so he could go to that school and go to school he shall, without me paying for the privledge

 

I will send them a copy of that link that Pengy sent me in an email though.