to be naffed off that the school returned the 100-ish books I donated?

[BoffinMum]

I used to be a teacher and I am currently governor of a local primary school, which is having some problems with standards in literacy. Its library is very small indeed, and there are some children there from deprived backgrounds who according to the Head possess no books at all.

At home we probably have too many books. Recently we were redecorating the kids' rooms and I realised we had accumulated many duplicates of kids' classics (Roald Dahl etc), plus there were top quality story books, as well as reference books of various types that I thought they wouldn't need again (eg guides to caring for certain pets, 100 DIY science experiments, how to draw stuff, children's atlases, that kind of thing). My teacher antennae twitched and I thought to myself, hey, these are top quality, current books, and would be great for the school. So I took the bag up there and donated the lot. I suggested they could be used for the school library, as they had been asking for donations, or alternatively they could be given to any kids who felt they might want to use them, as freebies.

Today the school sent the entire bag of stuff home.

AIBU to feel a bit offended?

Sounds like you need to talk to them.

If you're a Governor, raise it. I can't begin to see why it's a problem for the school - unless by some bizarre quirk of probabilities all of your books were duplicates of theirs.

That is truly irrational. Our primary library and the class libraries are stuffed with good quality donations from parents, and I've just dropped off a carrier bag full at my son's secondary school.
What sort of a head turns down an offer like that?

I have an idea.... a small flash of brilliance .....

why not park out side the school with the book open and invite children to take a book?

I have rummaged through the top of the bag to make sure I am not imagining things and a sample of them includes:

Monet's garden pop up book
How to care for guinea pigs
Stig of the Dump
The Secret Garden
100 Great machines
Some Phillip Pullman
Entire Rupert Bear original 1970s hardback set (they could probably sell it on Ebay, FFS!)
Quite a bit of girls' fiction aimed at 9+
Some Jacqueline Wilson

It's ridiculous.

Troisgarcons, it's simpler than you think. You invite all the children to come and adopt a book, heavily encouraging the ones who you think don't have many at home.

Is it a church school? They might reject because of the Phillip Pullman if it is - clutching at straws there btw, but you never know
If you do decide to sell them for your Tanzania charity, can I have first refusal on Rupert? pretty please!

Euphemia, it's a big building with plenty of space.

Nope, community school.

Are Philip Pulman & Jacqie Wilson for Primary school age?

Even so, you´d think that they would take what they wanted.

I´ll have second refusal on Rupert-pretty please!!

FWIW I think they are actually too lazy to sort them out, and too complacent to realise their library is sparse in the extreme compared to other local schools. Dreadful thing to say, but I am unimpressed.

PomBear, by all means, let me see how many there are and you can make me an offer. They are the black and white illustrated ones in yellow hardback, containing verse. I know people collect them.

It's a cut down Pullman aimed at that age group.

Have you thought about asking if the Children's Hospice in Milton could use them for the kids?

I think it´s awful.

I love books and it would take a lot for me to give any away tbh, so I´d be offended if they were returned.

We've got Pullman and Wilson in our library, very popular with Y5 and 6.

How sad. :( YANBU

fucks' sake - check out Ebay for the Rupert Bears.

Then send a photo of you, clutching a champagne flute full of Krug bought with the proceeds, between your naked buttocks, to the Headteacher. Anonymously of course.

Thanks Boffin :-) Are they these ones?

chuckling madly at Krug between buttocks image!

Well I can see that rupert bear wouldn't be needed tbh but not macaroons Wilson, roald Dahl and Philip pullman
Maybe they just looked at the rupert bear
Did you send in a note?
It can be irritating having 100 books off loaded at school without arranging it first

Oops stupid phone and macarron instead of Jacqueline

YANBU!!! if you get a reason, wd love to know why?

Our local public library won't take donations because they say it's too much hassle sifting all the crap some people bring, since they can't easily only accept some donations and not others, they just have a blanket policy.

Yes PomBear, that's them.

I am a Governor and I did it in response to their briefing about the redecorated school library and its needs.