Understanding School Trip Costs: What Schools Can and Can’t Charge For

“Why am I being asked to pay?”

The rules around this come from the Department for Education (DfE). Schools must follow this guidance - there isn’t any other version. So everything your school tells you about trip costs is based on those DfE rules. You will need to have a basic understanding of them. Found Here.

⚖️ The law in a nutshell

The law says education during school hours must be free.
That means your child can’t be charged for anything that happens during the school day and is part of their normal curriculum.

But residential trips (where children stay overnight) are a bit different - because they often include board and lodging (food and accommodation) and can take place partly outside of school hours.

That’s where the DfE’s 50% rule comes in.

🕘 What “in school hours” actually means

For ease we will say a normal school day is 9am to 3pm — that’s 6 hours, (obviously you will need to apply your schools times)

If an activity (like a trip) happens mostly during those hours, it’s considered “during school hours”.

If less than half of the trip happens in that time, it’s considered “outside school hours.”

🏕️ Example 1 – A residential trip during school hours

Let’s say your child’s school runs a 2-day (48-hour) residential trip - for example, leaving school at 9am Thursday and returning 9am Saturday.

Thursday school hours: 9am–3pm ✅
Friday school hours: 9am–3pm ✅
Saturday is a weekend ❌

Out of those 48 hours, about 12 hours (6 on Thursday, 6 on Friday) are “school hours”.

That’s 12 hours out of 48 = 25%, which is less than half.
BUT - here’s the key detail: because the trip takes place on days when your child would normally be in school, the educational parts count as being in school time.

✅ Result:
The teaching and activities linked to the school curriculum are free and the school can’t charge for that.
🏠 However, the school can charge for board and lodging (the food and overnight stay), and you are legally allowed to demand this information.

Schools should ask parents to pay only for only these costs, and sometimes offer financial help if a family can’t afford it (this is called remission).

🏞️ Example 2 – A residential trip mostly in free time

Now imagine the trip starts Friday after school (say 4pm) and finishes Sunday evening.

Friday 4–10pm = outside school hours
Saturday and Sunday = weekend

This trip takes place entirely outside school hours.

✅ Result:
Because the whole trip is outside normal school hours, the school can charge for it as an optional extra.

You can choose whether your child takes part, and the school can set a charge to cover the cost of the trip.

🏫 Example 3 – A residential trip mostly during the week

Suppose your child goes away Wednesday morning to Friday afternoon - that’s 2 nights away (48 hours) all during school days.

That’s 100% during school hours.

✅ Result:

The education and activities part is free (no charge).
The school may only charge for board and lodging (overnight stay and meals) and again you are legally allowed to demand this information, (and you should).
If you receive certain benefits, the school must waive that charge - so the trip should be completely free for your child.

💬 What if you can’t afford the cost?

Every school must have a charging and remissions policy - this explains when they’ll waive charges for families on low incomes or certain benefits.

If paying for a trip would be difficult, speak to the school. Schools often have funds to help so that no child misses out because of cost.

✏️ In short

“During school hours” means the hours your child would normally be in school.
If 50% or more of a trip happens during that time, the educational part must be free.
Schools can charge for food and accommodation on residential trips and must provide you a breakdown of these costs if you ask for it.
Help is available for families who need it - just ask.

Matt

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