Principals Message
The Future of Our School Camps – Canberra 2027
This is a slightly longer newsletter article than I would normally write, but School Council has specifically asked me to write to our community following an important discussion at its meeting on Wednesday evening about the future of our school camping program.
Recently, we asked families of students who will be in Grades 5 and 6 next year to complete an Expression of Interest for our 2027 Canberra Camp. Unfortunately, the number of students indicating that they would attend is currently well below what we need for the camp to proceed. In addition, not every student attended our 3/4 and 5/6 camp this year.
This prompted a broader discussion at School Council about the viability of school camps at a time when we know families are experiencing increased cost-of-living pressures.
School Council is strongly supportive of our camping program and, in particular, would very much like to see the Canberra Camp proceed in 2027. Council has asked me to explain some of the thinking behind our camping program, the work the school already does to keep costs down, and why we need to better understand what is influencing families' decisions.
The school already significantly subsidises camps
One thing School Council felt was important for families to know is that the amount charged to families is not the full cost of providing our camps.
Each year, the school contributes approximately $20,000 towards our Grade 3–6 camping program. This is money the school deliberately contributes to reduce the amount passed on to families and make camps as accessible as we reasonably can.
School camps do have significant costs. In particular, we are required to provide appropriate levels of supervision throughout the day and overnight. We will never compromise on the level of supervision or care provided to our students, and the school must also meet the staffing costs associated with providing this supervision.
We recognise that, even with the school's contribution, camps remain a significant expense for families.
Why we continue to support Canberra
School Council believes the Canberra Camp offers something particularly valuable for our senior students.
The Australian Government encourages students to visit the nation's capital as part of their education and provides financial support to schools through the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate to help make these visits possible.
For our students, Canberra is an extension of what they learn at school. They have access to educational programs at our national institutions and experiences connected to Australian democracy, government, history and citizenship. School groups also receive access to programs and activities that are difficult to replicate through a family holiday or private visit.
We are fortunate to be able to secure the bookings we do. School camps of this kind often need to be booked around two years in advance because of the demand from schools across Australia.
Why has the Canberra Camp become shorter?
We are also aware that some families have questioned why the proposed Canberra Camp is shorter than it has been previously and why students now fly rather than travel by bus.
This change was actually made in direct response to feedback from our community.
In previous years, the length of the Canberra Camp was the most common concern raised by families whose children did not attend. Travelling by bus effectively added two days to the camp – a day travelling to Canberra and another travelling home.
Moving to air travel allows us to remove those two long travel days without reducing the educational program.
Instead of students spending Monday travelling all day on a bus, including the challenges that long-distance bus travel and travel sickness can bring, students can fly to Canberra and begin their program shortly after arriving. They can then complete the same program before flying home.
Importantly, this change does not increase the overall cost of the camp. The cost of flying is offset by removing two days of bus travel and the associated additional accommodation, meals and staffing costs. The result is the same educational experience in a shorter format, at no additional cost.
Why does 80% participation matter?
For the Canberra Camp to proceed, we need approximately 80% of the Grade 5/6 cohort to attend. Canberra forms part of the educational program for our senior students. If a significant proportion of the cohort does not participate, it becomes difficult to justify building our curriculum around an experience that many students have not shared.
If we cannot reach that level of participation, unfortunately the Canberra Camp will not proceed in 2027.
We need to understand what is getting in the way
Before making that decision, School Council wants to understand why families have chosen not to attend or did not respond to the Expression of Interest.
Cost may well be a significant factor, particularly given current pressures on household budgets. However, we don't want to assume that this is the only reason. For some families it may be anxiety about being away from home or flying. For others it may be the distance, the camp itself, family circumstances, concerns about value for money, or something we have not considered.
This information matters. If School Council is going to make decisions about the future of our camping program, it needs to understand the problem we are trying to solve.
Over the coming days, members of staff will therefore be contacting families who declined or did not respond to the Canberra Expression of Interest. We hope these conversations might provide families with additional information, identify supports that could make attendance possible, and help us better understand the reasons behind the current level of participation.
We would really encourage families to speak openly with us. If there is something preventing your child from attending, we would like to understand it. If there is something the school could reasonably do to help, we would like the opportunity to discuss that too.
A decision needs to be made next week
Unfortunately, the timing is tight. The next deposit for our Canberra booking is due at the end of next week, and the school cannot commit further funds without knowing that we have sufficient participation for the camp to proceed.
A decision will therefore be made early next week about whether we proceed with the 2027 Canberra Camp.
School Council's preference is clear: we would like Canberra to go ahead. We believe it provides an outstanding educational opportunity for our students, and we have worked over time to respond to community feedback and reduce the cost to families wherever possible.
At the same time, Council recognises the pressures facing families and wants to make decisions about the future of our camping program based on good information from our community.
If you previously indicated that your child would not attend Canberra, or did not respond to the Expression of Interest, please expect a member of our staff to make contact over the coming days. We would genuinely value the conversation.
Sincerely,
Cameron Nicholls
PRINCIPAL