School trips under pressure: what does this mean for parents?.

School trips under pressure: what does this mean for parents?.

More and more schools have difficulty organizing school trips, camps, and excursions. This appears from recent figures from the Youth Education Fund. Especially schools with many families who have less to spend encounter financial limits.

This school year, about 3,300 schools have already requested financial support from the Youth Education Fund for these types of activities, considerably more than a year earlier. The total costs rose to millions of euros and continue to increase.

Less money from parents, more pressure on schools

An important cause is that schools receive less money through the voluntary parent contribution. At schools where many parents have difficulty making ends meet, this contribution is more often (partly) unpaid.

At the same time, since 2021 schools may no longer exclude children from activities if parents do not pay. This is good for equal opportunities but also creates a difficult puzzle. Income decreases, while all students must be able to participate.

As a result, differences between schools increase. Schools with parents who can contribute more, organize more (expensive) activities. Other schools have to cut back or even stop outings.

Why school trips are so important

For many children, a school trip is more than just a fun day out. It is a chance to gain new experiences and to be outside the daily environment for a while. Some students hardly come out of their own neighborhood without school.

That is why schools and other organizations are concerned: these activities contribute to the development of children and to equal opportunities.

Parent contribution should never be a barrier

Ouders & Onderwijs believes it is important that all children can participate, regardless of the financial situation at home. Therefore, we believe that:

• Education must be accessible to everyone. Parents do not pay school fees for regular education.
• Schools may ask for a voluntary parent contribution for extra activities, such as school trips.
• That contribution is truly voluntary: your child may always join, even if you do not pay.

Yet we still see that schools are sometimes dependent on these contributions in practice. If insufficient money is raised, this can lead to activities being adjusted or canceled. We find this worrying. Because it means that precisely at schools where children benefit most from extra activities, the offer is under pressure.

Tips for parents

• Know that paying is not mandatory. You decide for yourself whether you pay the parent contribution.
• Talk to the school. Ask how the contribution is used and what alternatives there are if paying is difficult.
• Participate via the school participation council. Parents have influence here on the amount and use of the contribution.