Holiday with the school

Good heavens, gillybob, my school didn’t have skiing trips! I’m talking about the 1950s. I believe my grandson’s school does, but it hasn’t arisen yet. That bit of my post was referring to the more modest school trips we did have, and yes, everyone went . As I said, there was a school fund that paid for anyone who couldn’t afford it. The part about the educational value (or not) of skiing trips was theoretical. Personally I would pay not to go skiing. I’d hate it.

Well they must've been extremely lucky in your school grandma70's if entire classes could go on skiing trips or whatever. It was always just the select few in my school.

Not to be confused of course with the class trip to the local museum.

gillybob again. Everybody went on the school trips I was talking about, so there wasn’t anyone from that particular group having lessons at school - so nothing to miss. Not sure how the finances were managed. I’m pretty sure there was a school fund to pay for anyone who couldn't afford it.

My school trip to Switzerland in 1963 cost £29.00 and I had to do a paperound and clean the family shoes each day in order to contribute. Don’t forget that there will be several teachers going on the trip and whilst they are working for the duration their costs will be paid by the pupils. A friend of mine who taught , refused to accompany a group on a skiing trip unless her own husband and children were included. I believe they had a great time and families with far less money than them, paid for it.

Most of my friends went on the school trip to Switerland .I would have loved to go but no point in asking as I knew my parents could not afford it ....I did go on a week with school to Hythe in Kent with the Holiday Fellowship or some such ...it was marvellous ! really loved it .....was a bit embarrased by not having as many nice clothes as my friends had, but no one seemed to notice !! My daughter went on all the trips although as a single parent by then, but working full time in the NHS, I couldn't really afford it but I felt keenly aware of how I had felt through not being able to go ! Fortunately (or not) we then lived in a part of the UK where there wasn't a lot of spare money, so the most expensive school trip was to an outward bound centre !)

We were in the charge of two femail teachers who took great advantage of the local wines so we had a pretty free and easy time. We managed to meet some lovely young men I recall

Well at least the teachers were educated in wine tasting Gin

Wine tasting Gin ???

My primary school leavers outing was to Canterbury Cathedral and Dover! My grammar school did annual ski trips when I first went there and my second year co-incided with the trip to Oberamergau - with 3 younger brothers I didn't get to go on either! My brother went to Moscow, by boat, as he was learning Russian for O level!

Sorry femal I am sure that is what I typed!

I was very lucky as an only child of fairly comfortable parents I went on lots of school trips. We had various day trips and a weekend in France. An exchange visit with a German girl while I was in 6th form and a school cruise round the med!
My own 3 I tried very hard to give as many travel opportunities to as I could because I am a huge believer in the benefits of experiencing different cultures I was on a low income for several years but with help and hard saving managed 2 sailing holidays for the eldest, plus the French exchange, Disney Land Paris in year 6 which was 3 days in the Easter holidays, both the others did this too and the eldest did an Italian trip as part of her year 11 Drama course. The others did French exchange and trips to Germany plus all the usual camping trips with the guides. The cost of these trips was huge and meant that I had to cut back further on things that we parents needed but I don’t regret a penny! The only trip I couldn’t fund was the hugely expensive year 11 trip that middle DD was offered to New Zealand however only half her class was able to afford it so she didn’t feel like she was an oddity?
I do agree though that these trips even the in school ones have become ridiculously expensive, as someone has already pointed out beside the trip itself was the equipment you had to buy and for the ski trip a compulsory 6 weeks of lessons on the dry slope nearby?

I went abroad twice with my school. The first time to Salzburg and the year after to Venice. I saved up my paper round money for the whole year. I remember the first trip cost £26. On both trips wr went by train, I seem to remember goug to Venice took 26 hours.

We were in the charge of two femail teachers who took great advantage of the local wines so we had a pretty free and easy time. We managed to meet some lovely young men I recall.

A holiday to India! Is this a holiday for the teachers or children! Ridiculous. I never went on school trips to anywhere, the expense to my family was too much. Do children really need this once in a lifetime holiday at school. I have travelled perhaps more than most as an adult... perhaps fuelled by the lack of travel as a child... but I pay for myself and don't expect others to fund my life.

Went to Devon with my primary school, when I was 11 which was my last year there. That was in the 50s. Think it was Torquay.

