to think that £4.50 per child is a lot of money

[cuteboots]

Ok so my sons school have arranged for a professional artist to come into the school to demonstrate some work and the kids can get involved. I just feel that this is a lot of money. They have said that you dont have to pay but if they dont get enough money it wont go ahead? It just feels like that at the mo and on a weekly basis we are getting letters like this asking for money. Am I being a bit unreasonable about this?

See, I would round it up to £5 in this situation and assume that a few others would too, so that those who really didn't have £4.50 would be subsidised.

" would much prefer that the govt funded schools (and the NHS etc) adequately via fair taxation, i.e. via income tax"

I already fund teenagers to study useless subjects Media Studies or Women Studies or....or .... I don't particularly want to fund other people's kids so that an artist can come into their school to help them paint.

Would you pay for your kids to have that opportunity PooshTun?

Poosh, the trouble with the whole voluntary contribution thing, is that if you can't pay, you are basically sharing your financial troubles with the school. I wouldn't be happy to do that.

Also some schools are not very good in stressing the 'voluntary' bit. An example is when they take the children swimming, which is a compulsory activity and then tell parents that X amount is required to pay for the coach to get them there. I think there is a lot to be said for wording letters to parents sensitively and politely - some schools are better than others when it comes to this.

I think most parents want their dc to have the extras in school and will happily contribute if they can, but there should be some recognition that parents cannot be asked to fund too many things, because the money isn't always there - it's the assumption that cash upon request/demand will be forthcoming, which is unhelpful to many parents.

Pesto - Of course I would. I'm just saying that I wouldn't expect the State (via other people's taxes) to fund my kids to go on a nice but not essential eperence'

karma - The school that my kids went to was reasonably sensitive in their requests for money for extras (about £30 pa). I obviously don't have access to the amount to which I subsidised others but even if it was 50% then £15pa is not something I can get too worked up about :)

So far as author visits go, if the right author is booked, these can prove to have a very positive impact on a lot of children who attend. The author visits we arrange via our shop to schools are free as the authors are 'touring' authors who are promoting their new book, so, yes, the parents are told that their children can buy a book at a discounted rate but that there is no obligation on them to do so for their child to attend. Approximately 1/4 of the audience do buy, so, if you don't, you are in the majority! As authors can charge up to £500.00 per visit, most schools would jump at the chance for one to come to them for free, if it just meant sending out a letter to parents. We always try and space out the visits and never usually put more than two authors into one school in one school year for precisely the reasons set out in your posts.

Ha!

At dd1's school, as a reward for not behaving outrageously during the school year (well up until the start of may at least so erm 8 months minus holidays of behaving as you should anyway) the children (12 - 17) get to go on a trip to a localish theme park.

Which we the parents have to fork out £14.50 for (it's no Alton towers).

Think yourself lucky!

I don't think £4.50 is a lot of money for the experience you child will have so YABU. If people genuinely can't afford it there is the option not to pay or pay a smaller amount.

I'd pay it, but I do get pissed off with the constant letters asking for money or cakes. They seem to come in spurts.

It depends on how often this happens. If it's once a year then it's not very much but if it's every week then it mounts up. It also adds up if you have more than one child in the school. It would be far better to ask parents at the start of the year what extra's they would be prepared to pay for with a list of options.

What about starting a pot for your offspring?

From the minute you get your BFP, open an account and put a nominal amount in each week/month/whatever and all birthday/christening etc etc money. When it comes to school time, use that money to dip into.

YABVU, its £4.50 and your child gets to meet a real artist and possibly work with them etc. A valuable experience and much better than reading about an artist in a book.

I never understand the moaning re school trips etc (abroad trips are optional), children come with costs and are very lucky that we have free schooling so its not to much to ask that parents pay towards the extra things.

We don't have free schooling - it's one of things that taxation pays for. As for not understanding, HappyMummyOfOne, why some parents moan about school trips, you have one child - you might feel differently if you had more than one to pay for.

Well I think my idea is awesome. And sensible. I mean there's always going to be uniforms and trips and books and ipads to pay for, so why not start that fund from before birth? It's not like you need all these things when they are really tiny so you could possibly build up quite a pot, depending on the demands of childcare funding.

you might feel differently if you had more than one to pay for

Isn't that something to factor in when deciding on having them?

I would be quite pleased to pay £4.50 a piece for my children to do something I couldn't/wouldn't do with them.

I once had to listen to two parents (friends in the playground) absolutely seething about being asked for £1 for their child to watch a theatre group performing in the school hall. They don't like theatre. I tried really really hard not to let my face show what I was thinking .

Im not for one moment saying I dont pay for him to do things and there is a constant stream of after school clubs and music lessons which he starts this week but for me at the mo it just seems like a never ending book bag full of letters that need money. Even though I work full time its still tough and there isnt a money tree growing in my garden! ; 0 (

"you might feel differently if you had more than one to pay for"

Why? If i had more than one i'd expect to pay out more as thats simply common sense.

Financially ensuring you can afford to have children is something that lots of people do before planning them.

I don't think people do factor in constantly being asked for money by the school, prior to having dc. People think about feeding them and clothing them and paying for university, but until you have children going through the school system, I don't think many people give specific thought to school requests for money.

WHY is no one interested or commenting on my awesome idea?

re. The children's author thing, when I was at school JK Rowling actually did come to my school, plugging her book. I wasn't there that day, but my classmates all have a signed first edition of Philosopher's Stone...

HMOO, even with the best planning in the world, people's circumstances can change and they might be struggling.

No one is saying that schools should never ask for contributions, only that they should not see parents as having endless resources, so should put a little bit of thought and consideration into what they ask parents to pay for.

All the more reason to start the fund from BFP!

Yes, alright Public, it's a fab idea