Village Gala Day Drama

Why is picking a name out the hat the fairest? We don’t pick our leaders this way. Healthy competition is good for us as a society - it encourages us to strive, it improves resilience and the winner feels proud of their accomplishments.

I think an essay is a good idea. If you are not good at writing an essay you won’t win, like if you arent good at running you won’t win the race. It’s life I’m afraid.

Children need to understand they don’t always win. It’s an important life school and by ‘picking lots’ we are doing children a disservice.

Itbis old fashioned, or to phrase it another way, ' traditional'.
These events are amazing and create a fabulous community.

What about choosing based on who has contributed something valuable to the community? It could be community spirit or something, so that not just those who are capable to attaining high grades can be selected.

It's very hard to judge from afar but being deeply embedded in the social fabric of the village probably ought to be a strong criterion. Probably a bit unfair to exclude children who don't attend the village school but children who do attend the village school probably get extra points for being embedded in the social fabric?

I don't think essay writing or academic excellence are great criteria. It should be much more about being a positive force for good in the village, beyond school.

Like this idea actually.

What if the local headteacher nominates 3 girls and 2 boys as usual. Then for any p7 children who do not attend the local school but live within catchment, they can apply to be part of the gala as long as they can provide a positive reference from their head teacher.

All eligible children are put in a draw and 3 girls are selected and 2 boys are selected. If no 'non-local primary' children apply, then the current tradition stands and the headteacher's decision is final.

I'm am older woman in an English village. We do just about everything using the names in a hat method.

Should be open to all kids and they should have to write a statement saying why it should be them. Pick the best statement. on passion of the statement rather than academic standard. Even picking someone who has done something "worthy" like litter picking might discriminate against a kid who wasn't able bodied?

I think if they want to be considered then enter a ballot. Not everyone wants to be I’m sure but then it’s fair. And make sure it’s fully independently chosen in front of others to avoid favouritism arguments!

All sounds awfully old fashioned

@TickingAlongNicely nails it!

What about choosing children who have done something for the village - litter pick or something?

Maybe family members of committee members should be ineligible to enter.... That happens with lots of competitions.

I'd go for changing the criteria to include all the children - but make sure the criteria is more inclusive so not just academic ability, sports etc

Put emphasis on things like making effort - so a child with a disability or chronic illness that has achieved above the odds, a young carer of a disabled parent or sibling etc, doing things to help others - supporting others, standing up to bullying etc

I wouldn't award it on the basis of an essay writing competition, grade 8 violin or national sports champion etc.

You will need some Gin to get you through this either way OP. Good luck

Have an entry system..... Each child that wants to participate fill in an entry form..... To include answers to say three questions
... What's your favourite thing about the village
.... Name something nice you did for somebody
etc etc.
Successful entries are put into a draw with a grand reveal/result etc.

For the amount of children in different schools who are affected I wouldn’t bother to change the selection. Each school will come with its own privileges and this is the privilege of that particular school.

I'm in a similar place in Scotland and it was extended to include the next hamlet as the kids all came to town for school. I don't think the Private school kids are included as they would have to organise time off for the practice and so on.
Our lot hand in an application form, filled out by them, explaining why they should be the Queen and maids etc.
Last year the Queen had a disability. One year one maid had made it on to junior bake-off. One year the Queen was a super dancer....
Most of the time, the ancient families do influence the outcome....but "it's ay been!"

I’m utterly shocked to read that you exclude the Catholic school. Why is this happening? You do realise the whole committee is breaking the law by excluding a state school because of its religion?

I lived near Glasgow as a teenager in the 1980s and the bigotry against Catholic people was off the scale in lots of areas. I thought things would have moved on by now but obviously not.

I am in Scotland too and completely understand the sort of event you are talking about - it's a big deal! Names out of a hat is totally the wrong approach, you are looking for people to represent the village and who are well-behaved enough to sit on the back of a float, smile and wave and generally be a good kid.

I see the argument that it should be open to all parish children or village children which is probably how it was originally intended as all the children in the parish woulsd have gone to the local school. I think it probably is time to change the rules, but it is galling that this person's child will benefit.

Tricky one. This ‘excellence’ idea will basically be a competition of how creative/supportive the parents are, not the child. Any way of deciding it is going to exclude someone though - even if you decided to make it a mass pageant that included every child in the village in a themed costume or something, some kids would still be left out as their parents couldn’t afford a costume/couldn’t be arsed to get them to rehearsals etc.

I'm getting Hot Fuzz vibes.

The Greater Gooodddd....

So the village I grew up in had a carnival. The carnival had a queen and her 4 attendants who led the parade of floats around the village onto the green for the carnival to start. The attendents where aged 7 to 11 and the queen 12-16. This time of year the committee who I was on as an adult held a disco in the village hall called the carnival queen disco. The years previous attendents would each draw a name for the new attendents and then the queen would choose and crown the next queen. The only stipulation for entering yourself forward was you had to have your parents permission and live in the village or attend the local primary school. The queen had to live in the village as all the high-schools where out of location or had to have previously attended the local primary school as we schooled the children from the hamlet a couple of miles away as this hamlet and no amenities. I feel this is a fair choice..I was lucky enough to be an attendent and the queen and if it had been a choice system I would never have had the opportunity because my mum wouldn't have allowed it as she was the chairperson of the committee so it screams fix. I think it is the only fair equal system. I'm.all for tradition but also these are children and need to be treated equally. It is clear that this person wants their grandchild to be involved. If it is a fair ballot then they have fair odds against everyone else.

This sounds rather like the rationale in an episode of Midsummer Murders. 🤔

Nrtft

The current system is definitely unfair if not all of the children attend the village school. But agree essay writing only benefits the clever kids. It’s probably too late but what about a ballot of sorts, children are put forward on their merits by their HT or teachers, churches, community groups and then of the names put forward one is chosen?

We have similar were we live accept its church focused. Traditionally the event started with the churches in the community gathering to show a solidarity regardless of religion. Each church has its own Queen, ring barer and retinue. Most of the churches have a school attached so it’s quite often a child from the school who gets the role but not always. My DDs attend one of the catholic schools, the requirement for being picked is done on children who are doing their first communion that year, they are picked in church so the child must be present at Sunday mass. This means it’s a child from the church community, most just happen to attend the school. The children (or parents) decide if they want to be put forward, if they do their name is put in an hat and drawn. Other churches have different criteria. These days the event is massive with each school walking and other groups like cubs, brownies, they all choose their representatives differently.

Try it for one year and see how it goes.