Parents in North Tyneside have called for more funding to cover school trips after a Preston Grange Primary School outing was nearly cancelled due to a shortfall in voluntary donations. Two mothers have spoken to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about their concerns that children are missing out on outdoor education, with several trips already dropped and one recent near miss.
This week, a trip to the Rising Sun Country Park was initially put in jeopardy after the school could not raise enough funds. Parents stepped in just in time to ensure the trip went ahead, but the mothers believe better funding should be in place so schools can cover the costs themselves.
Parents step in to save trip
Joanna Huggan, 42, from North Shields, said: “The kids were supposed to be going on a trip to Rising Sun Country Park. This is not the first time it has happened before, not for our class. We were given the choice to voluntarily put up £15 per child in donations to cover the trip. There were some parents who did not, and on Friday morning, a message said the trip would be cancelled because the school could not afford to subsidise any more.”
She added: “I think it was about a £105 shortfall, £15 per child. Obviously it is an educational trip; it’s not as if they are going there to faff around. I messaged a parents’ group for Years One and Three, who were going together. The kids were supposed to be having a special tutor there at Rising Sun who was going to walk them through it and everything; it was more than just the travel costs.”
Huggan continued: “It shouldn’t have to come to or depend on last-minute crowd funding or parents’ charity to go ahead. Schools in the North East are so stretched that they can’t cover £105 for a group of 60 children.”
Several trips already cancelled
While this week’s trip was saved, several others have had to be dropped. These ranged from a “last-hurrah” end-of-year overnight trip for Year Six pupils to a trip to St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay.
Speaking about her own education in Poland, Huggan said: “We would go for a week’s worth of trips to the mountains; we would spend full days away and learn how nature works. I think it’s a core part of the business in primary school, learning how these things happen and also bonding with your classmates and building these relationships.”
Fellow Preston Grange parent Jane Maloney, 42, said: “It was just a bit of a shock to get to, especially with a free park, that they couldn’t go on a school trip. They keep saying kids need to be outside and that’s what this was an opportunity to do, and it was nearly cancelled. The kids were so excited, and we didn’t want to let them down.”
She added: “Parents were asking if there’s anything we could do, like a fund-raiser at the start of the year, and be allocated to trips. It’s a nice idea, but why should we have to do that? There should be enough money for them to go on a trip now and again. But that is how important these things are to us.”
School and government respond
Headteacher of Preston Grange Primary School, Tracey A Taylor, said: “…this is a difficulty facing all schools due to inadequate funding. We have to ask parents to make voluntary donations towards educational visits. Due to rising transport costs for visits, we are having to ask families for a higher donation. We are really grateful that our families are working with us to support and enable the wide range of educational visits to go ahead.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Despite deeply challenging choices about public spending, we have continued to prioritise education by putting record investment into our schools, so every child can achieve and thrive. In 2026-27 the core schools budget will total £67 billion – an increase of £1.7bn from 2025-26 – with pupil premium funding rising to around £3.2 billion, and further increases planned over the next three years. This includes significant additional investment to make our SEND reforms a reality. We are continuing to work with schools to help them maximise value from their budgets, making savings on energy, recruitment and banking, and reinvesting every penny in opportunities for young people.”
