View Full Version : Wick to Paris the long way round
wick high school is taking some of the pupils to paris soon on a cultural trip ok thats fine nothing wrong with that. then you find out how much it will cost initialy not to bad you supose but as the trip gets closer more costs are revealed like your child will need to have a minimum of euros an d such like so you get that sorted and then its the route to paris you start to think who organises these trips a moron or some one whos geography is terible. as they intended route is to go all the way by coach to hull then board a ferry to zeebruger that was in holland last time i was there. then more jolly coaching to paris to stay at some sort of campus. wasnt happy to here the planed route as specialy as you thiink how much its costing and not all familys can afford to spend so much and its not fair to the child to cancel when they have deen promised. then theres the bit where they say the school that is that there are behavuor guidlines which say if your child breaks these roules or standards he/she will be sent home and that you as a parent will have to fork out for the teachers ticket home and back as well as your childs. so child told if sent home he had better start swiming. and finaly whats a prize for winning a competition a science competition and then having to pay 50 squids so that your child can win her prize.
thoght id answear my own thread as no one else seems intrested..and you get pestered to post..well unless your in the cleek forget it
Kevin Milkins
03-May-08, 14:06
Hi COMPO
Have read your thread ,but not sure what answear's you are looking for .
I could aggree that school trips can be expensive and often these initial expenses seem to grow. I have never done that trip so cant comment on if its the correct way to get to Paris.. Good luck with it anyway.
Were you at the meeting then? I didnt hear any complaints from you there if so.
The school have taken a lot of time and trouble to arrange this trip, not to mention the 6 members of staff who will be going with them.
thoght id answear my own thread as no one else seems intrested..and you get pestered to post..well unless your in the cleek forget it
What is the difference now to the price you were quoted and what reasons were you given for the extra?
School trips are usually done through a travel agency specialising in such. The cost of the trip depends upon how many are going. Very often the trip may seem as if it is going the long way round to its destination but its done like that to save money. The recent ski trip to France did the same. Going to Italy and then crossing over into France. I would imagine the euros you were asked to get is for spending money for your child which they will need.
Can you explain about the science prize question you have because I dont understand it.
With regards to nobody posting in reply to you. That's probably because it was over lunchtime or people just didnt have any answers. I dont know how you can say you get pestered to post on here or imply that a clique runs the board. If someone can help you with an answer they will no matter who you are. Just be patient.
The price didnt go up. The Euros required are for the children to spend. The amount quoted was a just a suggestion, an upper limit. No amount was compulsory. I think they did have to pay a small fee for the Eiffel tower though. Everything else is paid for.
then theres the bit where they say the school that is that there are behavuor guidlines which say if your child breaks these roules or standards he/she will be sent home and that you as a parent will have to fork out for the teachers ticket home and back as well as your childs. so child told if sent home he had better start swiming.
I guess you wont be signing the contract then?
We went on an exchange to Marseilles. We boarded our bus to glasgow, then flew to birmingham, then on to paris , then on a bus for 12 hours to Marseilles. Had we booked flights from inverness to heathrow then Marseilles it would have cost us an extra £50.I would have thought that was worth it.But the parents were all on edge as the first Iraq war had just started, so didn't want us to fly through heathrow, because of that we had a 36 hour journey.
blondie: wasnt at meating other half was. and the science thing was a competion entered by some 1st years and they won a trip tp robert gordons in aberdeen and since it was a prize youd not exspect to have to pay but 50 squids was asked for and duly paid some prize. as for the total price af french trip on transport alone i am sure an adult coild get there cheaper or as cheeply and faster. also the price is a bit inhibiting to less well of familys.. is there funding for them. as an army cadet instructor we take kids from all ove rthe highland aprox 300 on anual camp each year to england and total cost for 2 weeks is 50 squid and there is help from funds for those less well of.
yes i will and have signed it.
who organises these trips a moron or some one whos geography is terible. as they intended route is to go all the way by coach to hull then board a ferry to zeebruger that was in holland last time i was there. I think you should check your knowledge of Geography before making accusations such as these.
The route from Wick to Paris via Hull and Zeebrugge is as direct as any, as you'd know if you'd consulted a map. In fact, I can't think of a better route by coach and ferry. Can you?
That same map might remind you that Zeebrugge is in Belgium and that it's only marginally more distant from Paris than is Calais.
then theres the bit where they say the school that is that there are behavuor guidlines which say if your child breaks these roules or standards he/she will be sent home and that you as a parent will have to fork out for the teachers ticket home and back as well as your childs.And quite right too! Do you really expect them to pay for an unplanned trip home because someone's child is unable or unwilling to behave in an acceptable manner? Have you any idea how much time and effort teachers put into organising trips like these?
