To think schools ask for too much parental involvement

[zozzle]

I work and am getting a bit perplexed at how much the school wants us to do in the name of the home/school partnership. Am very happy to help with DCs homework (aged 4 and 8), and pay for their after school activities etc.

But I don't want to spend my time selling raffle tickets, making fancy dress outfits, buying buns, toys and chocolates for school fair in return for kids having a non-uniform day etc etc. It's all a faff and and a hassle when I'm trying to juggle everything!

Would much rather give the school £30 or so at the beginning of the school year for the PTA to spend as they choose and be done with it!

Does anyone else feel like this?

these kind of threads make me feel a bit relieved to be living overseas after all. I am so glad I don't have to make fancy dress outfits for school and all that stuff but well there are other drawbacks much as I like where I am for now.

Whilst I agree that it can be a pain sometimes,I'm assuming most of this stuff is PTA fundraising which provides additional resources for your child's school so it's hardly lining the pockets of the teachers or governors! The PTA is run by volunteers who give up a considerable about of time & energy to come up with fundraising ideas that the children enjoy.
Without a PTA my son's school wouldn't have their trim trail or pirate ship, all weather pitch, reading room, freshly painted toilets, sponsored bounce day or annual summer fete to name but a few. Nice idea to just donate the equivalent but how many parents would actually handover £50/60 a year and are you going to tell the kids sorry but you know all those exciting days when you get to wear your own clothes, buy cakes/lollies, watch fireworks & eat burgers in the playground etc are all now cancelled. Bring it on I say (and no I'm not on the PTA and yes I do work!)

No, sometimes it's the teachers making you dress up your children like Egyptians or minibeasts or interesting viruses.
Because if we've got to have a Stunning Start, a Marvelous Middle and an Exciting Conclusion to every topic along with all the accountability then dammit you are all going to suffer too.
Now, onwards to planning my next series of Take Home Tasks. There may be a request to set the organisation and cohorts of the Roman army to music with instruments constructed from authentic materials or something.
Or would you all rather make a life-sized model of a Caesar?

Out of macaroni.

we got a letter on friday that on the monday was dressing up as pirates day, so we tied a scarf on her head, made a sword out of rolling up a bit of paper and a telescope out of toilet roll and put a baggy white shirt tied with a ribbon and shorts and waistcoat on her.

It took all of 5 mins to make the outfit.

We had dress up as a book character day, we put a red scarf on her, a red cardigan without the sleeves on her arms and only top button done up a red dress and a basket, she was red riding hood, this costume took even less time.

What are all these things that take so long or require you to buy a costume?

nailak. A lot of kids at my son's school only own one school jumper, maybe two school shirts, a pair of trousers, all second hand, and then they own maybe two outfits for the weekend which might not include a red cardi... And a lot of them walk to school eating a chocolate bar, never mind having a mum who'll make them a pirate sword. That's why it shows up the poorer kids so much. It's not fair on them, they shouldn't be shown up as different in a state school.

I haven't read the rest of this but I help run the PTA and I just wanted to say that our PTA would be THRILLED if you rocked up at the start of the year, said I can't really do much so here's some money instead. We know that not everyone can do something and ANY contribution is always hugely appreciated. Cold hard cash most of all :D

They do but I put up with it with good grace because ultimately it's my kids benefiting. We had a cake sale this morning and I did think "bloody hell this is a very labour intensive way of raising not that much cash." I haven't got involved on PTA this year as am just about to pop DC3 but plan to next year.

I can see how poorer kids miss out on the dress up days etc. But then, I'm not sure how it's better to make sure that everyone misses out in them. I know it's a PITA but the children do seem to love them.

You know based on this thread I'm going to give my PTA a cheque for £50 - they do a cracking job, but they meet at 2 bloody 30 - so it means any working mums can't be part of it, they raise amazing amounts of money organise brilliant events and are all really lovely.

A DISCOVERY CENTRE AND DIPPING POND??????

why?

If you'd rather hand over 30 quid at the beginning of the year and never buy another raffle ticket, then go for it! The PTFA would be delighted.

