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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not pay this?

109 replies

sockrage · 07/06/2016 16:31

Dd is dyspraxic and in the bottom set for pe so none of them are great at sports.

She has been playing rounders in PE in a group of girls.
One girl (not dd) has thrown the ball to the batter a bit too high and it has gone in the brambles. Dd was fielding so neither the thrower or the hitter.

They have tried to get the ball out of the brambles but been unable.
The pe teacher has insisted they get it out.
They haven't been able to reach it.

The pe teacher is now insisting the kids pay £2.50 each to replace the ball. Dd has got upset as she knows we are shit skint and I've just borrowed money for a trip and been told tough she has to find it.

If they had been being silly fair enough but the girls are fairly sensible and even if the thrower was being silly dd didn't even throw it!

I must admit I am feeling a bit pissed off at the teacher anyway who makes no reasonable adjustments for dds dyspraxia and moans at her and admits to others moaning at her and not stopping it because Dyspraxic dd takes too long to get dressed and moans at her for using the toilet in class (once in class today and not every class) when dd has a medical toilet pass in school.

It is also the only lesson dd has anything other than an excellent behaviour mark but the only bad thing she could say at parents evening was she was slow to get dressed. Hmm

So that may be clouding my judgement.

OP posts:
Inertia · 07/06/2016 17:02

Is there any way the teacher could have been joking, and appeared to mean it, or have you actually had an invoice from the school?

witsender · 07/06/2016 17:04

Tell the PE teacher it comes out of her wages of she doesn't retrieve it. About as fair.

SpeckledFrog2014 · 07/06/2016 17:06

Sounds suspicious. I would definitely report this as the teacher sounds like they're trying to just line their own pockets. There may be underlying issues with the teacher from drink to gambling or genuine family issues.

Also maybe the groundskeeper should actually do his/her job and keep the grounds under control.

AngieBolen · 07/06/2016 17:06

Utterly ridiculous!

I think it makes not difference that your DD is dyspraxic and you are hard up atm (except to cause you to worry! Sad)

My DC are capable of batting a ball well, and it might go into the bushes, I could also afford to pay to replace the ball (it sounds like a rather special ball if they are all being asked to pay £2.50!!) But I would think this is nonsense.

Imagine your DD is a skilled sports person, and you are wealthy and send the PE teacher an email telling them they can whistle for their £2.50!

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 07/06/2016 17:07

Maybe call the school for clarification with a starting point that DD must have misunderstood, they couldn't possibly have been asking for....

AngieBolen · 07/06/2016 17:07

And copy the HofY into the email.

AugustaFinkNottle · 07/06/2016 17:07

Contact them ever so politely to say that you feel sure your DD must have got this wrong because obviously equipment during supervised games is the school's responsibility, the loss of the ball had nothing whatsoever to do with her, a used rounders ball is worth around 50p at most and anyway they can recover it by clearing their brambles a bit.

And if they say she hasn't got it wrong and demand their £2.50, tell them you won't be paying it for all the aforesaid reasons and will be taking the issue to the governors. And while you're at it, put in a formal complaint about the PE teacher's failure to make reasonable adjustments for disability.

witsender · 07/06/2016 17:08

Did she think they were messing around, and is worried about her budget? Still not right, just wondering if that is the 'method behind her madness'?

Original poster
sockrage · 07/06/2016 17:08

No invoice but teacher definately not joking as dd got upset about the money and teacher insisted that she just had to find it.

She can have it in bloody 1p coins Angry

OP posts:
VocalDuck · 07/06/2016 17:09

My answer would be the same to someone whose child wasn't dyspraxic: it's not your responsibility to pay for balls that are lost during a supervised PE lesson. Definitely speak to the head and complain.

RabbitSaysWoof · 07/06/2016 17:10

Bloody rediculous. I wouldn't pay.

AugustaFinkNottle · 07/06/2016 17:10

No, don't give it to her in 1p coins, don't give it to her at all.

ChessieFL · 07/06/2016 17:11

How ridiculous, balls and other equipment get lost/broken all the time. Don't pay it.

SavoyCabbage · 07/06/2016 17:15

Don't give it to her!

Rafflesway · 07/06/2016 17:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
sockrage · 07/06/2016 17:17

Witsender even if they were messing about (and after dd naming the girls i doubt all but one possibly would be) dd was fielding and had nothing to do with the ball being thrown which the teacher knew.

Shes guilty by association!
Im guessing if a child in her group had thrown a ball and broke a window she would have been asked to pay towards that too Confused

OP posts:
Cagliostro · 07/06/2016 17:19

YANBU it was an accident FFS

OurBlanche · 07/06/2016 17:24

It wasn't even an accident... it is a natural consequence of playing rounders too close to a hedge - the teacher's responsibility to choose the space.

Don't pay anything. Nothing. Just contact the school and ask what is going on? You never know, there may be more to it...

CaptainMarvelDanvers · 07/06/2016 17:24

Have you spoken to the teacher?

Katedotness1963 · 07/06/2016 17:26

No way would I pay this money! How many kids were playing? It seems an awful lot of money for a new ball. Surely the loss of a ball over a wall, into overgrowth comes under the heading "shit happens", and another ball comes out of the school storeroom?

MardyGrave · 07/06/2016 17:27

How many children were in the group op? I'm just curious as to her calculations at the extortionate rate of £2.50 per child.

I'd be asking for the request to be given in writing, and then I'd go round to the headteacher to ask if they endorse this.

nauticant · 07/06/2016 17:27

Contact the school to say that you will only consider paying it if they provide an explanation in writing what they are requiring payment for and the reasons why your DD is to pay.

If they do provide such a ridiculous document have fun with it. And don't pay, naturally. If they don't, tell the school that there's no way you'd handing over money in the absence of an adequate explanation.

999WineNow · 07/06/2016 17:32

looking on amazon a "real" rounders ball is about £5

WreckingBallsInsideMyHead · 07/06/2016 17:33

Yadnbu

Balls get lost! Especially when it's bottom set surely (my school didn't Set for anything never mind PE but it's the one subject I would've been bottom set for, so I sympathise)

If the kids were messing around, it's one thing (although I still think unreasonable as the teacher should've addressed the behaviour). But if they were just playing as per the instructions, it's nobody's fault, just one of those things, the school gets a new ball for about £2

fascicle · 07/06/2016 17:34

Bonkers and unenforceable. Perhaps a caretaker can help.