I think you owe an apology to the organisers of the trip.
Moi x
i dont think so.not for geography mistakes. the price is very (in my opinion) exspensive 2 a family. no one has answeared the question do less privledged kids get financial help. obviously i am in a minority of one here aqs all ive got for my trouble to post with my honest opinion is a slating so i will apologise for my opinion and the fact that it does march to the party tune.
as you thiink how much its costing and not all familys can afford to spend so much and its not fair to the child to cancel when they have deen promised.
I agree trips can be expensive. I guess some options are not to have trips, parents could organise fundraising for all the pupils or pressure the government to provide more money for trips.
then theres the bit where they say the school that is that there are behavuor guidlines which say if your child breaks these roules or standards he/she will be sent home and that you as a parent will have to fork out for the teachers ticket home and back as well as your childs. so child told if sent home he had better start swiming.
I think this is a great idea. Staff and pupils should not have to put up with a child who does not know how to behave. This is especially true when you consider how much the other pupils are paying and that staff are donating almost 16 hours a day of their time on the trip to take care of the pupils.
Compo, what contract did you sign then? As far as I know they haven't even been given out yet.
i dont think so.not for geography mistakes. the price is very (in my opinion) exspensive 2 a family. no one has answeared the question do less privledged kids get financial help. obviously i am in a minority of one here aqs all ive got for my trouble to post with my honest opinion is a slating so i will apologise for my opinion and the fact that it does march to the party tune.
If I couldn't afford to pay for my child to go, then they would be told that and wouldn't get to go. I certainly wouldn't expect help to pay for them!
Staff and pupils should not have to put up with a child who does not know how to behave. This is especially true when you consider how much the other pupils are paying and that staff are donating almost 16 hours a day of their time on the trip to take care of the pupils.
The kids would only be sent home for very serious things ... eg being caught with alcohol. This was all explained at the meeting.
Compo, Maybe you should have attended the meeting or at least spoken to the school to get your facts right.
At the meeting we were told that the kids should budget 10 euros a day for snacks and any little personal bits and pieces, plus they would need £20 for food during transit in this country. Other spending money is at the parents discretion, up to a maximum of £240.
With the current poor exchange rate it was suggested that parents might be tempted to give more but again that was up to the individual.
I can't really see the problem with the trip....in fact all the kids I have spoken to are really looking forward to it including the 'good crack' on the bus.
There are also opportunities on route to visit sites of historical interest.
Well done to Wick High for giving our kids this fantastic opportunity.
evelyn
i dont think so.not for geography mistakes. the price is very (in my opinion) exspensive 2 a family. no one has answeared the question do less privledged kids get financial help. obviously i am in a minority of one here aqs all ive got for my trouble to post with my honest opinion is a slating so i will apologise for my opinion and the fact that it does march to the party tune.I see. You are allowed to call the organisers of the trips morons despite the fact that you were wrong about the geography, and you excuse your behaviour by claiming you were only stating your opinion. That is a classic sign of someone who's lost the argument but refuses to admit it. I hope your child is better behaved than you are.
Not only do you complain that you might have to pay for a teacher's trip home because your child might not behave, but you also expect someone else to help you pay for their trip because you are not well off. Why not organise some fundraising, as Tristan suggested?
Moi x
Well said Compo. Totally agree that there should be some provision for children from poorer families otherwise these school organised trips should not exist. They bring in a school dress code so that children are not seen as being different based on the clothes they can afford and then you have these expensive trips that only certain pupils families can afford which causes the same divide that the clothing issue did. Totally disgusting.[disgust][disgust]
well moi seems you are the defender of the rightouse at the time of writing what i did i thought i was right. and who are you to tell me to apologise are you the person or one of the persons who organised this trip. and how is the argument lost the fact is its cost a lot i can afford to send my child lucky me ehh. i also agree that the child should behave as i have already stated. so why shouldnt the state pay for a trip to france they insist that they teach french to our kids. i think you are asuming that i am some sort of cave person with no brain and no right to bring this up. i will aggree i am not vey articultae with the writen word and much prefer to argue or debate face to face i have given my points of view but some peole only see and here what they want to. this sight is suposed to be for people in this comunity to voice or critisise they authority or what evert aslong as its kept civil. i fully suport the schools and the teachers their job is a hard one i am not geting at them personaly and if folk think i was then for that i am sorry. its the system and thry have to use it i am sure there are no morons teaching in wick (though the media seem to think other wise teachers in general). there you go you got an apology aqfetr all. and finaly i hope all involved in said trip have a safe and happy time.
