Angry Angus parents are calling for a review into how school trips are organised after two Forfar schools booked the same venue just days apart, but one was charged more than £100 extra per child.
Parents of children in primary seven at Whitehills received a letter saying the cost of a school trip lasting from Wednesday until Friday at Dalguise activity centre in Perthshire would cost £260 per child.
However, parents say that pupils at nearby Langlands school attending the same venue from Friday to Monday will only pay £145 per child.
As word of the price difference spread, parents took to social media to express their concern.
One parent, Lesley Reid whose twin sons Ryan and Alex, 10, will not be attending the trip said: “This price is not affordable for every family, and there are three families, including us, who have two children in the class, which means that £520 would be needed to pay for just a couple of nights up the road.
“The same amount of money could pay for a holiday abroad.
“I think there needs to be an urgent review from Angus Council into how school trips are organised, so the council can use its bargaining power to negotiate a flat rate for all pupils instead of each school phoning up a venue and being a completely different price.”
Another parent, Jenny Melville, whose son Ruben, 11, attends Whitehills, backed calls for a review: “This situation is totally unacceptable.
“There is no consultation into what options are available, we are simply presented with the details, and the costs.
“What makes it worse, is that when few children go, it pushes the price up for other families, making it even more unaffordable.
“I’d like to see more consultation involved, and parents given the opportunity to provide input and ideas into proposed school trips.
“We have an excellent tradition of Scouting and Guiding in Angus, and I think we need to engage with these organisations to see if trips can be made fun and affordable.”
A spokesperson for Angus Council said: “The school is aware of these concerns and has discussed them with the parents. We have also written to them directly this week.
“The cost of the school trip is, we understand, dictated by demand and differs according to the time of year that it is scheduled for.
“We are working with our schools, exploring alternative options and fundraising opportunities to try and make trips as affordable as possible for families, while retaining the positive experience that the residential trips provide our young people.”
