Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Original poster

School constantly asking for money

135 replies

Blurry29 · 27/03/2012 18:15

I'll admit this is a moan....

I always pay up. I always volunteer to help class when a trip is on but.....

In the last week school have asked for;

£2 science visit (held at school)
£2 another science visit (held at school)
50p easter egg hunt
All kids to take money in for cakes
£13.50 zoo trip

It seems to be getting more and more each week. It doesn't help that all the kids are informed of these events at assembly so of course get excited etc

Isn't that alot to ask for in one week??

OP posts:

seeker · 28/03/2012 13:54

If you can't pay go and talk to the Head.

And what's wrong with reminding people?

familyj · 28/03/2012 14:06

In that case though its not voluntary is it. outraged If they are saying your child will miss out if you don't pay. Incidently we do always pay for trips, visits, etc.
Although I do take exception to having to pay £8 for some people to come in and do cuririculmm based educating with the children. Surely they cannot demand payment for that if they are following govt guidelines?

seeker · 28/03/2012 14:13

It is voluntary in that they can't oblige you to pay. But if enough people don't pay then obviously whatever it is won't be able to go ahead. And if you can't pay, then go and see the Head.

exoticfruits · 28/03/2012 17:23

If there are 250 DC in the school and they all pay £1 for non uniform it is a simple and easy way to raise it. If you don't like it then you should come up with another way to raise £250 -that doesn't ask parents to put their hands in their pockets.

I wanted mine to do all the extras so I would be a bit miffed if they were stopped because people didn't pay. If you can't afford it-go and see the Head-as seeker said.

exoticfruits · 28/03/2012 17:26

There is too much -'they'-it is actually 'us' and you can be the person to make changes, if you come up with an alternative.
People work for the PTA, giving up their free time, and if you read MN get precious little thanks for it. You would be paying a lot more, or your DCs would have a lot less, without them.

GladysLeap · 28/03/2012 18:13

But why should you have to go cap-in-hand to the Head? Does she really need to know our business? I made the mistake of confiding in our original HT and she used what I'd told her against me later on. I would never do that again.

As I said, DD's school doesn't make constant demands for money, yet they manage to give the children special experiences. Perhaps some schools should look at their budgets?

exoticfruits · 28/03/2012 18:16

They can't even afford a supply teacher Gladys! I think that if you saw the budgets you would get a shock!

vnmum · 28/03/2012 18:36

KatAndKit · 28/03/2012 18:47

The prices would be lower if more people paid. As a teacher, I found plenty of fairly well off parents made some sort of point of principle of not paying voluntary contributions. Their kids got to go on whatever it was anyway because the school clearly does not want to cancel the trip so that no kids at all can go, and you aren't allowed to not let the non-payers go. So the price per child goes up to take into account the fact that there will be non-payers. In the case of genuine inability to pay, I'm sure others wouldn't mind so much. But often it isn't that way around - people who struggle don't want to admit it to the school.

Not sure what the solution is really. Perhaps suggest to the PTA that while these events are all clearly worthwhile, they have been organized too close together and ought to be spread out a bit. The cake sales are almost always charity fundraising.

seeker · 28/03/2012 18:49

Why is it going cap-in-hand? Unless you area for some bizarre reason ashamed of not being able to afford something?

Are you saying that all school trips are free at your school? If they are, then the school is misusing its budget and the governors should investigate.

Mopswerver · 28/03/2012 18:52

It's a common complaint this one and I do have sympathy, especially for families with several children at the same school. I think it's the constant asking that gets people down so our PTA has made a decision to do LESS but higher value fund raising. E.g recently we held an auction at a local hotel. We spent months contacting companies, football clubs businesses etc and invited everyone we could think of, not just parents. Result? We raised thousands..in one night, which means we don't have to do Bingo/disco/ and all the other smaller fundraisers. We (PTA) are then able to pay for lots of the extras for the children e.g we always pay for the coach for any school trips which cuts down the cost, we pay half towards the panto etc.

fedupofnamechanging · 28/03/2012 18:57

I'm okay with paying for things that directly benefit my dc, but I really do object to schools applying pressure to children, in order to get the parents to cough up for constant charity fundraising.

Not everyone can afford to give all the time. They may not want to give to that particular charity - the kids shouldn't be badgered in order to force compliance from the parents. I don't actually wish to have conversations with the school as to why I don't want to give to X or Y - that's my business.

(Just to point out, I make my own charitable donations via direct debit every month - so not just being tight).

I feel it's fundamentally wrong to get kids all excited about expensive school trips, without running details and costs past the parents first.