People never do, though. They just say they'd rather.

What's a dipping pond? Do they have a problem with head lice in that school, and this is the creative way to deal with it?

YANBU. I could rant on about the PTA clique at our school but I won't.

Do you mean "that PTa clique" which does all the work?

DC's prep school was like having an extra job . The involvement expected was mahoosive. They certainly assumed that we had the capacity.

Mostly, I didn't mind...occasionally I rolled my eyes.

Agree - if I were at home more I'd certainly do more, but I'm fed up of getting a text today about tomorrow about ds needing a certain top (made of marshamallows eg) etc. I just can't comply.

More than anything I hate the cake stuff as I don't bake. I'm not near a shop that sells cakes. I will fork out (grudge, grudge) but I need a month's notice to organise.

Also what I really f'ing hate is taht last year I gave a big fat donation to school re their swimming pool - huge and above my budget. This year I was about 5 mins overdue with their 'donation' for swimming' and get one text per day reminding me about my 'donation' .

I do wonder whether private school would be cheaper.
I also think that the richer parents are doing zero.

OP, good for you if you would actually give £30 per year to the PTA! I'm sure many, many people may think they would, but actually don't. The PTA at my DC's primary school used to pay for anything on a school trip that cost over £10, loads of outside and sports equipment, some whiteboards, (and TVs before whiteboards came long), other treat stuff for all the DC.

My experience is that people want loads of stuff for their DC, above and beyond what the school budget will get them, but seem to think the PTA do the fundraising for just their own DC. This is definitely not the case. It's all very well, saying "I pay my taxes, etc", but in fact the money that schools get from the government will not pay for any extras at all. That is why PTAs exist - to make up the shortfall.

Definitely feeling it this week - one assembly, one concert to attend (at 2.30 - hopeless if you work), two cake sales, two bonnets & one crown to be made, two fancy dress costumes required (separate to the bonnets), two Jubilee parties requiring stuff sending in - arghh

To be fair, the kids love the parties/special lunches/dressing-up etc, our PTA contribute a lot of great practical stuff to the school and if we didn't have such a pushy PTA, I'm sure there would be lots of complaints about that. But the end-of-term activities, combined with out of school stuff just gets out of hand in terms of time and money expected.

Its the amount of times I'm expected to appear at school which get me. DD1 has come home today with a note about a sodding jubilee picnic I'm supposed to be at on Thursday - I also have to be at dd2s school on friday for another of the bloody things (they go to different primaries) - and create 2 outfits. Since Jan I've been to dd2s school 12 time for assemblies, book afternoons, fairs, easter competitions, and other assorted stuff - for dd1 its 8 times plus some I've had to skip

and I work full time in a pretty demanding job - I just wish the schools would realise that not every child has a stay at home parent

"and I work full time in a pretty demanding job - I just wish the schools would realise that not every child has a stay at home parent"

So how would that work? No events that parents attend because WOH parents might not be able to go?

just had a business idea schoolprojectsforyou.co.uk

just wish i could sew ect i think it would make me a millionaire lol

*If you'd rather hand over 30 quid at the beginning of the year and never buy another raffle ticket, then go for it! The PTFA would be delighted.

People never do, though. They just say they'd rather.*

I hand over £20 at the first chance in the year to our lovely PTA chair and I then buy the raffle tickets, cakes, attend the Saturday Fete-worse-than-death etc; I just don't actively contribute in terms of the baking, organising etc as I don't have the hours in the week due to working FT and I volunteer with something else at the weekend.

I'd go for the £30 a year idea.

I do try, honestly - but we never get enough notice. 3 days for "St George" last year. 2 days for cakes (which if it doesn't include a weekend is difficult).

I am often found yelling at PTA letters - something along the lines of "I HAVE TO GO TO WORK!"

And no, I can't join the PTA, as they have their meetings at 2.30pm and I HAVE TO GO TO WORK.

School are far, far, far worse at no notice than the PTA.

Best yet, we've cancelled X please collect an hour early. This was with one hours notice when I was 1.5 hours drive away.

(not a weather dependent thing, just disorganised Grrrr!)