To hate non-school uniform days

[MarioandLuigi]

Where you have to pay in items.

It was bad enough when it was 50p a day, then it went up to £1, now our school ask for stuff in return for wearing our own clothes (or pyjamas). DS1 has to take in chocolate bars and DS2 has to take in bottles of fizzy pop.

I know its all fundraising but it drives me crackers because it gets quite expensive with one every few weeks.

I've never heard of paying in items...but yes too many non uniform days are expensive and annoying.

The laziest but most effective form of fundraising really.

Our school do items too, rather than money. I prefer it, tbh.

But really? One every few weeks?

Really, you don't have to do anything!

Send them in uniform or don't and refuse to pay tax on their own clothing.

Our secondary had a new HT at the beginning of this year. One of the first thing he did was to scrap non-uniform days.

YANBU. They are a pain in the a*.

They still raise money for charity with charity sports stuff in the lunch hour. The DC themselves have arranged various sponsorship in and out of school.

We have about 4 per academic year. It's about the only way you will get loads of bottles or whatever for the school fetes though. But having too many defeats the object.

I should also add I forgot about/didn't write down the last one and I'm a PTFA trustee

With my four, I'd be quite likely to go to lidl, buy a large tray of cartons/bottles and deposit it at the school office as payment up front for all ensuing non-uniform days!

Our school has: pyjama day;St Georges Day:Roman/Greek/Egyptian Day:Breast Cancer Awareness Dress in Pink Day; Tudor Day;Beach Party Day;

Not all of them have a £1 levy but they do involve some cost with the costumes.

However I love them and relish dressing the DCs up.
It's one reason to keep them!!

I hate them too - which reminds me they have one this Friday and have to bring in a jar or box of sweets (luckily I hate chocolate and have lots stashed away as people always forget and giev them to me for xmas). Also have to bring in a cake for the school fair on the same day which is a pain but I will just buy one :) I don't mind paying for this sort of stuff as I never have time to do stuff with the PTA so can give money instead and feel less guilty

What do the school need chocoalte & fizzy pop for? Are the teachers wages that bad, they cant afford their own snacks?

You're not the only one. Bottle for the tombola is the one I dislike the most. Used to be £1 for non-uniform. But bottle when the unspoken rule is that it's alcoholic is much more expensive than that - especially when you have more than one child at the school.

My 'bottle' was a 2litre cola from Aldi for this summers NU day. Thats where I shop, I and DS don't drink (hes 6yo!) and it was a saving on the £1.

We're in a recession dontcha know.

I hate them too. Not the clothes bit. You should send your child in clothed. I mena the humiliation of turning up in your uniform when no one esle is is horribel. But the unspoken rule of alcohol, drives me mad.

Ds' school has 2 a year for bottles for the tombola at the Christmas/Summer Fayre.

Bottle of own brand ketchup or a cheap bottle of shampoo. Job done. I'd only send in a bottle of wine if we'd won something that we wanted to pass on, but they prefer non-alcoholic as it's less hassle than sending the child away to find an adult when they win booze.

In 2 weeks we have to take fruit in so they can make smoothies to sell at sports day.

So far this year we have had Book Day (crisps), Comic Relief (Bottle of drink). Art week (where they frame your DC's art and then charge you a fiver to buy it) and DT week, where your DC's make a model of something and they charge you a fiver to buy it. Then its Milk and Fruit money, a school trip a term and the dinner money has gone up by 50p a week. I have two children at school, although DS2 doesnt stay for dinner.

I know its not alot in isolation, but when you add it up its quite a bit.

Oh and the poetry book that the children wrote poems for, the tea towels and calendars!

Yes happens at our school too. Very annoying as we pay for school anyway (private Prep) so why on earth we need fundraising goodness only knows?

We eventually wrote a letter to the Head and told her we would just send £20 per term to cover all fund raising days. Indeed we suggested she just put £20 on our bill and stop the fundraing all together. The head of the P(i)TA blew a fuse thoug because the funraising events were deemed important in themselves. Go figure!

I think fund raising for RNLI, guide dogs, local childrens cancer charity are important for all DC to be involved in. I do have reservations about some of the other fund raising......red nose day etc really get on my nerves.

Also I too have a collection of calendars(with pictures draw by DC) and tea towels etc. And yes I did also buy the books of poems and all the clay master pieces.

Secondary schools are much less money grabbing. Or maybe it's just that mine never bring the letters home.

The secondary school which is attached to our DSs Prep try to raise funds but as one parent explained recently, once a child gets to secondary school the parents rarely have to turn up at the school gate so they feel free too ignore the fund raising missives.

I don't mind it at all and the children enjoy it - it is such a simple form of raising funds/prizes etc. . If you don't like it - just send your DC in uniform - and regarding a 'bottle' of course you don't have to send wine, send something simple.

How about money raising for the school itself?

Schools are not "money grabbing" but seeing their budgets cut in real terms year on year. E.g. The county council might fund a new classroom if they increase the number of kids you are to take on, but they may not necessarily pay to fully equip it. Fair enough if you don't want your kids to have decent books and learning materials, IT equipment, whiteboards etc then don't bother to contribute what you can.

Ok the state should pay for this. But they aren't going to, not with this government. Oh not unless you're one of their darling free schools or academies that is.

So in actual fact in a state school this whole 'fundraising thing' is a quite cynical and quite knowing way for a council to raise an informal 'tax' on parents? I wonder if they deliberately under equip schools in nice middle class areas knowing fundraising will make up the differnce. As I said, I accept paying for things at DSs school but if my DSs went to state school I just don't see why fundraising should happen at all.

Believe me I did it all. Ran the stalls, organised the BBQs etc.

Raised money for new carpets, curtains, infant reading books, library books,
new maths text books for year6, play equipment the list is endless.

I suppose that by the time my youngest left primary school I had just had enough.

Maybe so MoreBeta. But then the school is left dealing with the consequences. A lot of schools in less well off areas are poorly funded as well though, to the extent that water comes through the walls and basic stuff like that though too.

nagynolonger I'd say you have done more than your share, well done! I do wonder at the parents who never turn up to a single PTFA meeting the whole of the time the kids are at school though, offer any help or get involved with the school at all though...I mean if I can do it and organise two big events a year, never mind just help out on stalls, or bake cakes or contribute the odd £1 working full time hours in a very demanding job with two small children then I'm sure others could make a little more effort.

It is the easiest way to raise money-unless you are going to come up with a better idea, and offer to run it, I don't think you can complain.