the hate school fayres?

[thebird]

Its that time of year again that makes me very grumpy - the school fayre. The weeks leading up to the Christmas and Summer events mean endless letters/texts/emails from school wanting money for raffle tickets, cakes, tombola items, jazzy jars, home clothes, book your slot on the boucy castle or go cart track forms. Its making me dizzy.

Then theres the joyful event itself. An afternoon of chaos and spending money buying other peoples unwanted toys and arguing with DCs when they want more money for candyfloss or a barbie with one leg. I've tried to be positive about these events but I just can't help but get annoyed. I'd rather give the school the money and do without the hassle - or maybe I'm just a grumpy old women!

i'm not a misery bunbaker.....try financing these things when you are on income support perhaps? do schools think of that when arranging these things?

well tbh our school has done some fantastic things with the money raised from school fayres which are for the sole purpose of benefitting the pupils so I have to say YABU.

what fantastic things are those?

As someone who has helped to organise both the Summer & Christmas fairs at DS2's primary school since Christmas 2004, I am pretty sick of hearing the OP's kind of attitude TBH.

Unless your school is incredibly different to ours, you are being asked for donations for the tombola, toy stall, whatever stall & maybe to sell raffle tickets. Asked mind, I don't suppose anyone is holding a gun to your head?

Where do you think the money raised goes exactly? Do you object to your DC's having extra books, computers, play equipment in school? Presuming you don't, then it is pretty crappy to start complaining because a small group of parents have worked damn hard to organise money raising events to pay for them IMO.

And, at the end of the day, no-one is making you spend money on anything. If you don't want to go & support your school (and the extra resources these events provide for your children) then don't.

BTW, I am not a PTA Committee member & have never wanted to be. I am just one of the group of mums who works damn hard to make sure the annual fairs go ahead. Our school would have no outdoor play equipment or school football kit without them - no word of a lie .

so how come the upper school dont do all this?? they are the ones who need more up to date equipment,books,gcse resources??

ive the answer thebird if you cant beat em join em , have a stall yourself get rid of a load of junk and make some money and give your dcs some of the money your making to bugger off around the playground to buy whatever which you can throw away sell next year on the same stall... ive actually done this and made £80 or so and the table cost £6 so not bad hey

school football kit??

Oh, and I forgot to mention - there are a lot of parents at our school who are out of work/reliant on benefits & therefore do not have money to spare.

For this reason, all games/stalls are 20p a go and, funnily enough, 90% of the complaints about the "money grabbing PTA" I have heard have come from the wealthier parents as they head back to their brand new 4x4's.

But emmanumber3 you can know all of that, donate stuff, help out and buy vast amounts of tat but that doesn't mean you have to enjoy it.

"what fantastic things are those?"

At DD's school - extra computers for the ITC suite so that pupils don't have to share, voilins for the school orchestra, line markings in the playground, books for the school library, paid for transport for pupils representing the school for any kind of sport/singing/school orchestra. These are a few that spring immediately to mind.

ILoveTIFFANY. I would have thought that donating unused toys, books or CDs/DVDs wouldn't cost you anything. No-one is expecting you to go out and buy anything to donate. And if you are on benefits you might find a new toy, bookk, CD/DVD you want at a fraction of the price of a new one.

You are very negative.

I love fetes, brilliant fun. Much better just to go to one than help organise as its amazing how you can sit around a kitchen table quietly ( or rather loudly getting drunk) and all you've discussed is whether or not its a good idea to have a name the teddy stall.

Adventure playground
Covered out/indoor play area
vegtable garden
chickens
outdoor ampitheatre sp?)
tranquility/ sensory garden
scooters/trikes

i hate em too
i am over school fetes

I've never been to one.

I give what is asked for - a bottle of wine or something for the tombola - and just don't go. Nobody's ever said anything, so I can only assume it's never been noticed and / or nobody gives a damn

If the boys mind, they've never said. So I can only assume they care as little as I do.

The PTA at DS1's secondary school tend to use things like school discos, ticket sales from school productions etc. to raise the bulk of their income I believe Tiffany.

And, yes, school football kits (for the school football team). Purchased from the proceeds of last year's summer fair. Also doubles at the school cricket kit.

as not at

oh and i was on the PTA at first and pre school , a hell of a lot of work by very few parents go into making it a fun day when i was on the pre school pta we made (remembering we only had 30dcs) £1.800 so was fantastic we advertised well and had a huge raffle, it really is a pitty more parents dont get involved to spread the time and cost of it.

webwiz - I don't think I said you had to enjoy it. You might aswell try to though .

We don't go, I just give a donation instead

I used to refer to them as "a fete worse than death".

ours do that to emmanumber3 and have a fayre every other year a really big one and they do cakes reg but they have stopped the dress down days generally except for red nose day obviously but they do a lot of other stuff to raising funds inc the bags to school as theyget so much per tonne of clothes

Hate hate HATE HATE them all!

Our school goes mad, sports days x 2, charity fund raising, fayres, 2 special end of term assemblies

our fayres are themed.....few weeks before the pta sell costumes. these are roughly £8 each going on this years. ten before the fayre,they have a day in school where these costumes can be worn....to tie in with the theme.....so we feel coerced to buy them or our dc miss out...

negative? yes,getting to be.....its no crime

oh I totally agree I used to help them but I secretly loathed every second but just I personally felt kind of a duty as a mum of three dcs that went there i ought to help but i dont look down on anyone who doesnt help but if people are not going to help just dont complain about it just give them something for the stall or whatever then forget it, but without them as you say the school wouldnt have their ampitheatre there moazaic wall 1000s of new books in an updated library willow hideouts a sensory/wildlife garden all sorts

yanbu