To complain to the school because all of Y6 is being taken to a local private school for a "Taster Day"

[MimiSam]

My son has just come home from his state school with a letter saying all of Y6 is being taken on a "Taster Day" to a private school nearby. The purpose of it is, and I quote, to give the children "a taste of a few of the activities that our pupils enjoy on a daily basis". They will see the music, art and sport facilities and visit the school farm. The private school is providing transport and food on the day.
I thoroughly object to this - why show the children all the wonderful facilities that the vast majority of them will never be able to enjoy, as their parents can't afford it and/ or object to private education? I don't want to withdraw my son and make him stay behind, while everyone else goes on a fun day out (although I might), but I do think that if a private school is touting for business, then they should target parents, not children and state schools should not be going along with this. AIBU?

[guiltyconscience]

Hmm is it me I seem to disagree with everyone here. I can't see anything wrong with them seeing how the other half lives.It might even ingrain some sense of I am going to show the snobby bastards and do well and come back and fight them on the beaches ....err got CARRIED AWAY BUT ! AM SURE YSWIM LOL!

[allmycats]

If it is because there is going to be a link up between the state and the private school by the private school sharing their extra facilities then it is a good idea. Many private schools have links with state schools and the pupils work together on projects etc, at both sites.
Before you go jumping around getting stroppy check to see what the outcome of this visit is intended to be. Your children may be able to get 'free' use of things that they would not normally be able to access

• why would you not want this for them ?

we are not all equal and it is a lesson that needs learning early in life

[MistressDeeCee]

The OP was given a letter saying the day was about "a taste of a few of the activities that our pupils enjoy on a daily basis". Taking that as seen, Im not surprised she's unhappy about it. Of course there could be a plethora of other wonderful benefits and links strangely omitted in a letter given to parents.

[Pachacuti]

Sharing facilities for a one-off project or on an ongoing basis fine. "Taster Day" to give "a taste of a few of the activities that our pupils enjoy on a daily basis" yuk yuk yuk.

[MistressDeeCee]

^ yep

[Crowler]

Horrible. I would be really unhappy.

[FreudiansSlipper]

how odd but wrong no need

but if they came along to ds school i doubt they would be that impressed with the facilities they are pretty dire

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

This is outrageous. I suspect that the private school have offered the state school money or payment in kind for this.

[BlingBang]

Come on OP. name the school so we can have a gander.

[JenaiMorris]

When ds was in Y5 they all received an invitation to an activities day at the local (private) girls school. Ds was one of only two boys (the other from another school and didn't know) who went.

When I emailed to book his place I was warned "we are a girls school" - which is fair enough. It did tickle me slightly that their marketing exercise was a bit wasted on us, him being male, but ds had a good time. It didn't make him covet a place at a private school though, despite the lovely facilities. Three years on he's very proud of his comprehensive school and doesn't understand why his girl cousin, who happened to get a scholarship and bursary for that same girls school, doesn't want to move to his.

I would hazard a guess that this is a marketing exercise disguised as one of those "for the community" things that private schools have to do in order to keep their charitable status. As it's in school time, and the blurb is so blatant, I'd raise my concerns with the primary head.

[JenaiMorris]

Oh yes, mummytime ds got a nice goody bag from the girls school

wrt facilities, other than riding (which you can do locally anyway for, I dunno, £100 a month rather than the £1.5k or whatever it is school fees are) and the pretty Georgian main building (which a couple of the local comprehensives also have, although granted none have Palladian bridges or Capability Brown landscaped grounds) - the private schools here aren't really any more blessed that the state ones. I doubt it'll cause much covetousness. Parental opinion is something else entirely though - maybe it's getting parents in to see the lovely grounds that they're aiming for, rather than a Bullseye "Here's what you could have won" type thing for the kids.

I maintain my YANBU, however.

[tiredaftertwo]

It doesn't seem disguised at all to me - it is blatant. Lots of independent schools run taster days, IME, kids from feeder prep schools go en masse, kids from state primaries who look round on open days are invited for a day. All fine - marketing chance for the school, chance for kids whose families are thinking of sending them there to get a feel for the place and a free lunch! What is different here - and wrong - is that the school is getting to market itself to children without their parents' consent - that would be wrong whatever the organisation (vanity publishers, online tutoring centres, I'm looking at you) and in this case it is one about which people have strong views, and which many people cannot afford to use. It is wrong, wrong, wrong, but I really doubt they are pretending this is an activity that benefits the community. Schools (in this case the primary) should not allow marketing aimed (in this case very badly aimed, and I suspect a waste of resources, but that is their business) at their pupils without parents' consent - of course organisations will try it on.