do you think this is fair or acceptable?

Fang_3

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

i have two children at a local primary in my area,

we rarely get advanced notice on events coming up. yes we get the holiday and assembly timetable but thats about as usefull as a ashtray on a motorbike for events planned.

the primary's PTA is made up of the dinner ladies (who been at the school for years and years)and morning and evening cleaners(whos been there years) a local councellor, head of course and some teachers that live local so can stay on for meetings and a parent or two of the elder children. rarely a chance to get on the PTA comes up!

so farr our primary school has been invovled in so many fund raisers (all in school hours) that required my children to either wear PJ's and a £1. 50p to the school and 50p to charity to do so or if not they have to wear school uniform and be left out of activitie's. (and this is plain and simple in the letter we (me and my partner) get usually the day before the event!)

to do the "PJ party" event, my children are girls so only had nighty's not to leave my children out of the event or EXCLUDED from the event as meritaten put it we had to buy PJ's at late notice being two of them and it being winter we had to buy leggings to go underneath the thin meterial of the pj's just for them to keep warm being on benefits it didnt just cost us £2 for them to be involved in this event it cost around £22.00 2xa pack of leggings 2x pjs.

it may be voluntry but i wouldnt like to see my kids not be involved in a social activity with their friends at school, to be minded in a class room and see their friends have fun. schools should not state that to be involved in such event they must pay! if its voluntry or be left out and have to wear uniform while other are not. its simply unfair to a child to exclude them from such activity's.

recently we had to buy certain clothing for our daughters to be involved in a certain activity this spring again costing us money that we really do not have, while i think it is good to have these activity's i think it would be better if they were fully thought through cost wise! is it right to leave a child out if their parents are skint and have had 24hours notice of such activity!

meritaten mentioned that her GD's primary had outdoor classrooms, i would be concerned as to why (i know education is primary) the school put these down a "must have" item, a jungle gym! !!!!!! is a kid going to learn from one of those, and i bet that injuries in the school has risen because of this jungle gym! what is the need for one! could the money have been better spent on in class upgrades like nursery safety matts better seats tables utilities you have to ask yourself! i would could see an outdoor classroom be beneficial it it were an enclosed space as so no rain or ice etc but if it were an open air classroom then it would be useless in this country probably used 5-6 weeks max out of 12 months! and would be a waste of school finances! and i would have a concern i see meritatens point even if you lot cant, your problem!. she isnt poking at PTE members she simply is stateming that all children should be involved in an activity and not left out because a parent cant pay whatever the reason! better use of school money that has been raised, all children should be treated equally if a school states you child will be left out of an activity because a parent cant contribute then thats not treating a child equally!

Let's be clear here - parents CAN pay, they just don't WANT to. They could sacrifice something so that their child can contribute. Usually it is the smoking unemployed that claim that they 'can't' pay.

Fair enough the first time you might only have a short bit of a notice (never happened with the schools around here), but after that what's stopping you from budgeting an extra 50p a week to save up for such eventualities?

mountainofdebt

As far as I'm aware no PTA have ever shut their doors to someone who is willing to help......in fact the very opposite is the case, they're usually crying out for another pair of hands with fresh ideas.

Raising funds for the school aside, the other main complaint is that schools take part in too many charity fundraising activities. In fairness I think its not so much the school's fault but the charities whom I suspect 'target' schools.

It would be intersting to hear alternative suggestions for raising money though

Fang_3

mountainofdebt wrote: »

As far as I'm aware no PTA have ever shut their doors to someone who is willing to help......in fact the very opposite is the case, they're usually crying out for another pair of hands with fresh ideas.

Raising funds for the school aside, the other main complaint is that schools take part in too many charity fundraising activities. In fairness I think its not so much the school's fault but the charities whom I suspect 'target' schools.

It would be intersting to hear alternative suggestions for raising money though

My brother's old primary school has a sponsored car wash now and again. You can guess which children don't take part - the ones whose parents expect others to pay for the trips, the ones who don't mind letting their child go in on mufti day without a contribution, the ones that moan about uniform but their kids have the latest trainers to wear to school instead of plain black shoes, and generally have the worst behaved children, so it's no loss to the decent kids really.

It does create a barrier between the children, but that's not the school's making - it's the parent's. But what can you expect from people who think the country owes them a living and that they aren't personally responsible for anything they and their children do.

It was the same when I was at school, though now you can really see the difference. Of the ones that focused and didn't mess about and actually got involved, some have been working since school and have progressed, some have been to university and graduated and are now working in their chosen careers, some have been but are working in a lower-paid job just so that they're working, and some are still at university. Of the kids who messed about, most are on benefits and some are in prison. It is theirs and their parent's fault of this, and the rest of us are paying for it.

Catherine_Johnson_2

I think this thread has gone off topic and some of the posts are actually bordering on being rude to other members.

If you dont agree with what someone posts then, fair enough, say so, but you don't have to be rude or abusive about it.

