To be horrified ....

There is a surprise Jess !

When my DD was 6 I think, her school arranged a visit to a Mosque. Myself and a friend refused to allow our children to go (we are talking over 30 years ago). Our children were left behind, sat with the headmaster for the afternoon and had to do writing. I never dared to do it again and I think my daughter has only just forgiven me.

Not a fan of expensive trips myself - very divisive under certain circumstances. Yes indeed the teachers do get free places. When I was governor various events made me lay down the law and put into governors policy that no teacher could take one of their own children on a school trip due to potential conflict and conflicts of interest. There was a sudden decline in enthusiasm for foreign trips.

If the school is in a city there should be no need for private transport.

In London you see any number of primary school-age groups on buses with, from what I can see, a class of about 30 plus at least 4 teachers/helpers.

It's a lovely sight and other passengers, especially tourists, seem charmed by the driver switching off the engine and the whole gang trooping upstairs with the attendant shrieks and chatter, and the teachers yelling out instructions!

When they get off it's like a military operation - all the kids line-up on the pavement close to the shop windows in pairs whilst the teacher in charge does a head count then signals to the driver that it's safe to drive off!

gillybob, the parents would be within their rights to opt their children out of such visits. I would. They are not compulsory and, as mice says, they achieve very little, if anything useful.

I do understand the use of a hired coach rather than public transport. It gets terribly complicated (adult/child ratio for one thing) if you can't get all the kids on one bus, for instance.

But, I say again, opt out. This kids don't have to go.

As for 'embracing' I could think of some very sharp comments that I would be making to the school about their use of language.

I think I would be vexed too. It's the totally inappropriate curriculum that is to blame. That, and some ill informed teachers and advisors from the LAs who have devised this nonsense. All it does it present small children with a bewildering mess of barely digested and poorly understood cultural practices.

Precisely nothing to do with religious education.

And that's just the purpose of this particular trip. The cost is ludicrous and you're not being a busybody asking for a breakdown of the costs. The school should be informing patents of this as matter of course.

I agree Riverwalk Apparently the older children (year 2's) are "embracing different religions" and as she is a year 1 in a year 2 class she was part of "the trip".

I was angry at the letter that got sent home saying all little girls must wear tights and all boys had to bring a pull on hat !

I wouldn't have thought that depriving a 5-year old of a visit to a synagogue would do her much harm!

As an aside, who on earth thought such a trip, at that age, would be a good idea?

All seems very unfair to me.

I did think about that Riverwalk but then thought better of it as this would push the costs up even higher and/or deprive the children of the outing altogether.

Yes MiceElf I think I will do just that when they announce the inflated cost for the pantomime visit although I suspect I am already noted as a busy body for daring to question their policy on other matters.

If that's the case, I think parents should ask the school to provide a breakdown of the costs for a visit. Then the costs will be transparent. In theatre trips accompanying adults go free and I imagine that's the case in other paying venues. If the school is asking those who pay to subsidise those who can't or won't, that's not legal. My understanding is that 'School Fund' can be used to do this. That is, money from bazaars, summer fêtes and so on.

I suppose the answer for your family Gillybob is not to pay.

So basically the school/government are doing exactly as Gillybob said, expecting those who do pay to also cover the costs of those who don't/can't.

Exactly as I said Aka my grandchildrens school is in a deprived area and the school obviously "rip off" the parents who always pay, to take into account the parents who cannot or choose not to pay!

I am even more angry now !

law about payment for school trips

In London Ana you see loads of kids out on school trips on public transport, probably because it's free!

Exactly Riverwalk £10 for what?

There is no charge for entering the synagogue but as Ana said they do hire a coach to take them there and there will be insurance and teachers costs too I would imagine.

The actual cost was probably only £5 but as I said earlier they charge more to those whom they know will pay to take into account those who do not.

Certainly in London there is free travel for all school age children, so no transport costs involved at all. Many places worthy of visits are free, for example all NT and English Heritage sites, same for all places of worship. And I think most theatres have greatly reduced rates for parties of ten or more.

Schools need to get chidren out of the classroom to enhance their learning, but they shouldnt be a travel agency. And parents shouldn't be under any pressure to pay for expensive trips.

They hire buses/coaches for school trips, usually.

£10 - for what? !!

Surely the synagogue wouldn't charge and is not public transport free for school children?

Liz , mine were doing a paper round when they were 12 .
Whether I would allow that in todays day & age is another matter !!

The latest one from my grandchildrens school was:

There will be a class trip (year 1-2) to the Synagogue. The cost is £10 per child.

This journey would cost 50p by public transport !

My 5 year old grandaughter was gutted when she got back as she had no idea what "the Synagogue" was and the word must have sounded quite fun!

This doesn't suprise me at all LizG although from experience what happens in my grandchildrens school is that they are not allowed to exclude a child from a trip due to non payment. They know (from experience) the percentage of parents (or in our case grandparents) who will pay and those who will not and adjust the cost accordingly. Meaning that the payers pay more and the non payers remain just that !

I o glad it these school trips weren't so prevalent when mine were young .
It might have caused us to scratch our heads a bit about cost ! because you can"t let yours be the only ones not going !!!!!
Think it is all going a bit OTT these days .

We get a newspaper delivered, written and distributed by the local academy school. The photos of trips to America and more exotic locations cover page after page. This is not an affluent area, the school is in a very large social housing area. Going to Disney whatever as a reward for a years hard work is not on, I thought that children went to school to work not what they can get in the way of treats.
NYANBU Liz £40 is a lot for any family to fork out.