FOR many schoolchildren, the half-term break is a chance to kick a ball around the park, hang out by the swings with their mates or, if they’re lucky, head to the coast for a day trip.

Meanwhile, other youngsters are spending this week’s holiday on the slopes of a fancy ski resort and shopping in the Big Apple. On a school trip.

A friend told me the other day that practically everyone in her son’s year at school has gone on a half-term ski-ing trip to America. Not able to afford the cost, let alone the spending money, she had to tell her son he couldn’t go. Most of his friends have now flown off across the Atlantic and are, of course, posting endless pictures of their fabulous trip on social media - just to make the handful of kids who were left behind feel that bit worse.

When she first heard about it my friend thought it was too extravagant for a school trip, and assumed most parents she knew would feel the same. But to her dismay, nearly all the pupils in the entire year have gone. Even a set of twins, which must have set their folks back several thousand pounds.

The trip includes two days in New York. Apparently, some of the girls are “only going for the shopping”. These are 13 and 14-year-olds!

Apart from the fact that such expensive school trips must stigmatise those children whose parents can’t afford them, what educational value is there in a ski trip to America? And what can a 13-year-old possibly get out of a New York city break? It would have been totally lost on me at that age.

These ludicrously extravagant trips are par for the course in private schools, where presumably parents have that kind of money, but this is a Bradford state school. “If they must go ski-ing, why can’t they go to France or Italy?” said my friend. Quite.

I can’t help wondering if these fancy trips are more for the teachers than the pupils. It’s not a bad way to spend half-term, even if you call it work.

But, like the ridiculous school prom and all the expense that goes with it, such extravagance sends out an unhealthy message to young people. Where next? Mustique on a private jet? I bet the teachers will be queuing up for that one.

BEYOND A JOKE

HOW ridiculous that the future of the historic Ritz Ballroom in Brighouse looks bleak because of legal threats by The Ritz in London.

This week the T&A reported that lawyers from the posh London hotel have told Glenn Smith, owner of the Brighouse venue, that he has until next week to stop using the Ritz name, or face legal action.

It sounds like a fairly lame practical joke, and that’s pretty much what Mr Smith thought at first. But the lawyers’ email wasn’t a scam - and it left him fearing he will no longer be able to promote his venue online, threatening its entire future.

As Mr Smith says: “Nobody would ever turn up at the Brighouse Ritz, confusing it for The Ritz in London. It’s ludicrous.”

Facing an expensive legal battle, Mr Smith has had no choice but to give in. A statement on the Brighouse Ritz website said the venue will cease trading as The Ritz from February 26. It has yet to reveal what the future now holds for the business.

For 80 years the Brighouse Ritz has been home to ballroom dancing, live music and Northern Soul nights - a particularly significant slice of the region’s cultural heritage.

How sad that this much-loved local venue, where generations of ordinary working people have enjoyed Saturday nights, has had its identity stripped in such a way. I hope it finds a way forward.

HOPE FOR BETTER

ACTRESS Julie Hesmondhalgh says the sexual assault storyline at the centre of Broadchurch, returning to ITV next week, is carefully researched and handled sensitively.

I hope so, because the last series got it terribly wrong in its laughably inaccurate depiction of a murder trial.

As a one-off, Broadchurch would’ve been fine, but the follow-up wrung the life out of it. For this final series, closely-guarded scripts were password protected, with personalised watermarks and code names for the actors.

I hope it’s worth it. The first series was so predictable, I guessed the killer two episodes in.

UNLUCKY FOR SOME

NEXT time you're feeling unlucky, spare a thought for these unfortunate souls.

A survey by 888poker.com has identified 13 of the world’s unluckiest people, including a man attacked by a shark, struck by lightning and bitten by a rattlesnake, a woman who was on the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, all of which sank, and the only person in a village of 70 not to win a share of a €740 million lottery payout.

Reminds me of my favourite urban myth bad luck story, involving a man happily snorkling by a beach who was suddenly scooped up by a helicopter using seawater to fight a forest fire. The gods of misfortune weren't done with him there. A few days later a pair of flippers were found in the smouldering embers of the forest...

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