My DCs are at a private school. The PTA work hard to raise money to gild the gates, retile the swimming pool and other such worthy causes.
So you get the 'bake lovely home-made cakes for us and we'll sell them for 20p each', summer ball + auction, and all that sort of stuff.
I think it's bollocks tbh, we pay five figures in fees per child and I don't know why they need to scrape together the odd £100 extra from these jobs. But I guess it keeps the PTA mums busy.
Anyway, latest thing is we've been given 'Happy Bags', and told them to fill them with unwanted possessions to raise money from the school.
We are told
"Items collected are:
- clean clothing
- paired shoes and trainers
- handbags, belts, hats, accessories
- jewellery, toiletries, perfumes
- console games, souvenirs
- bedlinen, towels, soft toys
Please note, items not accepted: bric-a-brac, mats, pillows, blankets, curtains."
What we aren't told is how the school will benefit.
I looked at their website (www.happyschoolbag.co.uk), and it says
"We ensure that we pay the highest market prices. At the moment we pay up to £0.60 per kilo. "
Frankly this makes me cringe. Parents mostly drive X5s, XC90s, etc. and live in big detached homes. I'm sure they have some lovely stuff. And the thought of all that outgrown Boden, designer handbags, etc., being weighed up at 60p/kilo, and then sold on by the company behind it, seems almost criminal.
(You get similar collection bags through the letterbox, and I don't like them either, but at least then there is no competitive pressure to come into school carrying in bulging sacks full of lovely goods to be sold off for pennies.)
AIBU to thing this scheme is a rip-off and the school shouldn't be involved with it?