TBH and compo, you may be surprised to hear that I agree with your suggestion that there should be some financial help for less well-off families. Whether this should come from the education budget or from fundraising activities is an entirely different issue. I favour the latter but I'm not averse to the former.
What I disagree with is the claim that these trips shouldn't take place unless there is provision for poorer families. The dress code argument is a bit of a red herring here, there are better arguments for dress codes than enforcing equal paucity of experience.
The argument that the state should pay for a trip to France because it insists on teaching French to our children is a new one on me. My sister's children are learning Chinese at school, should the state be forced to pay for them to visit China?
Moi x
ok having read the posts on celtic or gailic..(chose celtic as cant spell the other) natve language. yes where should it all stop a visit to china a bit more exspensive than a trip to paris. all a question of funding and how much importance it puts on these trips... i remember having constantly never being able to save the money for trips of any kind as parrents couldnt save for some reasons i wont go into. so trips a thorny subject but only to me it would apear. i am not against them but why not be fair i dnt understand how the priceing works for the education travel people to come up with these figures. when if you do a trawl of package deels you can get there and have a reasonable good time for half the cost and no eductional exscursions. for a most of or alot of these youngsters it will be their first time abroad and posibly their last or a least for some time. a great adventure i supose we should try and see it through their eyes and not through the eyes of a life scared old synic. all our kids need the chance why do so many go wrong or should they go wrong because their family arent so well of its not their fault.
Its not a case of these trips are sprung on the pupils and they have to stump up the money within days. They are given notice well in advance of the trip as to how much it costs.
Take the ski trip next February for instance the price was announced in March 2008. Full price to be paid by October. A good 7 months to get the money together. Child benefit works out at about £75 per month so what's wrong with saving it towards the trip the balance being paid in instalments which the school encourages. Giving a little weekly or monthly makes it easier. You have to remember that part of the money you are paying goes towards financing the teachers who go on the trip. They are the ones who look after your child for the duration of the trip. Count up the cost of travel and accommodation and then add on to that what a childminder would charge per hour for the length of the trip and I think you'll find you're getting a good deal.
Well said Venture.
For the French trip we were asked to pay it up in monthly instalments.
We had an initial deposit and then paid £48 monthly.
I didn't find that there were any sudden surprises or hidden costs.
We were aware that the kids would be needing spending money, and so I encouraged my daughter to save her own. There was plenty of time to do this because the information about the trip was given out to us almost a year ago.
From my attendance at the meeting I would say that the parents there were from a wide variety of financial backgrounds, showing that those less well off managed to budget for the trip.
evelyn
Lady In Bed
10-May-08, 17:41
blondie: wasnt at meating other half was. and the science thing was a competion entered by some 1st years and they won a trip tp robert gordons in aberdeen and since it was a prize youd not exspect to have to pay but 50 squids was asked for and duly paid some prize. as for the total price af french trip on transport alone i am sure an adult coild get there cheaper or as cheeply and faster. also the price is a bit inhibiting to less well of familys.. is there funding for them. as an army cadet instructor we take kids from all ove rthe highland aprox 300 on anual camp each year to england and total cost for 2 weeks is 50 squid and there is help from funds for those less well of.
I think as an Army Cadet Instructor, you should find out your facts. I was involved with the cadets for a few year before leaving HM forces. The monies paid by cadets goes TOWARDS their food, accomodation and insurance for their activities. The BULK of the costs are paid by the MOD, ie the tax payer. If you think you can have a holiday for 2 weeks in England for £50. Please tell me how. I will start saving now[lol]
for a most of or alot of these youngsters it will be their first time abroad and posibly their last or a least for some time. a great adventure i supose we should try and see it through their eyes and not through the eyes of a life scared old synic. all our kids need the chance why do so many go wrong or should they go wrong because their family arent so well of its not their fault.Good, we are in total agreement here.
Whatever happened to the 'can do' attitude of the upwardly mobile Scottish working class that seems to have been prevalent during the 60s and early 70s? Was it killed off by the failures of socialism during the 60s and 70s or did the imposition of Thatcherism kill it stone dead in the 80s?
Hmmph, I wish I was in Paris right now. My latest excuse for a bf has been 'on business' there for the last two weeks. He has a good salary, a fabulous flat in the west end, a cool car and an even better backside but I suspect his 'working weekend' in Barcelona has more to do with sunshine and senoritas than salesmanship. [disgust]
Moi x
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