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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Art sale at son's school

145 replies

Bardette · 14/05/2014 22:23

Genuinely don't know if I'm being unreasonable but...
Next week is sports day at ds school. School have announced that there will be an Art display in the hall with one framed piece of work by each child. After perusing the display we can then buy our child's piece for £8. Ds knows about this and has told me I have to rush to make sure no one buys his picture before me! AIBU in being a bit cross at being forced to do this? It's not even a like they have chosen the children's best work, they all had to sit down and paint a tree over a couple of afternoons last week.

OP posts:

DamnBamboo · 15/05/2014 13:23

I'm not ignoring anything retro
I have responded several times directly to how to make this less of an issue (charge less, put up colour photocopy, change the displays, give the picture for free and make a special cardboard frame at home)

Why is £3 or £4 for art (which I think is a more reasonable price BTW) more of a waste than buying Christmas cards? It's not!

DamnBamboo · 15/05/2014 13:24

What do you mean exclude and discriminate against children attending a CM?
Who does this?

Retropear · 15/05/2014 13:28

I also think there is an ownership us sue here.That artwork belongs to those children,they have put the time and effort into it.If they want it to take it home like other children they should be able to do so.

Retropear · 15/05/2014 13:28

Issue

LocalEditorWiganandSalford · 15/05/2014 13:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chocoluvva · 15/05/2014 13:30

IMO it's outrageous.

I was going to go home without buying my two DC's framed drawings but I caved into the pressure from other parents telling me my DCs' were the only ones left on the table unsold.

It is nice to have something framed, but the children had no say in which painting would be framed. DD's was a silhouette of two palm trees - cut out of black paper on a painted orange background. There was nothing much of her in it. The whole piece looked like the background for something more interesting.

If we had the option of choosing I'd have been a bit happier.

This is the same school that charged £2 for the Christmas party, to cover the costs of the party food. (Santa didn't come to the older ones' party btw). DS' teacher told me that they made a profit which went towards craft materials and that I should encourage DS to go because it was a good fundraiser. DS didn't want to go as most of the time was spent doing "social dancing" which he hated and he wasn't allowed (by me) to eat most of the food as I didn't want him eating aspartame or processed meat - sausages and sausage rolls (strong family history of bowel cancer).

The party was never openly acknowledged as a fundraiser.

DamnBamboo · 15/05/2014 13:32

And for those that insist on it, then so be it! You're really grasping at straws here. Working in a school, you must realise that children don't just get to take things home because they like/own them.

chocoluvva · 15/05/2014 13:36

Sorry for the rant OP

I share your outrage completely.

HappyAgainOneDay · 15/05/2014 13:47

You've all brought back a long forgotten memory. I was at primary school in 1949 and my class had to knit a pair of gloves or a scarf. I knitted gloves, gave them in and was then ill with measles and off school for a few days, missing the day that the 'craft' would be for sale. I was good at knitting still am so my mother wanted the gloves that I'd made and called into my classroom at the end of the day to buy collect my gloves. The teacher could not find them and found only a scarf. My mother was furious that someone else had my gloves and certainly didn't want someone else's scarf.

loveandsmiles · 15/05/2014 14:00

YANBU!

My DCs school did this - I have 4 DC at the school. I was furious - they were told what to draw so it wasn't 'personal' to them and they cost £8 each. I didn't feel I could buy 1 and not others and was not prepared to spend £32 on pictures I did not like want.

At the end of the Gallery evening the unsold pictures were taken out of their frames and binned with the frames being stored for future such evenings - can't wait

Waltonswatcher1 · 15/05/2014 14:14

My school did this .
Lots of parents were happy to pay knowing its for the school funds / charity .
Lots of parents paid and moaned like hell .
I think if you are stupid enough to buy it then you can't winge . Have the guts to say no for gods sake .
My kids pissed themselves when they told me I was in with the chance of owning their framed master peice- they know me too well .

BoomBoomsCousin · 15/05/2014 14:20

I think schools (and PTAs) sometimes forget that the fact the government doesn't fund schools to the extent we'd like isn't justification for abusing the compulsory nature of school for a child. And that our country is committed to a free at point of service education for children and that means actually free, not free but we're resentful and will try and guilt and shame you into paying.

