School - Money for this and that

Indie_Kid

tattoed_bum wrote: »

It wouldnt be to bad if it was just a £1 here and there but my sons school in the last few weeks they had a rainbow day (where each year had to dress as a colour of the rainbow for Haiti ) suggested donation to that per child was £10:eek: .

Surely, if it's just suggested, you can donate as much (or little) as you wish?

kingfisherblue

My tutor at university has written a dissertation on this subject - a set amount each term is actually easier to budget for than the dribs and drabs of cash that are constantly requested.

My boys both attended the same primary school and about two years ago I receveid a letter telling me that the school roof had been repaired and we were required to pay £10 per child towards the cost. Now, I'm not tight, but during the previous weeks, a visiting artist had been in the school and each child had helped to create a wonderful science area - life size models of scientists, ceiling painted like the night sky with hanging models of the solar system, 3D murals on the walls, etc. It must have cost a substantial amount.

Anyway, I rang the LEA and asked if I was obliged to pay the £10 per child for the roof and the LEA were shocked that we had received the letter, which had been worded as though it was compulsory and not as a voluntary request. As it is a catholic school, the LEA contacted the Archdiocese. The AD said that the letter should have asked for a voluntary request of £10 per family. In the meantime, I happened to be walking through the school hall (around the edge, to get to the door so I could get out of school), when the headteacher was speaking to all of the pupils. She asked the children to put their hands up if their parents had paid the £10. This showed everyone who hadn't paid (most of them, as it happened!). She said that each parent who hadn't paid had to send in the money by the end of that week. I reported this to the LEA as well.

The local paper that week had a letter from a grandparent (unnamed) from the school, blasting the headteacher for sending this letter.

I don't know whether it was my complaint, or the letter to the paper, but funnily enough, the payment was never mentioned again. I doubt if those who had already paid received a refund though!

MrsAnnie

For the first few years of primary school I fell into the money trap of paying for every little (and big) thing that went on at school.

Now my DDs are older I pick and choose what I contribute to. Alot I do say No to like book fairs, walk-a-thons, sponsor forms, raffle txts etc. I felt a tad guilty at first but the money I spent really did add up to alot of dosh.

If it is important to the children (like dress down day, cake sales)or their education (like field trips, swimming lessons) I do contribute, if not I pass on it.

mrcow

kingfisherblue wrote: »

My tutor at university has written a dissertation on this subject - a set amount each term is actually easier to budget for than the dribs and drabs of cash that are constantly requested.

Bit of a waste of a university dissertation (Does he have a lot of spare time on his hands?)

Any parent could have told him exactly that if he'd have asked.

Janepig

tattoed_bum wrote: »

It wouldnt be to bad if it was just a £1 here and there but my sons school in the last few weeks they had a rainbow day (where each year had to dress as a colour of the rainbow for Haiti ) suggested donation to that per child was £10:eek: .Then a book sale fund raiser for the school the books they sold were all sets cheapest set being £17 :eek:, They then had a football goal shoot thing and they gave prizes to the kids that had sponsers of £30 or more .

So just in the last term they have asked for a whopping £57 per child .

Nope, they've suggested £57. I gave £2 (£1 per my two children) when they did the Haiti thing, there's a book sale next week and if I don't want to buy any books then I won't, and we also had the football goal shot thing last term which I didn't give money for because a chunk of it goes to the company who do it and I didn't agree with that. DD still participated though so all the children were included.

There's also been two fundraising events where DD's brought back sponsor forms for the NSPCC and I haven't sent those back either as that's one charity I don't support. Having said that, I appreciate that DD/DS's school seem to be very good in not making a fuss or a show of the children whose parents havent given money, and they still partake in the sponsored events whether they've given money or not. My understanding is that not all schools are like that. Which is wrong.

Like I said previously, I'm grateful that my children are getting a really good education at the school they go to and I'm happy to support the school any way I can.

Jxx

tiamai_d

onlyroz wrote: »

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.

When DS1 was in P1 they had a tartan day, wear something tartan. So off he went all excited with his little heather button hole wit tartan ribbon we made the night before. Got to the school and they were all wearing hired kilts! !!!!!!? :eek:

I really hate non uniform days, I always forget. And PJ days, my boys wear an old t shirt and pants so I have to go buy a set of PJ's.

And I rarely have cash on me either so it ends up costing me £10 for that £1 when I have to get money out the bank, but a paper or what not and give him his £1. Then the rest of that change just gets used up who knows where.

It's sponsor week this week, so I need to go hassle the family for donations (why do they call it sponsor when they write on the sheet 'donation'?) for DS1 spelling 20 words off a sheet that ended up torn (his little brother) and the school refused to give him another one.

Indie_Kid

I remember a teacher having a go at me because I wouldn't go on this trip. (it was more getting up at sill o'clock than money) My dad said "well, it says "if you would like to go..." and if they really want you to go, they should pay for you to go".

joeblack066

This month I have had to pay out £38 to the school, asked for with only a weeks notice, and therefore this weekend I have 19p in my bank till Monday, and we have been scratching around for food. :-( Pft.

mandragora_2

I agree with you whole-heartedly - my children have long-since left school, but I work in a state secondary school. I am pleased to say, the boss is absolutely against all this spurious '£1 for x,y,z' for exactly the reasons you're discussing. We have one 'fund raising' week in the whole year - the year 11's do it, and its a rule that they must run low/no-cost events as well as more costly things - with the highest charge being 50p. Then, once it's done, it's done. Nothing else in the rest of the year, and it makes a great change from the school I was at previously where they seemed to do something just about every week. The cry was 'It's for charity!' and that seemed to override every other consideration. Fine if your family can - and want to afford it - but, as you all say, it mounts up, and isn't fair, reasonable or necessary.

Our students DO make an active contribution to their local community through an organised programme as part of their curriculum, but it's based on projects THEY identify, and is about them getting out there and actually doing stuff - even breaking into a sweat - and making their local area a better place to be. Far better for them than just wearing their own clothes and paying for the priviledge, or eating a cake, or whatever other wheeze has been dreamt up.

kingfisherblue

Mandragora, that sounds so much better than most schools. I do give to charity - as do many others - but I prefer to choose which charity I give to. My son has complex needs, so my choice tends to be either something supporting one of his disablilites or something supporting carers.

If my sons' schools had just one week a year devoted to fundraising, though, I would have a set amount for them to spend/donate, because even though the charities wouldn't be my choice, they would not be the school's choice either. It is important to encourage young people to think of other less fortunate and I would see supporting their ideas and efforts as a way of encouraging them. I hope that makes sense - I know what I want to say, but I'm tired and the words aren't coming out right.

Time for an early night for me, I think.