Alis girls Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Sorry if this has been aired before but ES is on geography field trip on Dorset coast. Many yrs ago -hmm we went to Wales or Norfolk or France if really adventerous - son informed me the next trip was to Iceland to which I replied " great I'll write you a list" After realising that he meant the country I choked on my tea and asked how much - he didnt know but I expect it will be a lot. We both work but some of these trips are getting beyond a joke and you do feel esp if part if GCSE that they should go. Hes just called - and it wasnt "hi mum how are you" oh no its "wheres the ipod charger" - it was packed - prob been nicked. Hey ho joys of parenthood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Eeek! I felt the same when ES played rugby and announced that the years rugby tour would be to South Africa! I was secretly relieved when he stopped playing when he went to college and missed the tour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Palmer Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 My son did the Iceland trip 2 years ago, just as their currency collapsed! It was expensive - about £450 for 5 days, but it was certainly a trip to remember and he still talks about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 My school are organising geography trips to Borneo and China. My sisters going to Borneo in a few years, and it will be for a month, £3500 . China is around the same price, and for 4 weeks also. I think this is a ridiculous amount of money.. But the pupils have about 2 years to raise the money by fund-raising ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 my school "linked" with one in the Gambia just as I was in my final year of GCSEs. They arranged the first trip to co-incide with the last yr of sixth form two yrs later, and gave us a yr to save up. I started washing pots, and managed to save/earn the £680 required to go to the Gambia for 8 days in Feb 2000. It was the best school trip ever, and was life changing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 It was one of the things we had to say no to , to be honest i had kids in years 7, 9 and 11. If i had let one go skiing/Disneyland the other 2 would have gone 2 years then again in 2 years and at £500-800 at least we would have gone without a family holiday. they were ridiculous choices of school trip in a supposedly deprived area Mine all went on a school adventure trip in year 6 and france for the day in yr 7 and a few subject related trips in GCSE years but that was it. Think it has got stupid that only well off families can afford it and the trips aren't even subject related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 I don't understand why schools arrange trips like skiing - surely if families could afford to go skiing they would go as a family ? There's no specific educational value, and they tend to be quite expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I was disgusted with my eldest daughter when she had the cheek to complain after I refused to pay almost £800 for her to go skiing with her school. She said it wasn't fair and it might be the only chance she ever has to go skiing I pointed out that when she's older and has a good job she can pay for herself to ski whenever the fancy takes her. I don't see why the rest of the family should go without a holiday just so that one child can go away with the school. She's going on a trip to Paris next year at a more reasonably priced £300. A friends son went this year and had his Ipod stolen from his room so she'll be taking no valuables with her at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Neither of mine did the big expensive trips either ,just the long weekend in the UK ones. However when my eldest started college she funded a £600 10 day trip to Sicily herself,by doing heaps of overtime at her weekend job at Waitrose. I was really proud of her for this and I am sure she appreciated the trip more knowing her own hard work got her there. She also saved for a weekend Reading Festival ticket and has a decent amount put by for university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 My 3 have been skiing, water sports, exchange and a language/jolly. YS is now being offered skiing in the US (he hasn't been skiing yet). We nearly privately educated our children so state school and these trips are cheap in comparison. However, they have not done all of the trips on offer. ES didn't give us the letter about Iceland as he thought it was over the top. None of the children expect to go on a trip and don't give me all of the letters. If the trip is a 'jolly' with no 'educational' purpose other than life experience, the children have to raise some of the money towards the trip. DD's recent trip to Paris & Normandy was a mixture so we paid for it. She did things in Paris that were so much cheaper to do with the school than they would have been for us as a family. We would never have done them so it was worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Lets see... my school is currently offering; - A day trip to boulogne. -Three day trips to the Europa Centre (Place in England, it's like a mini town and there are shops etc so help you learn a language), one trip for each language taught at my school, French, German and Spanish, (And yes, some people are going on two or even three) - Trip to the imperial war museum - A trip to a Frenth theatre (The theatre is in England, but the performance is in French) (If I'm not fluent in French by the end of all this, I'll eat my hat.) - Possibly a PGL residental trip. On top of that, we just had our school photos done, which cost the Earth and that we're obliged to buy. And we're only about a sixth of the way through the year... And they wonder why so few people go on their trips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Its good to see others turn their children down. I have a children then a years gap then another child then another child, then someone a couple of years later a fourth. We've had on efamily holiday, I can't see us justifying a stupidly expensive trip for just one child each time. Why do they cost so much? £300 for a trip to paris for one child? Thats a family holiday for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 DS's school is offering a ski trip to Italy this Feb which will cost £1000 . I was very impressed with DS when he brought the letter home though because he said "I would like to go but I understand if you say no because it is very expensive". I said that there would be lots more opportunities to to skiing so this time the answer is no. Most of the other parents I spoke to were doing the same so I don't know if they are going to manage to fill all the places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
