Situation regarding school cookery lessons.

shellsuit

Do you think it is acceptable to give one day's notice to go out and buy ingrediants for a cookery lesson?

The facts are :

Child has lesson on a Monday and gets list from teacher, for a lesson on Wednesday morning.

Parent gets home from work around 6.30pm, they don't drive so can't just pop to a shop to buy them. On the Tuesday they will be working all day too, so again, can't pop anywhere to get the items.

Also, parent is on a very tight budget and does the food shop at the weekend, so doesn't always have the funds to go out and purchase extra goods and it isn't anything she normally has at home.

Also, some items need weighing and the parent doesn't have any weighing scales, nor anyone they could borrow some from so this would mean forking out for some scales.

Is it just me, or is 1 day notice is cutting it fine?

P.S. It's not me, it's a friend whose son is worried that he will get a detention for not having the stuff, even though it isn't his or his Mums fault.

The lad is my sons friend, but they don't have the same lessons at the same time otherwise I could have helped out. (Not with scales though, I don't have any either!)

What do you think?

blue_sushi_cat

no - I would have expected a week's notice i.e. the previous wednesday's lesson they were given the list for the next wednesday. It's a tight timescale even for parents who don't work. I would suggest the friend write a letter explaining to the teacher as a start

scottishchick27

I would have said it was short notice too. At the very least they should tell them the Friday before as most people do their weekly shopping at the weekend. Can't she have a word with the teacher as normally they know at the start of term what they will be making each week? As for the scales I would just guess how much it weighs or you can buy cheap scales from Argos for around a fiver I think.

shellsuit

Glad we're not the only ones who think the same!

She's written a letter, basically saying more notice is needed, about her budget, about how she is unable to just pop out and get things as she doesn't drive and works etc etc

The lad (and my son) have said this teacher is a meanie, so I wonder what the outcome will be tomorrow when he doesn't have his ingrediants!

I'll update tomorrow when I find out

Voyager2002

Yes, we constantly have this problem. And each cookery lesson, the ingredients typically cost around ten pounds! I thought that cookery lessons were to prepare you for practical life, and would cover things like eating well on a budget and planning meals. Not at our school, apparently.

kyh

Just as an aside - Woolies do cheap scales for about £2.50 - basic but do the job!

ashlea170706

i had the same problem wen i was a student at school basically my dad wrote a letter explaining the situation at home and they started to give us longer!my school used to help with ingriediants for low income families not sure ifthey do that where u live might be worth asking though!ashx

ashlea170706

also scales try your local charity shop or car boot!

Oscar

We pay the school X a term or weekly if it cant be afforded in one payment. The school then provide the ingredients. This is only for the compulsory Home Economics in the first two years of secondary. I have no idea what happens if they pick it as an exam subject. As a result the school can purchase in bulk and no one misses out! The amount to pay is not excessive either.

andyrules

Yes, remember those days - fiddling around with lots of expensive bits and bobs perfectly weighed out! (normally by harassed parent late at night!) Why they can't charge a fee and provide bulk ingredients for the children to weigh out I don't know. It would be cheaper and more useful.

But then by the time child number 2 was at this age, school decided that those in the grammar stream shouldn't have cookery lessons (), only those in the lower echelons!!

stefejb

when my dd's were doing cookery you made a contribution at the beginning of term and the teacher provided the ingredients - I think kids on free meals got free ingredients - this was at the pre gcse stage so I don't know if there was the same system for those who had opted for gcse food technology