School - Money for this and that

paulofessex

Has anyone else noticed how often the kids come home from primary school with letters saying how they are having an event and anything from 50p-£1 is required per child.

It's not that we don't mind contributing its just how frequently this things appear to be happening and the manner of the way its done. For example St Patricks Day, wear something green pay 50P, don't wear green pay a £1 same for Halloween, Red Nose Day etc etc

Swimming Ribbons, your child does the hard work and we have to pay for the ribbon.

Sponsered this and that, having a visitor to the school demostrating magic or football etc and kits are available for the kids to buy, school earns %...who is going to let their child be perhaps the only one with a kit

This one school sends a letter home saying how good your child has been and as a reward they get to eat at the 'good award' table for lunch, however £1 contribution is required towards the meal, which in fact is no different to whats on the school menu that day.

They bring home the book/mag with all childrens/toys and gadgets, the school earns % of the total sales...thats ok but have you really seen the quality of those toys, they don't last 2 minutes.

I did at one time get angry at the school wanting £18 for a trip to a local wood which is free entry to anyone and everyone and was only 2 miles away from the school and surely the coach hire was not that much. I successfully got the school to overturn the cost for all pupils as my research identifed that if a school trip is a part of the curriculum the funds should come from the school funds via the LEA

Reminds me actually while l write this, we haven't had any feedback from the school in respect of what equipment they have gained from all the supermarket vouchers parents have passed to them over the years.

One of our children goes to Secondary school and non-uniform day costs us £5 and that money goes towards the purchase and upkeep of the school minibus. So £10 next year when youngest goes up to that school.

Is it just me, is your school the same, am l just being silly

retro_bluebell

No you arent being silly my sons school is just the same! Never a week goes by when we arent asked for money for something! All those pounds and 50ps add up....I dont usually mind but I often refuse to send in money for certain charities, I believe you should have a choice in which charity to support not emotionally blackmailed into it (I often tell this to the charity collectors that come round the doors here too lol).

Their school will give you an option to contribute a certain amount to a school trip (but the undertone is always if you dont pay then the trip may be cancelled). I pay for certain ones if the cost seems reasonable, however I didnt for the last one...my eldest who is now at high school went to the same juniors as my middle son and last year the same trip cost £10 less than the price quoted this year.Yes cost go up but not by that much!

Yes its part and parcel of having kids but sometimes they take the mick.

I may sound mean but there school has a lot of money they raise through fun days etc for equipment and at the end of the day if I was on benefit I wouldn't even be asked for money....I'm sure someone will come along and tell me Ive got it all wrong!

winnie81

My school is the same and it does add up especially now after school club letters have come home with the bills attached if they want to do it

I am dreading next year when the residential trips start happening and at over £200+ each with extras its going to be too much (2 kids in same year) and I don't think about when all 4 are in school!

I will always support the school in fund-raising but it does get too much and I prefer to choose which charity's I support which we can't do with the school fund-raising days.

Hermia

paulofessex wrote: »

For example St Patricks Day, wear something green pay 50P, don't wear green pay a £1 same for Halloween, Red Nose Day etc etc

OMG! This is another reason I am glad I don't have kids! I thought giving to charity was supposed to be a free choice, especially as some people may have issues with particular charities. I have worked in lots of places where we have had 'wear a certain colour to work' charity events, but have never heard of anyone being forced to pay who didn't take part. I don't think it's right to make kids do something that adults are not forced to do.

I work with kids and some of the families are so poor that I cannot believe they would be forced to hand over cash. When I was at school events like these were voluntary. But, then I went to a very multicultural school and certain groups had objections to certain charities so it would have been unenforceable anyway.

onlyroz

I get bothered when the school gives one day notice of something like a non-uniform day, and you don't get the message in time. So the poor kid turns up for school in his uniform and is mortified to find everyone else in regular clothes, and mummy is left feeling like the wicked witch.

Oh and the "please bring your child to school tomorrow with a plate of home-baked cakes for XYZ cake sale". Erm no...

Gingham_Ribbon

Who's organising all these things and why isn't there a running total of how it's being spent?

You could ask to be involved in the PTA and make other suggestions for raising money that don't involve children having to pay for rewards (like the dinner table thing) or having to pay more for opting out (like the St P's day thing.)

There should be a treasurer and a committee and the accounts should be available for all to see. The best way to change how it's done is to get involved.

Do they have school discos, summer fairs, games days etc? There are loads of ways of making money that don't involve the children HAVING to pay for things that go on during school. The notion of paying £18 for a trip out doesn't sit at all well with me.

Bufger

i think its terrible, i havent had to experience this yet but when i was at school there were probably only 3 trips to pay for during the whole thing and the most expensive was plas dolymoch (or however its spelt!) and im pretty sure that wasnt all that expensive as it was government subsidised.

I certainly wont be paying for anything i dont believe in (or my child doesnt believe in). They do try to get you with the old child exclusion technique, maybe its worth teaming up with a few of the parents that have their children in a social group together and all agreeing not to pay for XXX event.

ciderwithrosie_2

Does the school have a PTA? If so, it doesn't appear to be very proactive or successful. I was on the PTA of our junior school for 12 years and in that time we raised many thousands of pounds (and this is a school in a very poor area) We paid for a new IT suite, coaches for school trips, the cost of visiting authors/artists etc, stage blocks, playground equipment, and every year each class teacher could submit us a list of items they'd really like and we'd try to accomodate them as much as possible. The PTA would send out a regular newsletter to keep parents informed of upcoming events so if we did have a cake sale, at least you got some warning and we could tell parents where their money was going and ask for ideas. Asking for £5 for non-uniform day is criminal, my boys only ever had to pay a quid. Trouble is they've got you over a barrel because no one wants to see their child left out or embarrassed. I'd be asking to see what the PTA spend their money on if there is one.

regards CWR

retro_bluebell

Our school has an active PTA but that money "apparently" gets spent on equipment for the school, they never raise funds through the PTA for school trips. They are quite exclusive too you can only get in if other parents vote for you Is that not normal then? (sorry highjacking the thread)

Gingham_Ribbon

retro_bluebell wrote: »

Our school has an active PTA but that money "apparently" gets spent on equipment for the school, they never raise funds through the PTA for school trips. They are quite exclusive too you can only get in if other parents vote for you Is that not normal then? (sorry highjacking the thread)

No, it's not. It's exactly the wrong way to get help for the kids and I'd be writing to the head asking why.

angelicmary85

onlyroz wrote: »

Oh and the "please bring your child to school tomorrow with a plate of home-baked cakes for XYZ cake sale". Erm no...

Are you still allowed to bake things? Our local primary won't allow it due to the possible outbreak of food poisioning that may occur afterwards!