Could we have a campaign to stop primary schools binning our children's work at the end of the year?

[pinkthechaffinch]

There's a thread on this topic here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1247201-How-sad-is-this-Does-this-happen-in-your-dc-school

This happens at my ds' school and every year I find the thought of his hard (or not so hard) work being scrapped quite upsetting and also a bit disconcerting as I have suddenly realised that I haven't seen any examples of his schoolwork since the autumn parent's evening ( he gets no homework).

I'd be interested to hear of your views on this MNHQ.

[CairyHunt]

signing in in support

[belledechocchipcookie]

Can't you ask the teachers for it?

You really don't want to keep it all do you? Imagine all of the bits of paper.

[Ormirian]

Noooo....... I have too much hw and drawing and blooyd cardboard models. And I hate throwing them away - makes me too sad and guilty. I would much rather the school did it for me

[CairyHunt]

no, you cannot ask the teachers for it. If the school decides you cannot have it, then you cannot have it.

Some children, according the the tes website where this all started, have been made to tear their own work up at the end of the year

Imagine small children doing this. How must they feel?

[pooka]

Bin away. I get to see work at parents' evenings. DS1 and DD bring a few choice exercise books or drawings home. That's enough really. I don't have the space for potentially 18 years worth of work X3 and if it comes home the burden of choosing what can stay and what can go will be onme. I know that I'd end up hoarding.

[belledechocchipcookie]

It teaches them to declutter.

[pooka]

Of course children shouldn't have to destroy their own work, though. But between end of summer term and start of autumn term.....

[MavisEnderby]

My goodness.My heart sinks at the end of the year when ds appears clutching reams of paper.At Christmas I had to stagger home with a 2ft paper collage of a Christmas tree.Eeek.I keep some bits and the rest is surreptitiously given to the recycling fairy.

Making them tear up their work is sad though.

[CairyHunt]

but pooka, you would not get the choice exercise books or drawings at all.

i.e nothing to show for their primary years.

[CrapolaDeVille]

Perhaps schools could have a 'come and take it' evening or 'sort out my best work' afternoon. I'm not so emotional about it tbh, but it would certainly help children feel that all their work is not wasted.

[pinkthechaffinch]

I think that our children and ourselves should decide what is to be kept or not-not the teachers

I have lots of stories I wrote during J3 (Y4) and they are interesting for my children to look at.

Yes, most of it can be discarded but I want the veto

and apparently the reason for it is to prevent parents complaining about lack of marking or similar

[AgonyBeetle]

Ours have to take in two plastic carrier bags at the beginning of the last week of term, and then stagger home at some point during that week with said bags containing a year's worth of exercise books/pictures/drawings/models/random stuff. I look through it, keep the things that are interesting and stick the rest in the recycling. There's only so sentimental I can get over photocopied times tables sheets, but the English and RE exercise books in particular are often quite sweet.

[CairyHunt]

oh no you wouldn't want all the photocopied shite. Little books of their own stories and stuff like that would be lovely though.

[Hulababy]

I don't know a school which does this. I assumed all schools sent work home, unless it was something being passed on to their next teacher.

DD has to take in a bag on the last week and it all comes home - infact they do it at the end of every term.

Likewise in the class I teach in the work is sent home at the end of the year.

I can honestly say that there is no way on earth I would make any child tear up their own work. I think that is abhorrent behaviour and I would have to stand up and say no to which ever head teacher insisted. It would be too awful to expect little children to tear up their work.

[stealthsquiggle]

I can't imagine why any school would do this - unless parents have in the past objected to the heaps of rubbish masterpieces going home?

[Playdohinthewashingmachine]

OP, have you been in and asked your dc's teachers? Only most parents don't want it all, so perhaps they don't know that you do ?

[stealthsquiggle]

oh, OK - have read the other thread. I get the issue about parents dissecting ancient books - but that shouldn't stop them sending home pieces of work used for displays, etc surely?

[pinkthechaffinch]

I asked around ast year, other parents told me that it was the schools policy-no-one then knew the reason why, one teacher told me with a shrug that it was do with recycling

I was surprised as at ds' last school he came home with 2 carrier bags full of work.

This year I intend to find out why and if it is the same reason as the schools mentioned in the TES thread on the subject.

[CairyHunt]

and mine have said no, from this year

[CairyHunt]

bump

[PlaygroundAntics]

Schools should not destroy/throw away a childs work. The poor child would feel totally sad and his/her work unworthy...bad schools!!
I say bring back the huge carrier bag on the last day of term...!!

[Pantene]

I had heard they were going to make an announcement in the weekly newsletter about this, if they can squeeze it in amongst all the thankyous for a certain parent, who does so much for the school. All a bit yawnsome!

[SexyDomesticatedDab]

Why a campaign? - just send a note to the govenors and ask them to explain why and if needed at least give an option that those that do want the stuff can take it home. We get all ours and have to sort it for a few bits to keep and rest gets recycled at some point.