do you think this is fair or acceptable?

onlyroz

caris wrote: »

but do the schools think we are a bottomless pit!!!!

Would you rather that the school did not offer trips out at all then?

Newly_retired

man_of_faith wrote: »

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.

School trips are never free teachers jollies. Try being responsible for a group of 30+children for the week. And haning around at the end when parents don't turn up to collect them at the right time. Once it was 3.00am after a French trip - TWO HOURS late.

Gingham_Ribbon

I don't see the problem with the request to be honest. A bottle for the bottle tombola from the children seems fine to me. A bottle of shampoo or pop or cordial doesn't cost much and most people have something in their cupboard they can donate. There was no need for such short notice though.

If the school fayre is going to work, it takes a little from everyone to pull it off. I presume other classes are being asked for other donations too?

If you don't have a bottle to give, £1 donation would be fine, I'm sure, and someone from the PTA probably won't mind picking something up with her/his grocery shop.

Fang_3

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.

You don't have to pay, but if you don't then your child shouldn't take part.

meg72

I read this and I really felt for you. Obviously the short notice is not acceptable and I do think you should mention it when you go to the school. But obviously you do not want your child excluded and its really not expensive to join in.

I understand you cannot get out to buy something but have a look around, you probably already have something suitable. A bottle? look in the kitchen. umopened bottle of washing up liquid maybe, a bottle of sauce, vinegar. salad cream. How about a jar of jam or pickles. Look in the bathroom shampoo, bubble bath , did you get anything for Christmas that you havent used.

Go on love have a look around I am sure you will find something, just dont think expensive, anything at all will be acceptable and appreciated.

I am not now involved with school PTA although support daughter and daughter in law in providing little things for the grand children to take to this things. I do appreciate how hard these people work to provide extras for their school.

Have a look around I am sure you will find something.

meritaten

I can take critisicm as well as the next person - but, I dont think I COULD join the PTA as I am NOT a parent I am a GRANDPARENT (you obviously havent read my posts properly)!
as for other comments - I do take on board that the PTA fund many activities the children wouldnt otherwise have, and I am sure the kids and parents appreciate these!

those people who would be quite happy to see a child excluded from an activity because their parents cant or wont pay make my blood boil!!!! school is not supposed to be an elitist organisation and activities should be open to ALL!!!! to announce the whole school is having a PJ day or somesuch and then say the child has to pay Xamount or come in uniform is to my mind disgusting! and all the kid learns from that is that money is more important than their happiness or feelings.
Schools are also not there to fundraise for charity either!!! the children are there to learn! yes if they pick one charity and there are set events out of school hours to fundraise for it on a voluntary basis. but there are so MANY charities they seem to support!

schools have changed a lot since my schooldays in the sixties - I dont ever remember being asked for money for charity although the school choir did take part in charity events, but that was in our free time. we didnt have non-uniform days or even a school fete! our one major event was sports day! and the parents didnt even have to buy a raffle ticket. mine wouldnt have anyway! I honestly dont think I was deprived in any way either - school wasnt fun wasnt meant to be and i think its great that the teachers try so much harder these days to MAKE learning fun. but i dont think all the frills and trips and jungle gyms etc add much value to the school experience. quite the opposite! just hope that this round of school leavers dont expect the workplace to such a fun experience as school!

kelloggs36

Anybody can join the PTA actually - there are members in my old school whose children left many years ago - without them the school would be in huge trouble financially.

Fang_3

meritaten wrote: »

I can take critisicm as well as the next person - but, I dont think I COULD join the PTA as I am NOT a parent I am a GRANDPARENT (you obviously havent read my posts properly)!
as for other comments - I do take on board that the PTA fund many activities the children wouldnt otherwise have, and I am sure the kids and parents appreciate these!

those people who would be quite happy to see a child excluded from an activity because their parents cant or wont pay make my blood boil!!!! school is not supposed to be an elitist organisation and activities should be open to ALL!!!! to announce the whole school is having a PJ day or somesuch and then say the child has to pay Xamount or come in uniform is to my mind disgusting! and all the kid learns from that is that money is more important than their happiness or feelings.
Schools are also not there to fundraise for charity either!!! the children are there to learn! yes if they pick one charity and there are set events out of school hours to fundraise for it on a voluntary basis. but there are so MANY charities they seem to support!

schools have changed a lot since my schooldays in the sixties - I dont ever remember being asked for money for charity although the school choir did take part in charity events, but that was in our free time. we didnt have non-uniform days or even a school fete! our one major event was sports day! and the parents didnt even have to buy a raffle ticket. mine wouldnt have anyway! I honestly dont think I was deprived in any way either - school wasnt fun wasnt meant to be and i think its great that the teachers try so much harder these days to MAKE learning fun. but i dont think all the frills and trips and jungle gyms etc add much value to the school experience. quite the opposite! just hope that this round of school leavers dont expect the workplace to such a fun experience as school!

Things don't come for free, and frankly it is usually the better parents that volunteer on the PTA and make the school better for all pupils. If a parent who can't be bothered to get involved with trying to better their child's education, and then can't be bothered to give a few pounds instead, then tough on the child. Some children have better parents than others. It is not up to the other parents to fill in where the lacking parents do, and yet they often do, so to balk at paying a bit of money towards this is very trying indeed.

But obviously you don't see the benefit of these activities so you shouldn't see any problem with your grandchild missing out on them.

Indie_Kid

meritaten wrote: »

those people who would be quite happy to see a child excluded from an activity because their parents cant or wont pay make my blood boil!!!!

Where else is the money meant to come from to pay for the activities? other parents shouldn't have to subsidise them because other parents are refusing to pay for their child to take part in an activity.

tessie_bear

id send in some old tat....bubblebath possibly....i hope noone from my sons school is reading this and suggests a football shirt day....he doesnt own one