Money Moral Dilemma: Should the school have paid?

teresamac

I spent 15 years as a teacher and manager in secondary education and some years as a governor of a primary school. When activities were organised that required payment from parents we always had to show that we could afford to support inclusion of those who couldn't afford to pay. The defecit would be made up by monies from school fund, pta etc. If there is insufficent payment to allow the event to run at all then that sends a clear message that parents do not feel there is a need for the activity.
of course children should not be excluded on the basis of payment, or is the new climate in govt. going to create a BIG society that tramples over the disadvantaged in its haste to get what it pays for...horrifying!
Cycles of deprivation, a generation of excluded young people who become disenfranchised adults - please let's not go there again.

ladela

My 5 year old niece was excluded from a Christmas panto last year because her mam and dad didn't pay. She was really upset poor love. Her mam insists she did pay - but the school said she didn't(!) nevertheless I don't think kiddies at that age should be made to feel different from their peers because of their parents. At 5 year old you don't understand why you are excluded - shes such a sweet little thing I can't imagine how she must have felt when her friends went and she didnt, she'd been talking about it all the previous week

King_Drax_I

ShakeyStacey wrote: »

I have been told that by law, schools are not allowed to charge for school trips, check the wording, most schools will ask for a "volountary contribution" towards the cost of the trip, the catch being that if the funds aren't raised, the trip will be cancelled. Of course I'm going back at least 4 years. Things might have changed, but I can't imagine any child being pulled out of a trip because their parents couldn't afford it.

This is just the encroachment of the 'voluntary' system into playing hard-ball.

How many parents give schools freely of their time for after-school clubs, help on school trips and the like, yet if they did not pay they would be subject to the same discrimination that this person was subjected to. Would the Gestapo who 'took the kids to one side' and toled them they couldn't watch have known if these parents perhaps did that sort of good deed? I think not. Some people who cannot afford to pay, pay in ways other than money, i.e. by giving freely of their time and knowledge. Having a hard-ball system like this just serves to highlight what a bunch of oiks run, well, that play in particular, but it reflects on the whole school.

Bah, humbug!

King_Drax_I

ladela wrote: »

My 5 year old niece was excluded from a Christmas panto last year because her mam and dad didn't pay. She was really upset poor love. Her mam insists she did pay - but the school said she didn't(!) nevertheless I don't think kiddies at that age should be made to feel different from their peers because of their parents. At 5 year old you don't understand why you are excluded - shes such a sweet little thing I can't imagine how she must have felt when her friends went and she didnt, she'd been talking about it all the previous week

So much for Christmas spirit. Tight gets.

Bah, humbug again. Puts you off ever helping schools when they ask for it, doesn't it? :mad:

hellenevans

I dont like to see kids left behind as theyve not paid to go on school trips, but as a parent it does make me really angry that i pay and other parents dont, as usually the parents that plead poverty at our school are usually the parents that are standing at the gate with their ciggys and always have the latest gadgets, out every weekend drinking and the kids are walking round in shabby clothes and shoes, and the parents havent done a days work in their lives!!! There are some genuinely poor kids but there are also alot of kids with parents that have learnt to work the system! our school had a trip which cost £6 and let the parents know they could pay a £1 a week and gave them 2 months to pay and there were still loads that didnt pay! But they didnt go without their ciggys!!

tallgirld

Let them watch it and worse ways bill the parents later.

Fancy pulling them to one side that's more than taking the mick.

Embarrassing and totally unfair on the children!!!

Saetana

Whilst we do not really have enough information about this situation to make an informed judgement, it does seem clear (which many on here appear to be misunderstanding) that this performance took place on school premises so any rules/regulations about school trips DO NOT APPLY!

As someone said earlier, was this performance at the school in the evening? If this was the case then what were the children doing there at all without their parents having paid? If it was during school hours then it is unfair to penalise these children for their parents not having paid (whatever the reason), letters could be sent afterwards explaining the school's policy on these matters.

By the way, please remember that we do not know why these childrens' parents did not pay, do not automatically asssume it is because they cannot afford to - we have not been told whether this was the case or not.

Edit: I have just read the original post in another section of this site, which gives far more information than we have here - even being better informed (one parent apparently said she had paid enough money to the school already) I still feel torn about what should have happened. Should the children suffer because of the parents or should the school stick to their guns to prevent more parents not paying in the future?

wesixr1

the children and the parents shouldnt be put in that position. No one wants their child to miss out but not all parents have cash to hand at short notice, which is how schools often work ( 2 days notice to trip deposit etc). If the school wants the play it should pay and ask for donations as ours does and encourage active fundraising/ pta for the means to do it school fayres, mufti's etc). Alternatively, our schools ask for a payment towards a trip to a performance and if the majority do not pay they do not go on the trip, but they also allow parents to come forward if they are not able to afford it immediately and work something out discreetly and in confidence.

Topothy

I am a single parent with 3 children and have often been in the situation where I couldn't afford school trips etc. Fortunately, one of the schools the girls went to had a policy of always stating that those who needed help would get it. Unfortunately, another had a policy of sending home cards and calendars etc made by the children (and printed up) without prior notification and asking for money for them! Try sending back a set of £5 cards that your child has designed! And they sent two packs! it seems that it really does depend on the school adminstration - there's no consensus.

Loui_2

This happens a lot at our school, however it's not always the case that it's the ones who can't afford it who don't pay. Sadly its the same handful of parents time and again who dont pay as they know they get away with it, and they are more than able to pay. They know the rules on 'voluntary contributions' and milk it at the expense of everyone else. Sad but true