is it fair for a school to run expensive dinner time clubs?

galvanizersbaby

artichoke wrote: »

i am not against them offering the coaching but i just think it should be after school, not in a far flung location but in the school playing fields...

I think it is not after school as it would compete with their own after school club (and probably have far more takers).....

The issue of how much time will the kids have for eating lunch, and is it good for the to have lunch and then straight away have 45 minutes of coaching is a very good point..

I know two thirds of the school will not be doing the coaching but as my two both already do training with the village team i am imagining that many of their friends who play in the village will be asking their parents for the coaching.... so the third who do take up this coaching are likely to be their teammates in the village and so they might be left behind in their skills levels....

agghhg - i am talking myself into letting them do it - but i just feel as a matter of principle that it should not have been offered at lunch time...

art

I think this would be my main concern in your shoes - how old are your boys?

artichoke

my son is 4 and my daughter just turned 6.....

and yes having spoke to lots of other parents just now after school it seems a lot of the parents of younger kids are worried about them not having time to eat ....

art

galvanizersbaby

artichoke wrote: »

my son is 4 and my daughter just turned 6.....

and yes having spoke to lots of other parents just now after school it seems a lot of the parents of younger kids are worried about them not having time to eat ....

art

Sorry OP - I thought you mentioned both being boys - my mistake

I'm probably being really silly now but how are they in the same class?

I think with kids this young it's really not going to make an awful lot of difference if they fall behind with their football skills:D it will be more of a struggle to explain the reasons why they can't take part if that's what you decide.
I think I would be more concerned with them being so young and missing their lunch for professional football coaching.

It seems a bit odd to me that a school would put on this sort of thing for kiddies so young at lunchtime - is it a regular school they attend OP?

ooobedoo

That wasn't all I said to her, I was very nice about it but how was what she said relevant or fair to the OP ?? it wasn't at all.

emsywoo123 wrote: »

You're lucky that is all she said to you!

ladybez

My daughter worked for an organisation that offered a variety of sports coaching in the lunchbreak, and it was chargeable. Most schools arranged for the children involved to do the activity first and eat afterwards, although this was more difficult for reception and yr 1 children, as they tend to eat slower. Incidentally, she now works for the local authority, doing the same job but there is no charge to the parents, but the same issues with eating arise.

artichoke

galvanizersbaby wrote: »

Sorry OP - I thought you mentioned both being boys - my mistake

I'm probably being really silly now but how are they in the same class?

I think with kids this young it's really not going to make an awful lot of difference if they fall behind with their football skills:D it will be more of a struggle to explain the reasons why they can't take part if that's what you decide.
I think I would be more concerned with them being so young and missing their lunch for professional football coaching.

It seems a bit odd to me that a school would put on this sort of thing for kiddies so young at lunchtime - is it a regular school they attend OP?

hi
they are in the same class as it is a small rural state primary school - only 65 in the whole school....and so only 3 classes in the whole school.

i know the football coaching is not important -the problem is in such a small school they will notice that some of their friends are going to something that i have said they can not go to..

anyway it is the village football coaching tonight so i will see what the other parents think - this training is for the village team - and costs £1 for an hour - but does not have the glamour of the city premiership team coaching with FC logos on prominent display:mad:

art

katieclampet

artichoke wrote: »

Hi Dizziblonde

I don't usually post on this board so i dont know your history but i do understand where you are coming from, and i am really sorry to hear of your loss.

One of the children i am referring to is the result of ivf after nearly ten years of trying to conceive. She was our third and final go at ivf. I am very lucky to have my kids, and i did not go back to my well paid job as i decided that now i had been so lucky i was going to stay home and enjoy them - hence we now live on very little money, and i am trying my best for my children.

Your post has made me remember how i used to feel - hearing people who had kids moaning about them (even if jokingly) and i thought how dare you moan - at least you have kids.

So - i do understand how awful life is when you are unable to have a child.

I am not just moaning about a lunch club, i am moaning about the fact that some children will be excluded from a popular activity occurring during the school day, because it is expensive AND that whilst they are playing out at dinner time they will have full view of the rich kids playing football with the local premiership logo flying around everywhere. It seems unjust to me.

and by the way i was a teacher before i had kids, but i have always campaigned for fair education that does not exclude any child on any grounds.

As i said i have never posted on this board before as i usually post on OS, i did not realize there were infertility threads on here.... maybe it would be better to have a separate board for infertilty threads as they do on infertiltiy bulletin boards, as i do know it is upsetting to read about other people's problems with their children.

Anway Dizziblonde i do wish you all the best and hope you are able to have a child soon

art

What a sensitive and thoughtful response.

katiex

elfen

I never used ot be able to do any of the paid clubs at school, but I'm not disadvantaged, it just taught me that some people have more money that others and that's a part of life, no matter how unfair it may feel.

skipsmum

I think it depends what is a priority to your child...DS desparately wants to play football with his friends but struggles with both the stamina (arthritis) and skills (CP & dyspraxia).
The lessons have been fantastic for him and well worth the money, 2 fully qualified coaches to about 6 kids, and he has enjoyed working towards the medals.
They also offer judo lessons, which he would like but is not so interested in and are not as socially important for him, so as we are on a budget he doesn't do them.
I don't think its a case of some people have more money then others, its just what people prioritise.

Lunar_Eclipse

Our junior school has several lunch time clubs that run daily. There is a wide variety of activities to suit different interests and they have been running them for years.

This year, for the first time, they were chargeable. It's a flat £2/club rate, for a maximum of 30 minutes, which we pay termly in advance. They are all run by the teachers. The same has happened this year with the after school clubs. The Head says that once the extended school day became a legal requirement (last year?), the school needed to start charging for them. I don't know if it's an easy way for the school to increase revenue, or whether they are now incurring more costs (insurance, admin, legal requirements etc.)

On the whole I am happy to pay for them because if I'm honest, I think they are as important as Maths & English; I'm striving to provide them with a diverse and well rounded education. However, I do understand that for those really struggling financially, as many people are, feelings and priorities might differ. Clearly there is no choice between food and football.