In reply to GillyBob, as far as I remember it, the school were following the letter of the law

Not necessarily Humberbear . There was no need (nothing in law either) to fine both parents per child. Just pure greed on and sour grapes on behalf of the school and LA. If I were rich I would take out a test case to prove hypocrisy and double standards by the LA's by allowing term time holidays (if a teacher is being paid to go along) and not allowing the same or very similar trip if not.

Oops apologies forgot to say, the above was for Grandma70s

It depends what’s done on the skiing trip

Erm skiing I would imagine.

In any case, if the children are on a school trip, they aren’t missing the education

How do you work that out? If their peers are for example doing English, maths or whatever back in the classroom and they're skiing .

I think you are clutching at straws to prove a difference to be honest. But you get the prize for trying.

I never went away with the school. My parents simply couldn’t afford it. I remember in 6th form being offered a trip to Jodrell Bank but it cost £15 and I would have lost a days pay at my Saturday job so I chose not to go.
My son is a Primary school teacher in a deprived area and they don’t organise school trips at all. The younger ones have a night sleeping in the school hall and the older ones spend a night under canvas on the school field . Parents lend their tents for the occasion.
I always remember one of my son’s friends couldn’t go on school journey. Not because of the cost of the trip so much as the mother couldn’t afford the packing list - wellies, trainers, slippers, walking shoes, dressing gown, 7 complete changes of clothes.
In reply to GillyBob, as far as I remember it, the school were following the letter of the law.

2 school exchange trips - one to France age 14 - staying with a family, ditto to Germany aged 16.
Seem to recall that cost of the French one, apart from pocket money, was £9 - train, ferry, train.

There was a potential trip to Russia when I was in the 6th form, for those of us doing A level Russian, but there were only 6 of us anyway, and nobody could afford the £60 - a lot at the time.
Our teacher was very disappointed.
I seem to remember my elder sister going on a ski trip from school but I think she saved up for it herself.

I remember going with the school to the Olympic Games when they were held in Rome. Not sure of year.

We thoroughly enjoyed it, although the long train ride across Europe seemed endless. We hadn't flown but crossed by ferry to Calais.

The games were an amazingly spectacular event, as you would expect; we also explored various historic sites in Rome and surrounding areas.

We had a wonderful time, much more enjoyable than the youth hosteling trip to The Isle of Man, with our Primary school. All I remember is lots of walking and fish paste sandwiches!

gillybob It depends what’s done on the skiing trip. It could have a strong maths or geography or language element. You can’t just say ‘a skiing trip’, as if they were all the same. In any case, if the children are on a school trip, they aren’t missing the education that their peers are getting, as they would be if it was just their own family on a trip.

I think you’ll find the £3k trip to India is supposed to be paid by fundraising events by the pupils going. The children go and help underprivileged children with educational needs. It gives them a sense of responsibility and they have to run events themselves and in groups to pay their way.

www.saphara.org

I really hope my son and daughter, when old enough, get selected to go as it’s a fantastic opportunity for everyone concerned.

So in your reasoning Grandma70 a term time school skiing trip (for example) would be educational but a family term time skiing trip wouldn't be educational ?

What a load of rubbish .

My father used to take schoolchildren on trips to France occasionally. The aim was to improve their French and introduce them to another culture. I can’t remember whether they were in term time or not.

Isn’t the aim of a school trip always educational? Sometimes the educational element may not be obvious, but it’s there. That’s why they differ from family holidays. I know some family holidays are educational, but many are not, and it’s not the point of them. My sons went on geography field trips trips which were quite hard work. My grandson has done similar things at junior level.

I never did the French/German/Spanish exchange thing, because I couldn’t envisage spending all that time with someone I couldn’t really talk to. I saw other people’s exchange visitors, and they always looked rather bewildered and awkward, not very happy.

The only school trip in primary school was in the 4th year (year 6 in new money) and it was always to Canterbury. What I remember most vividly is that the friend I was sitting with was sick before we even started! She suffered very badly from motion sickness and I think just being on the coach upset her.
There was a trip abroad when I was in Secondary school but we could not afford it. I was very disappointed at the time, but hope I didn't show it.

I went on an exchange visit to Germany with school and a later year went on a geography field trip for a week up to North Yorkshire and Northumberland, staying in Youth hostels. Thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. They weren't too expensive, either. Nothing like the costs seem to be now.

Only day trips to the seaside in junior school. Once at grammar school parents could not afford skiing trips etc let alone new clothes to wear for such occasions. As already said by another GN, didn't even bother to take letters home.