do you think this is fair or acceptable?

ellay864

The word mufti is an Eastern word and was used from the 1800s by the British Army due to casual outfits worn by commanding officers off duty

In response to the OP I agree it's totally fine for PTA to hold a mufti day in exchange for a contribution and my son's school do it loads. I do think it's a bit short notice but must say that often I'd moan in front of my son at the short notice he got for things only for him to sheepishly admit the letter had been in his bag, coat, locker for the past week!

viktory

caris wrote: »

Hi

Thank you for your comments.

I am annoyed at it being very short notice - we live in a village without public transport, I cannot get out as my hsband is on the night shift and left for work at 2pm this afternoon.

Since the last bank holiday we have had to pay for a day trip along with extra for spending money, again just a couple of days notice, then we had to pay £26 for school photo, and then there was money for something else, I cant remember what for off hand, then last week a letter for £25 for tennis lessons after school, and then on Tuesday this week another letter for £5 for drama class and now this today. On top off this I have already paid £150 for him to go to London, for the leavers trip, we paid this as we didnt want him to be the only one not going.

I apprecitae todays letter is not for a vast amount but do the schools think we are a bottomless pit!!!!

Yes my husband works but we are certainly not well off.

I do think sometimes that the school is asking too much.

I appreciate you don't want your child to miss out, but you don't have to buy the school photo, leavers trips or pay for the tennis lessons - they are optional. Perhaps now would be a good time to start teaching your child the important of budgeting.

Neither of my children went on the leavers school strips - and I rarely bought the over priced school photo. Interestingly, someone has now posted my son's class photo on Facebook, so I can print it off for free

meritaten

caris wrote: »

Hi

Thank you for your comments.

I am annoyed at it being very short notice - we live in a village without public transport, I cannot get out as my hsband is on the night shift and left for work at 2pm this afternoon.

Since the last bank holiday we have had to pay for a day trip along with extra for spending money, again just a couple of days notice, then we had to pay £26 for school photo, and then there was money for something else, I cant remember what for off hand, then last week a letter for £25 for tennis lessons after school, and then on Tuesday this week another letter for £5 for drama class and now this today. On top off this I have already paid £150 for him to go to London, for the leavers trip, we paid this as we didnt want him to be the only one not going.

I apprecitae todays letter is not for a vast amount but do the schools think we are a bottomless pit!!!!

Yes my husband works but we are certainly not well off.

I do think sometimes that the school is asking too much.

Not a bottomless pit but that you have a MONEY tree in the back garden!!!

my daughter once kept all the money request letters for that term (6 weeks) and added it all up - even the 25 and 50 p ones and the grand total for that term came to (I think) £79. this is in addition to school trips photos etc(there werent any that term, it was just the charity things mainly plus a concert ticket). now she had two kids at that school and some parents had three! so in six weeks she was asked to shell out £158 pounds!!! when she pointed this out to the headteacher - she was told - well it is voluntary - and she replied that it ISNT if it means that her child would be excluded.
while i believe its right that children should be involved in and taught about charity some schools are taking it to excess! its not charitable to cause some parents real hardship or anguish if they cannot pay and for a child to be excluded on those grounds!!!

man_of_faith

What ever happened to free education. Schools are for learning. Not money grabbing. Too many in my opinion try to get money every week. My daughter when at school wanted to go on a trip to germany. £600. Too much I said. She didn t go forgot about it and so I saved money I could ill afford for some free teachers jolly and duty free. I think they have to consider that life is expensive and money needs to be valued.

penelopedee_2

Yes it is unfair at a day's notice, especially as a lot of us have to work too. DS normally has to take a £1 in for non-uniform days, which I think is fine. I certainly wouldn't be letting a child of mine take a 'bottle' anywhere near school I'm with the pack of biscuits idea on this one.

mishkanorman

caris wrote: »

Hi

Thank you for your comments.

I am annoyed at it being very short notice - we live in a village without public transport, I cannot get out as my hsband is on the night shift and left for work at 2pm this afternoon.

