Parents struggling with expense of school trips

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The survey by public sector insurer Zurich Municipal found that 13 per cent of UK parents said they have had to work overtime to meet the cost of away-day or residential trips. And 9 per cent have taken to selling possessions on websites such as Vinted or eBay to cover the costs.

Some 8 per cent of children said they used their pocket money or fundraising to pay for their school trip.

Zurich Municipal stated the findings reflect the on-going squeeze on finances for parents, with 35 per cent citing the cost of living as the biggest challenge and a further 24 per cent blaming high utility bills.

The One Poll survey of 1,000 parents for Zurich Municipal found almost one in ten said their child had not been able to go on their recent school trip due to the expense. Some 15 per cent admitted to going without so they could afford to send their child on an educational excursion.

The research for the insurer found the cost of a day school trip is now £30 on average, while residential trips – which have grown in popularity over recent years – cost £412 on average. Unsurprisingly, not being able to afford to send their children on school trips left more than a quarter of parents surveyed feeling guilty.

Zurich Municipal said that schools are conscious of the financial pressure that parents are facing and are stretching their budgets to help foot some –or all – of the cost of some educational trips. Just over one in five parents reported that their child’s school has either covered the full cost of a trip, subsidised it, or taken part in fundraising activities to ensure pupils don’t miss out on the excursion.

Almost 40 per cent of parents said they scramble to fund school trips as they believe they are a critical part of their child’s education.

It is the key life skills that children learn on school trips that parents value the most. For instance, children learn to be adventurous and try new things (61 per cent), be independent (59 per cent), and become more confident (57 per cent) on excursions.

Natalie Bate, head of education at Zurich Municipal, says: “These trips are a key milestone in a child’s education and often open children up to experiences they wouldn’t necessarily have with their parent or guardian outside of school.“School trips should conjure up happy memories, but the truth of the matter is that they’re now often steeped with guilt or embarrassment as parents struggle to find the money to pay for their children to attend.”