why are schools always asking for money!

bigmomma051204

the_other_mce wrote: »

You cannot be serious!!! This years PTA mums at my DD's school are a very affluent bunch with good jobs and husbands who have good jobs. They can afford cleaners, people to do their ironing, new cars and at least a couple of holidays a year! They have no idea how ordinary people live!!!

PMSL - thats EXACTLY what i wanted to say but i was too wimpy and scared of the backlash ..... but i am gonna jump onto YOUR bandwagon :T:T:T:T

Flashdaisy

the_other_mce wrote: »

You cannot be serious!!! This years PTA mums at my DD's school are a very affluent bunch with good jobs and husbands who have good jobs. They can afford cleaners, people to do their ironing, new cars and at least a couple of holidays a year! They have no idea how ordinary people live!!!

Sounds like our kids go to the same school, lol.

Janepig

the_other_mce wrote: »

You cannot be serious!!! This years PTA mums at my DD's school are a very affluent bunch with good jobs and husbands who have good jobs. They can afford cleaners, people to do their ironing, new cars and at least a couple of holidays a year! They have no idea how ordinary people live!!!

And they're the ones helping to raise a bit of money for the school when all you can do is b1tch about them. Nice. If you don't like the type of people on your PTA or the way they go about things then why don't you join up yourself and do something about it? Can't be bothered?

Jxx

liney

pipkin71 wrote: »

That's a rather unnecessary statement really and does nothing for the conversation imo. Why do discussions need to get personal?

I generally have a gripe with people who have more children than they can afford and then expect to be subsidised left right and centre; this applies to many more things than school trips.

I am very glad that I get to pay approximately £5.00 more then need be for each school trip in order to pay for child 3 and 4 :eek: while the parents think the school is great for subsidising them. The parents could at least acknowledge it's the other parents paying, not the school.

bigmomma051204

Janepig wrote: »

And they're the ones helping to raise a bit of money for the school when all you can do is b1tch about them. Nice. If you don't like the type of people on your PTA or the way they go about things then why don't you join up yourself and do something about it? Can't be bothered?

Jxx

Nope, work full time, am a carer for my severely disabled partner and also look after my child. Also volunteer for a womens refuge. But if i get any other spare time, i shall be SURE to go and join the lambrini girls up on the school playing field every saturday to discuss how to bleed the less affluent parents dry. :rolleyes:

the_other_mce

Janepig wrote: »

And they're the ones helping to raise a bit of money for the school when all you can do is b1tch about them. Nice. If you don't like the type of people on your PTA or the way they go about things then why don't you join up yourself and do something about it? Can't be bothered?

Jxx

Actually I was on the PTA a few years ago - that's how I know that they give freebies (rides, disco sweets etc ) to their children while 'kindly' allowing the other parent helpers to give their kids one free go on the bouncy castle, and maybe a free cup of tea. They also organise things so that the parent helpers are sitting on stalls for up to 3 hours while they are off 'meeting and greeting' the teachers, governors, odd job man etc. They also claim for everything they can on expenses - I was astonished when they told me to make sure I put a claim in for the £1.00 bag of onions I had bought and prepared for hot dog day.:eek: I didn't.
And I am not !!!!!ing - I am making valid points - I too have a nice job, hubby, car etc..... it just hasn't always been like this and regardless of how much money I have I object to being taken advantage of. My other gripe is regarding the non educational things the school promote (tennis club, book sales, african bongo week) all at a hefty charge to parents but all we're doing is lining the pockets of private companies.

liney

*Louise* wrote: »

Originally Posted by *Louise*
Actually, our school is quite good with regards to this. For school trips, pantos and things, parents are only asked to pay for the first 2 children - any others are subsidised by the school.





You shouldn't jump to conclusions - I only have one child at school, I was referring to other families.

I do have 3 children, who won't all be at school at the same time, and I can comfortably afford to pay for them all, thank you very much.

I was pointing out i disliked the system. You being a general you, but you just happened to post it... if that makes sense.

Still don't see why they should automatically get free places after child 2 though. There are plenty of families that can afford to pay, and the "donation system" is in place as fall back anyway.

Janepig

the_other_mce wrote: »

Actually I was on the PTA a few years ago - that's how I know that they give freebies (rides, disco sweets etc ) to their children while 'kindly' allowing the other parent helpers to give their kids one free go on the bouncy castle, and maybe a free cup of tea. They also organise things so that the parent helpers are sitting on stalls for up to 3 hours while they are off 'meeting and greeting' the teachers, governors, odd job man etc. They also claim for everything they can on expenses - I was astonished when they told me to make sure I put a claim in for the £1.00 bag of onions I had bought and prepared for hot dog day.:eek: I didn't.
And I am not !!!!!ing - I am making valid points - I too have a nice job, hubby, car etc..... it just hasn't always been like this and regardless of how much money I have I object to being taken advantage of. My other gripe is regarding the non educational things the school promote (tennis club, book sales, african bongo week) all at a hefty charge to parents but all we're doing is lining the pockets of private companies.

And that all sounds fair enough tbh. My point (not very well made) was that alot of posters on here have said about how they are reluctant to say anything to the school about their ability/willness to pay because of fear of being gossipped about, but it appears that the PTA members are fair game. I suppose it's always the same with any sort of "committee", you always get people who don't do it for the right reasons.

And I agree with you about the companies now doing "charity" stuff in schools. I think we may have something like this coming up in the Autumn term and I can't say I'm too thrilled about it.

Jxx

YORKSHIRELASS

mum26 wrote: »

I hate this term at school, they seem to try and pack in as much stuff as possible - same with christmas term. Just when there is plenty of pressure on the average family anyway with uniform costs looming, holiday expenditure etc they add to it, lol.

My thoughts exactly! I am on quite a tight budget over the next couple of months. I usually drop my working hours during the school holidays so that I dont have to pay for childcare, which means less money. And dont get me started on the fact that I have to do that for 7 whole weeks! Far too long.

I need to allow some money for a cheapie camping holiday and a few days out with the kids. And then I get 2 letters from school saying that both kids are going on school trips. I think its nice that they get to do these things but its £20 in total which I hadnt budgeted for.

Pennylane

Nothing changes!;) My kids have left school but I remember they were forever being asked to take money in for something or other.

We all have different budgets and back when mine were at school, I had to draw the line somewhere. If you haven't got the money you haven't got it ... simple as that! If I had the money I sometimes bought school photos and gave them as presents to family. I very seldom allowed my kids to buy books from the book club at school because we had a houseful at home and we used the public library. It doesn't do kids any harm to know that they can't have everything they'd like!

When I was at grammar school the only places I got to go were away matches for sports because they cost nothing. :pWe never went on anywhere near the trips/outings that today's kids do. I remember school trips abroad and I never even asked if I could go on them because I knew what the answer was (like many of my friends). But again, I accepted that my parents just didn't have the money for such luxuries and knew that when I was old enough and could afford it I would do it myself. I had to wait until I was 40 before I left these shores believe it or not!!:rotfl: BUT I really, really appreciate travelling now and have made up for lost time. I don't think I missed out not going as a teenager.

I also think that Mums need to go along to PTA or school meetings and get up and say they are finding all these expenses too much. Sometimes various people at same school are asking for cash and they are not necessarily aware that others are too.