Since the last bank holiday we have had to pay for a day trip along with extra for spending money, again just a couple of days notice, then we had to pay £26 for school photo, and then there was money for something else, I cant remember what for off hand, then last week a letter for £25 for tennis lessons after school, and then on Tuesday this week another letter for £5 for drama class and now this today. On top off this I have already paid £150 for him to go to London, for the leavers trip, we paid this as we didnt want him to be the only one not going.

I apprecitae todays letter is not for a vast amount but do the schools think we are a bottomless pit!!!!

Yes my husband works but we are certainly not well off.

I do think sometimes that the school is asking too much.

I suggest you join the PTA, i guarantee it will change your viewpoint on things 100%

Our school runs several events throughout the year, mufti days are always done with a tombola request so normally twice a year for that. (the goods are then sold on the tombola which is always the most popular stall at the fete)

Tomorrow we have a footballers/cheerleaders disco to celebrate our local football team being promoted, the cost is £2.50 per child for an hour and half of childrens entertainment with disco, a cookie to take home and squash during a break. As its all voluntary and there is a cost involved we obviously dont have a 100% take-up on it, at the moment we have 130 odd children out of a school of 265. After costs it will raise £100 approx for the fund.

Before joining the PTA (just over a year ago) my children wouldnt attend any disco/after school event as I really felt it was a 'money grabbing' exercise, however in the last year alone we have boosted the schools budget by around 4k which allows for the little things they normally have to do without as the budget doesnt stretch for them. Now i can really see first hand the vital importance of the all the donations we are asked to make, its not to give the head teacher a raise, its not to take all the PTA members out on a bender, its soley for the benefit of the children

I suggest you enquire at the office why such short notice was given, they may be a genuine reason why you are only now being informed. Im the secretary and I know first hand that its a fair bit of work involved getting a letter drafted/copied/distributed aswell as getting any event aproved by the commitee ! It not a spur of the moment thing, and if it was your PTA need a kick up the backside and some lessons in planning

mishka

DaisyFlower

We have three mufti days in summer and three in winter for the PTA fairs - the dates are always on the website at least a month before and reminders on the newsletter with a final one the day before.

Many of the things the OP has paid for are optional so its unfair to moan about paying them.

The PTA needs items to raise funds and its an easy way to get prizes for the stalls, if they just asked for donations they probably wouldn't get many given the amount of posts recently about people moaning re schools. Your child will have benefited from many things the PTA provide - it seems many people want the nice things at school for their children but dont expect to have to contribute.

meritaten

I have read with interest the posts by obvious members of the PTA.
but, we send our children to school to be EDUCATED! please dont lose sight of that! Its all very well that the children have 'nice' things etc. but basic education IS provided at the taxpayers expense and none of us mind that!
my local primary has just paid out a LOT of money for outdoor classrooms (!!!!!!??? HOW OFTEN ARE THEY GOING TO BE USED?) a jungle gym which the kids love but mean us parents cannot get the kids out of the school gates without them using it - for some strange reason it was sited adjacent to the main path to the nursery and infants school! when the other side has NO path!!!
but - the school regularly complains they need money for reading books and other classroom or sport essentials. to my mind the PTA need a kick up the A**! get real people! most parents i think would assume the PTA fundraising is to assist the school with NEEDED items - NOT luxuries, unless the school is in an affluent area!!! try living in a deprived area and having a school whose PTA seems to be run by parents who are well off and not living on the breadline (or below it)!
and i still say its UNFAIR to say a child will be excluded from a school activity unless they can pay for it!!!! I dont pay my taxes for that!!!
and nowhere in the above posts does anyone acknowledge that people on low incomes or benefits are caused real hardship by having to pay out the 'odd' £s or whatever.

jellyhead

will anyone be checking who brings things in? if you can't get a bottle of squash or a packet of biscuits at short notice could your child go in mufti anyway? At our school the kids just put their money/donation into a pot, and nobody checks to see who has or hasn't contributed. Parents can also pay at the office if they need change, or are paying the family rate for more than 1 child, so the kid is none the wiser if their parents pays less than expected.

Mupette

meritaten wrote: »

Not a bottomless pit but that you have a MONEY tree in the back garden!!!

oooo where can i buy one