...to think they could've just given him the chunk of apple?

[rachelhere]

So. I didn't bother to give the £5 'fun money' requested at the start of Year 1. Because I'm tight, and just didn't think it mattered. Turns out it was in fact 'apple money' and he was the only one in the whole class not getting his chunk of apple!! Whyyyy didn't he tell me before? And how mean of the teacher, no? Did they literally throw that chunk in the bin in front of him rather than just giving it to him? Arrggghhh! He has now taken in his 'apple' money. AIBU to think it's just mean?

I thought the government paid for fruit snacks for infants? Anyway I really object to having to subsidise other people's kids (obviously unless there is a good reason). It got so bad in our school our head stopped all trips and activities for the year. It was rough on the children but certainly worked!

The SFVS (School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme) does include Wales.

Was the chunk of apple daily or weekly or a one off?

DS just started reception year in Wales. Snack money at his school is 20p per day paid by the week or the half term.

I'm amazed that you expect other parents or the school to subsidise your choice to be "tight"

And why you even considered that you might be subsidising the staff Christmas party is beyond me.

so instead of them giving it to your ds or chopping the fruit to not include him they choose to sling it in the bin in front of him talk about a passive aggressive school i would be ringing to check if the money was a, for fruit and why was that not specified? and b, are they running hitler experiments there?

your school is weird

I just had a look at that Boomeranging...see I told you they were spending it on the staff Xmas party! So it should be free, so it was mean of them, and a lever to get the cash out of people - 'give or your child will be left out' kind of thing. I will casually mention this to the teacher, I think, just you know, 'I thought it was supposed to be free, did you really give it to everyone except him then?' Just to see what she says.

Yabu.
I can't abide parents who can afford it, who don't pay up.

YANBU. You wish he had told you before, so that you could have paid up sooner and he could have got his apple chunk. YANBU to think it is mean that they threw his apple piece in the bin.

Good that he has told you now and that he will get apple from now on.

I am surprised that you have to pay for fruit; I thought it was provided free until the end of Y2.

Yanbu at all, it is not your ds fault you did not send in fruit money. They shoukd have given him some apple, and reminded you that you need to bring in fruit money,and if you don't he will not get any fruit

Yes do talk to the teacher. You need to get to the bottom of it.

You didn't need the info really, you were just choosing to think you needed it.

Maybe, in your opinion, the OP didn't "need" the information but there will be people who need to budget and need to know how to prioritise all the requests for money that come from school. Something labelled simply "fun" money is likely to be pretty low down.

It is definitely worth finding out whether the truth bares much resemblance to what your DS has told you though.

Yabu, he was left out entirely because of you. Don't blame the school for that.

I'm not sure why the op is getting a hard time and being accused of attempting to force other parents from the school to subsidise her child.

The bastard fruit is meant to be free.

Why were you too tight to contribute in the first place?

The fruit is meant to be free fgs!!! I would talk to the teacher, if your not happy, the head, it is mean of them to withhold his free fruit. Even though, £5 is a lot for fruit.

My son's school invited us to a meeting before the term started and everything was explained. They also provided an information booklet. Not all the parents bothered to show up mind.

Crayons and shit, eh...so school supplies then? I'd consider that pretty necessary in a classroom.
If you didn't know what the money was for, why didn't you ask?

Can't quite believe this post. In my experience teachers tend to subsidise lots of things from their own pocket. I really can't see a teacher binning a chunk of apple rather than give it to a child.

Bollocks

The fruit is meant to be free fgs!!!

Not if you are in Wales.

The voluntary School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme in England provides 4-to-6-year-olds in local authority maintained schools with a free piece of fruit or vegetables each school day. Wales does not have a national free fruit and vegetable scheme. However, the Fruit Tuck Shop initiative encourages pupils, parents and staff to provide fresh fruit, dried fruit or fruit juice to children throughout the day. There are a variety of initiatives that focus on healthy snacking at break time in Northern Ireland where schools must only offer milk (and/or water) and fresh fruit and vegetables at break times. In Scotland, local authorities have the power to decide whether they choose to provide free fruit and vegetables during the school day.

The fruit that's provided is shit. Miserable pears, bruised apples, bendy carrots, over ripe bananas. The sort of stuff that's reduced in Sainsbury's but not nearly as good.

Maybe your teacher thought that fruit such as rasps/strawbs/ plums might be a great treat but for once, didn't want to buy it themselves. Only because they've already bought umpteen "extras" that aren't covered in the school budget. And paid for the 10 children who didn't bring in their cake money on bun/biscuit day.

Tight in the extreme.

I'm in Wales and pay 20p a day apple money so I don't think the fruit and vegetable scheme is here. We also pay for school meals for infants.

Anyway, yabu. And ridiculously tight. It's your own fault he's missed out especially if you can afford a fiver and just decided not to pay it because you thought it would be 'fun money'.