Doubleview Primary School dumps school camp again in trend away from overnight excursions

Growing numbers of schools are ditching overnight student camps because of cost pressure and the extra strain it adds to staff workloads. Doubleview Primary School recently told parents it had canned its Year 6 annual camp — two years after the school was forced to back down on a decision to abolish overnight camps following an outcry from parents. Instead, the school said kids would be taking part in four separate “day camps” this year because it was more inclusive and the “most financially viable option”. It said the day camps would include “resilience and team-building activities”. The decision has again riled some parents, who said their kids felt they were being cheated of a special experience. “It’s a kind of rite of passage, it’s the thing they remember,” one mother with a son in Year 6 said. “He’s really disappointed. They’ve known it’s happening throughout the years. They’ve watched all the kids bring their bags and jump on a bus, and they just feel they’re missing out.” Principals Federation of WA president Kya Graves said while she could not comment on Doubleview, she was aware that more schools were replacing overnight camps with daytime events. “I suspect it’s a small but potentially growing group of primary schools,” she said. “But I know that some high schools are even pulling back on their camps because of the cost and the workload on staff, and the expectation that staff take responsibility for students overnight. “The cost of camps has grown significantly, and the policies and procedures and the risk mitigation around overnight camps has increased significantly. “The cost to parents is phenomenal, and I know that schools have tried to put in place alternatives that aren’t quite so costly, but that still allow students to have their opportunities to do different activities.” In 2023, Doubleview received a barrage of complaints after students learnt the traditional three-day camp would be replaced with four “activity days” to be held on school grounds. At that time, reasons given for the axing included adding to teachers’ workloads, the school’s ability to cater for kids’ dietary requirements and increased number of medical conditions and the cost to parents. After The West revealed the camp cancellation, the school backflipped and went ahead with a camp that year. Doubleview PS principal Greg Fisher said the school had asked parents for feedback on the school camp each year and invited community consultation. “Two years ago we also ran a survey which involved the families of students who are now in Year 6,” he said. “Reimagining our camp experience was met with a positive response from families; with the proposal of changing the one-night camp we ran previously into four day camps as well as a full week of surfing activities — which is a major highlight for our kids. “This alternative not only offers more camp experiences over the year, it is more cost effective for our families, avoids students missing out altogether if they are unwell, and is more inclusive for students who may prefer day camps.” Neither the school nor the Education Department’s regional education office had received any complaints regarding the change to Doubleview’s camp arrangements.