(Pretty) please could we have your thoughts on school fairs for the times?

Actually I generally have a problem with some aspects of school fundraising. I don't mind going to a school fete and spending £15 (although round here that wouldn't cover the entrance fee!) but I do object to the conscription element.

Recently DD was sent home with an envelope - in the envelope were a book of raffle tickets with a note inviting us to sell them on the school's behalf for prizes being drawn at the fair. The onus is on us either to remit the money for these tickets or return them and explain why. Oh and did I mention you have to be there to collect your prize so you then get tied into attending the fair and paying the entrance fees.

We have also been 'invited' to buy four tickets to a £15 two hour event (but that's okay, it includes one glass of wine ) So not only are we supposed to go but bring two friends.

just had ours, it is ever-so-slightly chi-chi, but sweet too...and the jam is delicious. The PTA raises a LOT of money. I think they got over £7k. Good on them.

Ds informs me it was £6,423...! I just think that the parents are givers tbh(except me of course!).
It's a Catholic school and it always seems to raise a lot.

Sorry SEA, I wasn't ignoring you (even though I was having a dig) .

I was just remembering your 'why I hate independent schools' (or something similar) thread. It gave the impression you thought there was this group of middle class, boden wearing, 4x4 driving, independent school using, arrogant idiots and then there were normal people like yourself.

When I'm sure you know it's far more Venn diagram like than that with most people overlapping into all the different areas.

The them and us political stance is bollocks IMO. They don't exist. I'm sure you disagree but hey ho!

I really think PTAs need to decide what they're for. If it's fundraising they should pay a professional. If it's about getting stressed and time-poor parents together for a bit of down time, there must be better ways?

Yes it's FAYRE surely

HOW do you raise 6.5k? You should be doing a bloody MN webchat

Ours around 1k with the standard tat - which probably cost 6k from the Tesco garage the morning before the fayre...

I know Squid, and it's a state school and not a particularly affluent area ~ middle of the road I'd say.

I knew it was time to leave our poncey corner of London when we went to the school fair and discovered that one of the raffle prizes was a course of botox ...

6.5k?

fucking hell

Well, Surrey primary school here (so reasonably affluent, I s'pose), and bugger all competitive £7 chutney extravaganzas. Booze tombola (with vital inclusion of out of date Guiness cans), sweet Tombola, cake sale, raffle, children country dancing - all the usual suspects.

Angela, my dear, change your school, don't bother with an article.

At my son's last school (state, primary in affluent area), raffle tickets for the Governors' Hamper (wine cheese, chutney, marmite buscuits, & olives) were £10 a go and they sold 242 tickets. £2,420 for a few groceries. Hah.

Sons are now both at Independent school and it's totally different. Pimms on Founders' day is completey free as is the picnic lunch and various socials throughout the year in the school/Abbey are catered for, free of charge. But there's no pressure to turn up. So most people don't. It's bliss. Just like the old Grammar school days. It's a shame we have to pay £15,000 per annum per boy though.

Ours raised just under 6.5k a couple of weekends ago.
I only dropped in in the last hour as I couldn't risk being badgered out of money I don't have. There wasn't much left by the time I did get there, but there were computer games for sale, plant sale, crockery smashing...teddy bear sale(second hand bears), a photographer and this is just what I saw at the end...there's usually cakes for sale, smellies etc too.

Do independent schools have school fairs? I've only ever been to state school summer fairs. [ignorant]

I loathe them, btw. We don't have professionally decorated cakes - it's all cheap and cheerful - but I am such an anti-social cheap frugal misanthrope that I would rather just give a donation. I feel like I've been mugged every time I go.

But that is just me. I do think they are probably a Good Thing - community spirit, fun, working for a common cause, etc etc. I just don't want to organise them or go to them.

pmsl at 'clean up your own poo'

Well, ours is in an affluent area. It's not competetive, doesn't sell £7 jars of chutney and doesn't raise 5-fig sums. Maybe Angela is confusing it with some country-fayre shopping event at her dc's incredibly prestigious independent school, stuffed full of the spawn of Times jurnos.

Note to Angela: the Times is utter shite - piss poor reporting frankly

PMSL at Boco

I am indeed a Guide Dog puppy walker. Have just taken on my second dog, first one is doing really well up at the centre in Forfar. My new one still has that gorgeous puppy smell.

There is a huge shortage of puppy walkers at the moment.

Oh we're having donkey rides this year for the first time, although the Head is panicking about health and safety. My friend who is organising the donkeys was stressed out and emailed her solicitor instead of the donkey people by accident, saying 'do you clean up your own poo, or are we expected to do it?'.

Oh we did ahave a few rather spanky cakes for Christmas but a few were mine fluke and I get tips from professional baker MIL

Such as 'if you wille ating yourself add arsenic'

our school is only 220 puils so I feel we did well. chocolate tombola raises a fortune (kids bring in a bar for a non uniform day) but the amount of time we spend removing manky oput of date cereal bars beggars beleif

Ours grows each year, for the first time this week itis pn a saturday so it can be a community thing

its fun and profitable- last yearwe had a western theme (was 4th July y'see) so we had line dancing, burgers, a petting zoo. Made @£700 but that included £400 to repair a tent we were lent (sure it was lent that way)

Was excellent fun, can't go this year as a parental birthday- shame (but so much cheaper, ussually spend masses)

only in London independents Angela.
Come to my fair fayre funday in Kent (easy from London) on the 11th July and you can buy a burnt sausage from the deputy head, take part in the it's a knockout and get wet or buy a £1 raffle ticket to win a trip on the Kent and East Sussex Railway!

The best parts are where the children get to splat teachers etc.

Oh and last year they had some sort of dragon's den stall idea going with yr 5, so they were competing to get the most people to play their games

Ours is a skint area

Value tins and toiletries on the tombola, dirty toys on the toy stall... still that whole nice feeling of day outness etc though

Two - could I gatecrash for one sec and ask if you train guide dogs/puppy walk? DH and I really interested in Puppy walking and would like a bit of insight
End of high jack

I made a similar comment Southeastastra and nobody bothered!