To think this is a bit cheeky

[KeepInMindItsAlmostChristmas]

So DS2 comes home with a letter yesterday saying he has the most merit marks in his from and the 3rd highest in the school (well done DS2) and he will be included on the merit trip (going to a panto). Letter says he will need a packed lunch and sweets and drinks will be allowed.
It is a reward for doing so well, all very lovely and he is quite proud of himself and excited to go on the trip, so far so good.....

It then says the cost of the trip is £15.00
Yep I have to pay for him to go on a outing that is to reward him for doing well!!!!!

AIBU to think that is a little bit cheeky, I mean to tell the children they are going and it is a reward then to hit the parents for money.

I have no idea what emarking is but yes, of course the panto tickets only benefit the kids going to the panto. What do you think the rest of the kids get out of them???

Oggy: The panto tickets are achievable by any of the pupils, if they try hard enough.
See, there's this metaphor - the Carrot and the Stick.
Now, if the only thing encouraging the pupils to behave well is the threat of punishment - detentions, suspensions, telling offs, letters home, etc, then all that the school has is a Stick, and all they are likely to get from the pupils is the bare minimum needed to avoid application of the Stick.
Offering them a Carrot, this term in the form of panto tickets, means that there is some encouragement to go beyond the bare minimum and strive to achieve something, rather than only striving to avoid something.
That is how the panto tickets benefit all the pupils.
And mocking people for typographical errors is petty and makes you look a fool. Unless you really can't figure that 'emark' in that context is 'embark'. In which case, read more.

Lol, I understand incentive schemes, have worked with them enough! In general they benefit the winners and the people running them (ie they acheive the behaviour they want)

I don't think they are necessarilly equally acheiveable by everyone if they "try hard enough".

In any case, I never said I had any objection to an incentive scheme, or that I thought the parents should pay for it. I merely questioned whether raised funds were intended for such a purpose because my personal view would be that raised funds should be for the actual benefit of all and not an elite few.

Oh my, just read your last sentence. How rude! No I didn't realise it was a typo, I thought "emark" it was some teacher-speak term. No need for that rudeness!

If you genuinely did not realise that emark was embark, then I apologise for my snippeshness - it was calculated to match what I read as your snippeshness.
You seem to support my argument:
" In general they benefit the winners and the people running them (ie they acheive the behaviour they want)"
The behaviour they want in this case being the pupils trying to earn a reward by behaving well. Better behaviour by all or any pupils benefits the other pupils - more courtesy, less disruption, etc. I fail to see the negative here.

I don't think an incentive scheme is negative as I said in my last post. I have nothing against it. But, I think the primary beneficiaries are the teachers and the winners.

I take your point that all children benefit from better behaviour from all childreb but are merits only awarded on good behaviour? They have similar schemes at my son's school (although the prize is nothing of monetary value) and points can be gained based on academic acheivements, getting dressed first after pe, eating all lunch etc

I don't see how any of these benefit any other children, so I guess it depends ont he scheme itself.

Agreed - it depends on the scheme, how well thought out and how well administered it is.

Wow, after such a rocky start we have reached an agreement

Phew - fight averted! Well done you two

Thank you all, DS2 is happy to be going and I am pleased he has achieved so many merits.

I do think that the school should fund it as it is a reward for doing well, also I agree that it is something any child could achieve and I see nothing wrong in rewarding hard work nor having a system in place that does so, I have always taught both my children that the only way to have nice things is to work hard to get them (sadly not always true) but I hope they will strive to do well and have pride in the accomplishments they make and themselves for making them.

I shall pay the money, I shall get him sweets and possibly fizzy drink, but I shall still think it is a bit cheeky [hgrin]

Unbelievable! Very unfair too. You are caught between a rock and a hard place now. I would find it hard to do so, but I would complain to the school and possibly the governors too.