I also feel that school time is for education - not trips to the book sale. They are playing on you feeling really guilty if your child has chosen something they want and you say 'no' - it's manipulative and underhand.

Some people really are struggling (especially at the moment) and it would be nice if there was a little sensitivity and thought, rather than active marketing to our children, designed to guilt us into doing what the school wants.

KatAndKit · 28/03/2012 19:00

Get the kids to donate to the charity out of their pocket money then. If they decide they don't want to donate, don't give them the 50p for the cake sale/non uniform day or whatever.

fedupofnamechanging · 28/03/2012 19:08

If the kids want to then that's great - but the school don't give you the option to donate what you want - they say 'It'll be £X per child for Sport relief/other charity'. If you don't pay it, then they tell your child he is not allowed to dress up or whatever other stick they are using to beat the parents into submission.

Tanith · 28/03/2012 19:08

I collect from several schools during the week (I'm a childminder) and there's some sort of cake stall, craft stall, ice cream stall at one or other of them nearly every week.

The kids never have their own money so I end up having to fund them, plus any of the other mindees I happen to have with me at the time. None of my kids attends any of these schools and it costs me a fortune!

Original poster

Blurry29 · 28/03/2012 19:13

Vnmum

Waves back.....

OP posts:

KatAndKit · 28/03/2012 19:14

Yeah but what are they going to do? Bill you for the cake your child decided not to buy? If the child chooses not to dress up for charity then that is up to them, what will they do if a child turns up in uniform, force them to put fancy dress on and send you a reminder for the money?

Donating to charity is optional. Personally I think it is nice that schools encourage children to help those less fortunate than themselves. But if you don't want to pay for craft stall/cake sale/ice cream stall then JUST SAY NO.

mumzy · 28/03/2012 19:18

I don't mind supporting the school with sponsorships and whatnots but sometimes you do wonder what they spend the money on. Maybe at the end of every school year parents receive a letter stating amount of funds raised with parental support and how it was spent.

fedupofnamechanging · 28/03/2012 19:18

Your kids feel they are the odd ones out, if they don't dress up etc. And that's what it's designed to do, because no parent wants their child to be the odd one out, or feel uncomfortable on the day. They've got a captive market, and I just don't think that manipulating kids, in order to get money from parents, should be something that schools do.

KatAndKit · 28/03/2012 19:22

Yes but you can give your kids a choice to either be the odd one out or cough up 50p out of their pocket money for that week. If you are giving donations to charities yourself you can explain that to them as an example. If its a charity event the school are not trying to extort money out of parents for their own benefit. If it's a contribution to an educational visit they will not be making a profit on it either.

Or you could just pull all the cushions up off your sofa and find some change that way.

Schools can't win on this one. If they did no charity events Ofsted would probably complain that they were not community spirited enough.

seeker · 28/03/2012 19:27

Nobody is going to tell your child it can't dress up or whatever. As I said, we reckon to get a bit more than half of the kids giving bin a pound on non uniform days and so on.

And if you don't like what the money is spent on, go along to a PTA meeting and get it changed.

exoticfruits · 28/03/2012 19:39

There is one answer to moaners-DO SOMETHING! Get on the PTA and do it your way. I bet the main moaners are never there to man a stall, put the tables out or even wash some dishes. There is no money-if you don't want to pay it then you have to get it from somewhere else.
At one time PTAs got the extras-which is why some schools have swimming pools. This stopped decades ago and now they pay for necessities. Someone thinking the budget can stretch to trips and theatre companies etc has no idea at all!

exoticfruits · 28/03/2012 19:40

If it is a charity no one is going to force your DC to pay or single them out.

Katpiss · 28/03/2012 19:44

I think it would be a good idea to offer parents the option to pay extra or even double so those on lower incomes can have funded places.

If a trip is a curriculum trip children have the right to go, regardless of money. Although of course if not enough children pay the trip cannot go ahead.

craftynclothy · 28/03/2012 19:57

I don't mind paying for school trips. Tbh the ones dd1 has had have been good value (think the last one was £3.50). I also don't mind taking in food/craft stuff but wish they would put the list up earlier so I could add stuff onto my weekly shop.

I do object to some stuff though. Like the other week we were asked to bring in chocolate eggs, then buy raffle tickets to win the eggs...I mainly object because they have a healthy eating policy and don't usually let you bring chocolate in. Seems a bit of a double standard so I refuse to do those ones.

Our school is also having a "gallery" of artwork and you can purchase a print of your child's work for £10 . I won't be paying £10 for a 4 year olds picture. I'd rather give the school £10.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6