This is about Moneysaving isn't it, not slagging each other off?

pinkandwhites

The gripes are really about planning and communication aren't they? I hope that no parent would ever choose that they child is left out of things "just to make a point", and as contributions are voluntary, then schools would not be able to stop children who haven't contributed from taking part. (Challenge it with the Headteacher if they are excluded!) Parents who always refuse to contribute to anything have their own consciences to deal with and are not setting a good example to their children.

If schools could give more notice to parents for these events then that would solve a lot of the problem - although of course, we live in the real world and not everything runs to the ideal timescale/people get sick/last-minute decisions are made/letters stay in children's trays etc.

I agree with the suggestion of putting 50p in a pot every week which could be used for charity days/mufti days etc and if you know your child's school has a habit of asking for things like raffle or tombola prizes, you could keep your eyes out for special offers in the bubble bath aisle when you're shopping etc. There are ways around it but ideally it takes planning on both the schools and the parents sides.

meritaten

Fang wrote: »

Apologies if English isn't your first language, but by Christ - could you lay off the exclamation marks and actually use the CAPS LOCK button once in a while?

And stop moaning about PTAs. If you or your children can't be bothered to get involved in your grandchild's education then frankly you should be thanking those that do volunteer every single day.

Actually, English IS my first language! But, I am soooo soooooryyy my language skills arent up to your exacting standard! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fang - I dont come on here to have my grammar and punctuation marked by the likes of you, and it is frowned upon by Martin to criticise these things anyway.

As far as I am concerned, my posts are legible and if I want to use exclamation marks, then I will!!!! If exclamation marks offend you so much I suggest you stay away from the ........how shall I put it???? more LIVELY boards.

I tend not to use all caps because being one of the first chatroom users and was on them for many years (still am) all caps is very offensive as it is seen as shouting.

I am also fed up of being told to join the PTA - I was an involved parent when MY kids were at school until the last one went to comprehensive and I was told in no uncertain terms that MY involvement ended there. (perhaps because I was often outspoken about the way things were run and the majority of the PTA had some very high-faluting ideas I didnt agree with). Unless things have changed drastically, and I dont believe they have, then there is no way I would get involved with them again.

Fang_3

meritaten wrote: »

Actually, English IS my first language! But, I am soooo soooooryyy my language skills arent up to your exacting standard! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fang - I dont come on here to have my grammar and punctuation marked by the likes of you, and it is frowned upon by Martin to criticise these things anyway.

As far as I am concerned, my posts are legible and if I want to use exclamation marks, then I will!!!! If exclamation marks offend you so much I suggest you stay away from the ........how shall I put it???? more LIVELY boards.

I tend not to use all caps because being one of the first chatroom users and was on them for many years (still am) all caps is very offensive as it is seen as shouting.

I am also fed up of being told to join the PTA - I was an involved parent when MY kids were at school until the last one went to comprehensive and I was told in no uncertain terms that MY involvement ended there. (perhaps because I was often outspoken about the way things were run and the majority of the PTA had some very high-faluting ideas I didnt agree with). Unless things have changed drastically, and I dont believe they have, then there is no way I would get involved with them again.

Then why don't you stop moaning about the PTA if you're not willing to join?

meritaten

Fang wrote: »

Let's be clear here - parents CAN pay, they just don't WANT to. They could sacrifice something so that their child can contribute. Usually it is the smoking unemployed that claim that they 'can't' pay.

Fair enough the first time you might only have a short bit of a notice (never happened with the schools around here), but after that what's stopping you from budgeting an extra 50p a week to save up for such eventualities?

my son has been on single persons incapacity benifit for the last 4 months. but he has a partner and three children. the benefits agency lost the claim for his partner and and he has filled in more forms - which they promptly lost..... he has been trying to sort this out but has still had to provide for the family. now tell me how he can afford all the extras the school ask for?
oh and before you call him a lazy !!!!!!... his consultant made him retire on ill health as he has severe brittle asthma and his job was making his condition worse (though he loved the job).

Indie_Kid

meritaten wrote: »

my son has been on single persons incapacity benifit for the last 4 months. but he has a partner and three children. the benefits agency lost the claim for his partner and and he has filled in more forms - which they promptly lost..... he has been trying to sort this out but has still had to provide for the family. now tell me how he can afford all the extras the school ask for?
oh and before you call him a lazy !!!!!!... his consultant made him retire on ill health as he has severe brittle asthma and his job was making his condition worse (though he loved the job).

Child benefit and child tax credits? If IB is his only income, he should get quite a lot I imagine.

Morglin

Don't they do School Fund payments any more?

Years back, all the kids HAD to pay in a small amount per week - it was about 5p per week per child in the 70's, when my children were at school.

That stopped all this constant asking for donations, money, gifts etc., - all that was requested, other than the school fund payments, was a tin at Harvest Festival time.

I don't know about 'free' eduation - my daughter's got 4 of them at different schools, and she (and me!) are constantly paying out for field trips, holidays with the school, sponsorships, this day, that day - on and on it goes.:eek::eek:

I know the PTA and teachers like to raise money, but it goes a bit far at times, and I feel sorry for those parents on a low income who must struggle a bit with all thse demands from schools.

Lin