do you think this is fair or acceptable?

meritaten

Mupette wrote: »

oooo where can i buy one

lol - there is a plant called the 'money plant' but all mine die on me!
as for money trees - if i knew where you could get one I would have an orchard and sell saplings!!!

tabskitten

I don't even have kids and i think that it is wrong!!
just like making people ''give'' to charity is wrong.

Savvy_Sue

Bottle of squash / shampoo / bubble bath / shower gel / tomato sauce etc etc etc

Indie_Kid

meritaten wrote: »

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.

It all adds up though.

mishkanorman

meritaten wrote: »

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.

If you have such a massive issue with your schools PTA - join them. There are rules over what the raised money can be spent on but effectively its up to the commitee to decide what is needed and when.

The PTA in your area only 'seems' to be run by well off parents because others have failed to sign-up, there is no wages threshold or post-code lottery, its all volunteers who give up their own time to try and make a better school for ALL the children not just their own. The amount of people who moan about what the funds are spent on yet they never attend the meetings or give up their own free time to help run events, even in the poorest of areas if you cant give your penny give your time.

Some of the 'nice' extras our school purchased last year were; drinking bottles for every child so they had constant access to fresh water, excercise equipment for the playing field designed to aid balance and improve movement, and an author who held a two day seminar to help the children with their SAT's.

I send my child to school to be educated, thanks to the efforts of past and present pta members it can be done in the most effective manner - the school is a fun place to be for them so attendance is high and their willingness to learn in there in spades.

Caroline73_2

penelopedee wrote: »

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.

Why is sending biscuits any different? You can send a bottle of pop, bubble bath, shampoo etc. You can send less than 50p in.

meritaten wrote: »

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)!

.

I joined my son's PTA because it was exactly like this, the members appreciated me telling them why somethings they felt were ok were unacceptable to many parents. Sitting moaning wouldn't have helped, get off your backside and make a difference.

Oldernotwiser

What happened to the children themselves contributing when something happened for charity? When we had collections for school it came out of our pocket money so we knew that we were helping people with our own money.

joannasmum

mishkanorman wrote: »

If you have such a massive issue with your schools PTA - join them. There are rules over what the raised money can be spent on but effectively its up to the commitee to decide what is needed and when.

The PTA in your area only 'seems' to be run by well off parents because others have failed to sign-up, there is no wages threshold or post-code lottery, its all volunteers who give up their own time to try and make a better school for ALL the children not just their own. The amount of people who moan about what the funds are spent on yet they never attend the meetings or give up their own free time to help run events, even in the poorest of areas if you cant give your penny give your time.

Some of the 'nice' extras our school purchased last year were; drinking bottles for every child so they had constant access to fresh water, excercise equipment for the playing field designed to aid balance and improve movement, and an author who held a two day seminar to help the children with their SAT's.

I send my child to school to be educated, thanks to the efforts of past and present pta members it can be done in the most effective manner - the school is a fun place to be for them so attendance is high and their willingness to learn in there in spades.

Couldn't have put it better myself. It drives me nuts when people constently moan about the PTA and what the money is spent on without bothering to do something about it. At our last PTA meeting we had 4 parents turn up and about 5 apologies, the school has 85 children on the role. In the coming weeks there will be numerous people complaining that theres no Summer Fair.

red_devil

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 agree you dont have to go along with it though what could they do nothing really.

Nicki

meritaten wrote: »

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!!!

It is a legal requirement that children in nursery and reception spend a certain proportion of the school day (not just lunch and break times) engaged in school work outdoors. So the outside classrooms will be used on a very regular basis.

but - the school regularly complains they need money for reading books and other classroom or sport essentials.

Schools are given two allocations of money from the Local Authority. One allocation (the capital budget) can only be spent on one-off large expenditures, usually things like building outdoor classrooms, refitting outmoded buildings, redoing the playground equipment. This money cannot be spent on items like books, stationery, teachers salaries, etc. The other allocation (the income budget) is for the day to day running of the school, including books, office supplies and salaries. The income budget in most schools is very stretched with almost all of the money going on salaries. It is here that PTA money can make a big difference

I can see that you are annoyed by the lack of notice of the mufti day, but your gripes about how the school spends its money are based on a misunderstanding of how school finances work.