Why do PTA parents get to reserve the best friffing seats at the school plays HMMMM?

[BaublesAndCuntingCarolSingers]

Seriously, pack it in.

I know you do good for the school yadda yadda but it DOES rather cheese one orf when one has being waiting for 30 minutes outside school to get a decent seat and then one finds that PTA wimmin have reserved all the good seats for them and their DHs/children's siblings. Then said PTA wimmin waft in 2 minutes before the performance starts.

You want a good seat then put the work in, m'kay? Kfanx. xxx

Oh God, I definitely don't think I am "marvellous" I barely ever get in to help but love doing it when I can. I am always welcomed by those who are there more regularly.

Yeah it can be very inefficient and disorganised but it brings in a bit of extra money to fund other stuff for the children and that for me is what it's all about.

The events are usually fun and involve parents coming in and having cakes etc with their children. DS loves this although I barely sat down the other day.

Dunno what the answer is to be honest,....it is as it is and yes the schools could just ask parents for a cheque but where's the fun in that?

PT dont provide refreshments at sportsday - school hires an icecream van and everyone brings their own picnic.

Likewise at Nativity- its in the church and everyone goes home afterwards.

you can easily avoid them - you havent met our PTA !!
I did try to join as did lots of people - any one who made remotely sensible suggestions is frozen out .
I and my parents send a cheque every year.

No drinks at our Sports Day either.

id say opposite at ours - the chair person sat near the back, and the parents who do bugger all all bagged the front seats. Where was their energy and enthusiasm at the christmas fair, cakes sales etc?!

DC school don't have a PTA, but I think as long as it just them getting the front seat I wouldn't mind, but not other family member

Sparkling
Plenty of drinks at our picnics- lots of mums had their own choice of refreshments - I had but lots had

I take great pride in fastidiously ignoring PTA
have never participated in any their events.they ask.I decline
they don't work and do faff all.they can give up their Saturday.I wont

"So do all you PTA haters object to your children using any school equipment funded by your PTA or refuse to let your children go on PTA subsidised school trips?"

The PTA don't donate the money out of their own salaries, you know? All monies raised comes from the parents so no, I don't stop my child from using them.

I would rather donate £20 a year direct to the school and have done with PTAs. If they said "Just give us £20 in one hit or a couple of quid a month" and then agreed that they'd just have parent volunteers doing the teas/coffees at sport's day, I would much prefer that.

There is a middle ground between PTA hating and wanting to join though. That's what I object to. Just because I don't want to join doesn't mean I hate them.

I was on the commitee at pre-school. Just a bit of fund raising they said. Then got introduced to cheque signing, double entry bookkeeping and interviewing staff.

Bloody hell baubles, there must be a lot of kids at your school if you think 20 quid covers the monies raised by the PTA!

Sparkling I have been there too - I was asked to be pre-school Chair - just a little bit of overseeing things I was told! 20 hours a week later and allsorts of work incl disciplinerys etc

£20 plan is a cracker,most parents don't go fayres,those that go don't spend£20
so if you could convince all parents £20 each it would raise way more than PTA
and no annoying emails or calls to participate. sound fab

MrsMelons, it was awful. A bit of fundraising turned into hiring and firing. Bonkers!

hiring and firing whom?PTA are just housewives fussin over raffle tickets
im bemused who they sack or what intrigue there could possibly be
other than the leaking of the who's useless,unreliable and who are brown nosers

Not sure SM this was a village pre-school with a commitee that basically ran it. Not like the Friends or PTA at school.

I was naive, it was DC1 and I thought I would get involved, because that's what everybody did.

If every parent at our school gave 20 quid it would be amazing. 6k a year brilliant, unfortunately not everyone would or could afford to give.

Yet again, I don't recognize the worlds some other MNers inhabit. I work FT as did all the other committee members of our PTA when I did a stint. I disagree that paying a regular amount is the way to go:it teaches children that all problems are solved by throwing money at them and denies them the fun of attending and - at our school - helping out at community events.

I'd rather give £20,and they'd raise money they require
without the egos,the posturing and aging parents to participate
I'd gladly cough up £20,bet fair few would too

Never heard of PTA being able to reserve seats - at ds's school it's first comers gets bums on seats, slowcoaches have to stand!

The PTA committee work extremely hard to raise desperately needed funds for ds's school - we'd never be able to buy playground equipment or replace our elderly and falling over server without them. Stuff that should be funded out of taxes actually comes from the volunteers and the parents who donate.

We do have a fund for those parents who don't want to run a stall or even visit the fete but do want to give. BUT most people won't put their hands in their pockets unless there's an activity attached. They need prompting. It's not just schools, it's every good cause, that's why sponsored walks and people sitting in baths of baked beans happen.

(I do sympathise with parents who won't sign up to the fund, it's all wrong that state schools have to rely on charitable donations, but sadly as a governor I know that we do.)

Scottish, if you want to give £20 there's nothing stopping you. Why don't you suggest a parents' fund to the governors, so people can just give money with no fetes or barbecues or sponsored walks involved?

You can give money as well. It's called Gift Aid.

Bloody hell!
£20 would be a bargain instead of enduring the 11.30pm phonecalls to ensure I bake cakes and spend my saturday afternoon stuck trying to sell a load of tat noone wants and I have probably spent 3 times as much as that.
Im sure there are lovely PTA groups but ours was awful - insular,judgemental and grasping .
Fabulous if its all cosy and jolly but I would rather scoop my eyeballs out with a spoon.
The world does not revolve around the PTA and their bloody cake sales but sadly they think it does.

Scottishmummy wow that is really nasty.

A pre-school committee is very different to the PTA - they have to run the whole pre-school including staffing/finances and yes some of those dreadful committee members are those awful housewives (I was one but I am also a qualified accountant but chose to look after the DCs for a few years).

I am not sure what is wrong with being a housewife. I am no longer a housewife as back to work now but I still help out on PTA/ Pre-school Committee (even though the DCs have left pre-school) and in any way I can help to support the school. Am I ok though as I am not a housewife and don't just fuss over raffle tickets?

I would actually quite like to just give £20 TBH, it cost me more than that to make the cakes I donated for the xmas fair last week!

It's often the PTA people that help get kids into costume before plays because the staff know them well enough to ask for a favour, they have CRB checks in place, they know the children...

So even if the PTA has had no part in the production of the nativity and aren't flogging refreshments, they are still likely to be those who get asked to do those last-minute favours. And therefore deserve a reserved seat.