To think this PTA was grabby?

[Frassels]

So school fair scenario - entry £2 adults,£1 kids fair enough I guess. But this got you nothing , not a raffle ticket, not a coffee or a cake or a juice for the kids ( another £1 for the former). Just entry to a fair where it was over £1.50 for an ice team cone and £3.50 for a burger in a bun!

So aibu - tbh it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth and I ended up spending a fortune in nothing. Im new to all this though - do I just suck it up or is there a way to pass on comments without coming across as tightfisted loon ( small village alert!)

[IWantSummer]

I'm on PTA and it's been an ongoing battle with older members to strike a balance. Us newbies on the committee are always commenting on the price and value of activities. Yes we should be fundraising but that should not be our only focus.

Will continue to fight the battle
And PTA members expected at all events and pay full price and volunteer at the event-wrong wrong wrong. Happy to pay to cover costs but seriously we (some of us) put hours into each event.

[Frassels]

I expected a coffee and a biscuit for my entrance fee or at a push a raffle ticket - if they had done that i would have been happy - but it was another £1.50 for a coffee and small fairy cake!

Tbh would rather they just asked everone for £20 - sone may give it, i would, job done!

[glenthebattleostrich]

That does seem a alot. I organise events for the local residents association and our big summer jubilee party this weekend is costing £4 per person, this includes a raffle ticket and afternoon tea.

We are charging for extra's like face painting etc but it's all to cover the cost of the event.

[Acandlelitshadow]

Going back a bit and no idea what the current criteria are but entry to my DC's fair used to be by donation.

We expected to be fleeced naturally but not starting at the gate.

At those rates I predict your PTA will find they've killed the golden goose before it's even hatched.

[cantaffordtodoit]

Our school has just made 15 k ! It is quite a wealthy area.

[DingbatsFur]

Count yourself lucky! We have to buy tickets @ 5£ an adult, 2.50 a child and everything else (food, bouncy castle) is on top oh and could we by chance supply gifts for the tombola?

[mumeeee]

YANBU the entrance fee sounds a lot.

[DartsAgain]

DS's school had a Jubilee fete last week. No entry fee, small charge for a raffle, burgers, etc for sale plus cakes drinks and so on. Games arranged by the children for a small charge, eg penalty shootout, guess name of bear, etc and the children were manning stalls themselves. I thought it was cheap and cheerful, and we did spend some money. I think the balance was right, and there were plenty of parents and children there having fun.

Out PTA also do other events such as a quiz night, £7 per person for teams of up to 6, but the ticket includes a fish & chip supper, so good value and good fun, it's always popular.

[aethelfleda]

It very much depends on your school demographic, I'd have thought. We have a mixed income cachement and just couldn't justify large entrance charges (we do 50p per adult, free for under 16s free programme) all the games are 50p a go but most are a prize-most-times to make the kiddies enjoy it and get something to take home.) The OP's suggested charges would exclude far too many for us to do something like that.

School across town makes more money every year on their fair, but they have a more priveliged clientele, and can flog £12 boxes of cupcakes to their parents without the batting of an eyelid. As long as our families are all included, we raise the most that's achievable for us, and everyone enjoys it, job done as far as I'm concerned.

[BackforGood]

I'm on the YANBU side.
Ours don't charge to get in - they hold it on Friday afternoon so everyone can attend, even if it's just 10 mins on the way home. Prices tend to be 20p / 30p for lots of games (often run by the children) so everyone can go on something. Cakes, similarly priced. They do also usually hire in some commercial type bouncy castle / fairground ride type things, and these come up more expensive (£1 or £1.50). There is always a queue so plenty of money taken, but everyone can spend an hour there without having to spend too much if they don't have it.
I've done a lot of fundraising (not PTA) over past couple of years in particular, and we concentrated on making things fun and affordable, and spreading the "who is contributing to this fund" around as many people as we can so no-one resented us asking them to help out. Long term, it works best. With the prices you are talking about, I just wouldn't go the next year - means they lose the few ££ they might have got from us as a family each year over the next 6 years at the school.

[Olympia2012]

Air conditioning in classrooms?? Why?

[FashionEaster]

Adults are not allowed to work in the temperatures that are reached in my classroom, but it's ok for me and 30 children.

My father's new school has individually remote controlled air-con

[FashionEaster]

Imagine full sun, small window openings and being above the kitchens when it's hot, as it was the other week and you can't even prop the door open to let the air circulate as a bit further down there is a glass corridor. Whoever 'designed' that section of the school building was an idiot.

[tumbleweedblowing]

We discovered we raised more on the gate when we made it volutary donation instead of fixed entry fee.

[BanoffeeSplitz]

What's acceptable depends very much on the school's catchment & the income of the families who go there.

DD's school was very much of the 20p entrance, with lots of things inside costing 20p or 50p - but a lot of the parents are very poor and it was a treat for the kids, and if the whole day cost more than £5 or so there would be many families who would just stay away. Lucky to raise a few hundred quid most years.

I used to look in awe at a primary school not too far away with much richer parents, that would regularly raise £1000s - but on the on other hand AFAIK our school was entitled to some types of funding (due to the level of children on free meals) that their's wasn't, so I expect that evened out a bit in the long run.

One of the times it really wouldn't be much fun to be one of the few poor families going to the rich kid's school though, especially if a lot of the fundraising events were children's activities though.

[BanoffeeSplitz]

(too many thoughs...)

[Hopefullyrecovering]

Colour me cynical but what is the use of a PTA?

I know they raise money for the school. I get that bit.

But we seem to be defaulting to the idea that this is a good thing. Is it really?

Either the things that they fund are necessary, in which case we should be lobbying our MPs etc for more funds for education. Or they are unnecessary (there is a thread about a unnecessary defibrillator being purchased running now) in which case, why bother?

[BackforGood]

Because there's a whole lot in between that Hopefully, things which aren't strictly necessary but make life either a whole lot easier, or more interesting, or more fun, than if you don't have them. Do you get by in life, only having things which are strictly necessary, or do you allow yourself things sometime just because it would be nice ?

[BanoffeeSplitz]

I share your cynicism about the funding aspect, Hopefully.

But - getting together to fundraise or to organise events can be empowering, perhaps even more so for parents that are cash-poor. Maybe reaches & involves parents who wouldn't have the confidence or the inclination to become a parent governor, for instance.

[TwoIfBySea]

Well, our Spring Fayre is a fundraiser but we have free entry and most things are pocket money prices. They have to remember it isn't just to get money, it's about giving the children a fun day too.

I've helped out since dts were at school, prices have risen but again not to huge levels. That way everyone can afford something. There is no point in attempting a fundraiser if it is exclusive of anyone on a tight budget. Despite our inexpensive pricing we make on average £1500 for a two-hour event. Consider the free entry and that prices vary between 20p - £3 for the beautiful (largest) cakes on the home baking stall and that is pretty impressive.

No need to be greedy but then some PTA/PSAs are, I'm not overly involved in mine thanks to the professional PSA members who get a kick running everything to their tune and if one of them decides to be in charge next year it would end up like OPs event thus ruining it for all.

[differentnameforthis]

School fairs have always charged entry in my experience & you don't get anything extra for that!