There is a huge difference between offering an opportunity for parents to buy, say, christmas cards via a flyer going home in a book bag and setting children up to have their pictures individually purchased in a high pressure "gallery" exhibition even if you use a photo copy and let them take the original home regardless.

Though legally, even photocopying children's own art work without permission in order to make money off it is a breach of the child's copyright. Whether that is for framed pictures via high pressure selling or discreet Christmas card offerings.

Yoruba · 15/05/2014 14:31

Schools should be about (in part) building up kids confidence, given how clearly this is going to do the opposite for kids whose parents don't have the money I'd be very suspicious of a school that did this without addressing how to deal with parents who can't afford the art work (free without a frame would seem the obvious idea, your not making any judgement on a child's work by not buying a frame).

unlucky83 · 15/05/2014 17:16

I said earlier to make it inclusive (very important I think) - make it an anonymous donation ...with the frame an additional purchase at cost (and maybe 50p) price ....
You will get the odd person who is mean, can afford more but wants something for nothing (misses the whole point it is fundraising for the school) ...but in general people will put in a reasonable amount - so it evens out ...
Maybe someone more wealthy will put in £20 and someone struggling 20p - and nobody knows and everyone gets to keep their art...
And at our school at least ...the PTA use money raised to subsidise buses for school trips etc - so the wealthier parents who can afford to donate more pay towards the less fortunate - but not directly...
And donations (IME) usually work well - eg for a macmillan coffee morning we did donate whatever you think for the cake sale and coffee and tea...we were really surprised - we raised much more than we would have charging a set amount.
...and I have been on a baking stall with someone who obviously had a certain amount of disposable income and priced the cakes accordingly ...lots of children coming with their £1 and being able to get one small fairy cake! In the end we made the same amount of money as usually but had lots left over at the end ...(I think people go to these things with an idea of how much they are going to spend - and if things are expensive buy less...)
Only time I've been annoyed was when the school bought things in for the children to decorate and sell at a craft fair ...so they had to charge quite a bit to cover the purchase cost - every Dc had made quite a few things - my DD insisted I bought of 1 of each of the three things she'd made - which cost me just over £10 - along with entry and cakes etc I spent £20+ - and did feel I'd been ripped off ...

BrokenToeOuch · 15/05/2014 18:07

Broken how lovely for your kids,not so for those kids with parents who couldn't/ wouldn't participate.

Well yes, it is lovely thanks. The gallery evening is really nice and you don't 'have' to buy the artwork, though I choose to do so. We have around a months notice and it costs me £10 for 2 pictures. Everyone gets to take their picture home the next day, if it's been paid for you get it home framed and mounted. If you haven't paid, it comes home without the frame and mount.

It's a fact of life that not everyone will be able to have everything they want, it's an event that people are invited to attend at our school, it's not compulsory. I like to show support to the PTA as I don't participate in other ways, so you can save your scowly face for someone who could but chooses not to.

SpamTroll · 15/05/2014 18:14

I don't understand why people feel compelled to buy things they don't want. I have four kids and they never minded if I didn't buy their things. I don't get the guilt buying

If you don't want it don't buy it.

HappyMummyOfOne · 15/05/2014 19:17

I think it sounds like a lovely idea, the children feel proud they are in a gallery and parents get to raise funds and have a keepsake.

Sending home unsold items surely must be galling for those that have paid. Maybe a reduced price for it unframed would be better. Fairer that way.

spanieleyes · 15/05/2014 19:54

I still have my son's art work on the wall in the hallway after 10 years, we were only expected to pay if we wanted the framed version, those that didn't just took an unframed picture home the following day for free.

Original poster

Bardette · 16/05/2014 09:53

Head teacher replied to say that the picture (unframed) would be sent home at the end of term if not bought. She forgot to answer the question about the percentage of the money that the school gets - which is my real issue, the fact that I am giving however much to an external company not to the school.
It's not the same as other fundraising efforts because of the personal rejection involved. The children have been told that mummy can buy your painting if she wants - what does that imply if we don't?
And incidentally the school does not have a pta, they have a committee of TAs and a teacher who organise fundraising. I would love to help but not allowed!

OP posts:

MrsWinnibago · 16/05/2014 11:47

If you don't want to buy it OP, tell DS that you're choosing your own frame at the end of term and that's when you'll get his picture. Tell him you can't wait to see it and have it in a frame on the wall.

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