Alcohol at primary school discos…….

Loads of parent go to the pub across from the school druing our disco. As a PTA we discussed having an adult bar ... we just don't have the space . But yes super profitable and a way to get parents to be on time to pick their kids up.

Any event where the parents stayed at my kids primary school had a bar. It always made more money than anything else.

If parents are staying, then the bar makes sense. Particularly if yours is the sort of school where everyone lives within a mile of the school to get in (so walking distance home!)

But you said this:

"But parents don't need to be hanging about at a school disco, do they? Once children get to school age, they just need transport there and back."

And the point was - that was your school, but your experience does not translate to everyone else's. It's nothing about "need" it is about the requirements of people's particular schools.

I was lucky then, because my DCs school didn't expect it.

Yup. I have NEVER wanted to attended the school disco! 2 hours on a Friday night after a long week of work, no thanks! But as it has been pointed out, some schools say an adult has to be there with the child, albeit in another part of the school.
Thatbwas actually more annoying, didn’t even get to see the kids having fun.

Actually you said parents don’t need to attend a school disco. I was merely pointing out that in some schools they actually do, if they want their kids to attend that is. I think it’s a given that nobody wants to attend a school disco.

My dc primary school discos have been held in a venue that sells alcohol so parents do drink, it's a night out for them too.

Our school fayre held in the daytime at a weekend also sells alcohol.

I never said I expected teachers to give up their free time.

I merely said I wouldn't want to attend a school disco.

I like your style 😂😂

So 61% of violent crime doesn't involve alcohol, and 62% of sexual assaults don't involve alcohol - so surely that means that if you've had alcohol you are less likely to commit crime that if you're sober ?

Because rich people only get "squiffy" whereas "the plebs" get "drunk".

It will also be a good way to spot the parents on benefits at the school events because Kemi Bad Enoch won't let them buy alcohol.

Some schools insist on someone being in attendance with their kids to supervise. Mine certainly did which was just as well as the PTA would have found it difficult to muster up enough volunteers to both run the event and also supervise a load of over excited kids. Discos, fairs, Xmas stuff - it was all just advertised as a school community event with the whole family encouraged to attend rather than a drop and run. Can’t blame them really, why should teachers give up their free time to supervise kids at a disco when they’ve already been teaching them all day.

The Headmistress of my DD's primary laid on a Pimms Bar at sports day. School funds made a packet!

I'm the person on the PTA who organises our licence each year, which technically means I'm responsible for saying 'no' if someone is drunk and wants to be served. I worried about this a lot in the early days - had visions of being the most unpopular person at the school gate on Monday morning after cutting off Jake's mum's prosecco!

In reality, everyone who comes to this sort of thing (at our school at least) is far too well behaved to push it - I remember everyone being a bit 'oh I'm not sure / has anyone else had one yet' at the Xmas fair when we were trying to flog hot chocolate with a tot of Bailey's in it. The measures are small, the mark up is big (although probably not as big as the bake sale!) and it raises a lot of money.

depends on the school, depends on times.

If they use the disco to raise funds by having a bar and parents staying on school property, why not. Sometimes it's much easier to hang around than trying to go back and forth. Discos rarely last for hours.

But parents don't need to be hanging about at a school disco, do they? Once children get to school age, they just need transport there and back.

At my DC's school discos, parents would get sloshed on Pimms, Prosecco and craft beers, or mulled wine at the winter fair.
At my school, not a drop of alcohol has ever been served.

No you can’t trust adults to have a sensible amount. 39% of all violent crime involves alcohol. It’s linked to half of domestic violence reports. 38% of serious sexual assault, rape, or assault by penetration cases, victims reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol depresses the nervous system. That means it stops your brain functioning properly. Everything is affected even by two drinks - reaction time, emotional control, senses, inhibition, judgement, memory. Forgive me for not thinking a small child’s disco is the place for that. Having a different opinion to you about the place of alcohol in society doesn’t make me need to unclench.

We’re a nation of drinkers who need to reconsider their relationship with it. It’s a drug. And the image of parents buying warm cups of gin from the primary school toilets for a disco is just sad.

There was alcohol at pretty much every primary school event ay my dc’s school in Australia. Including ‘champagne’ in the school library on the very first day. Also, when I was teaching there there was wine in the staff room on Friday nights.

No alcohol at our primary school disco. Not a thing.

I have no idea but apparently there will be alcohol licensed bar at my child’s school disco ……… I’m in utter shock!

'Utter shock' , bit of an over reaction.
There used to be a licensed bar at our primary school disco in the early 2000's.
I checked with dh to make sure i didn't have false memory.

It every much IS a night out for many parents with young children. And one that doesn’t require paying a fortune for a babysitter either.
I agree with this to be fair.

Feel like we should give the PTA a break, it's hard enough to raise money without banning alcohol for puritan reasons. Surely we can trust adults to have a sensible amount

And yes, maybe it wasn't like this in the past - but previously the government would pay for stuff that is now coming out of the PTA budget (recent examples, fixing the junior toilets and a special drama teacher). Also we are required to chaperone our children to disco nights, movie nights, cultural evenings etc - when I was a child my parents never came to school events , probably they were at the pub !

My kids school has banned alcohol at events. No more mulled wine during the Xmas play 😭