WIBU to cancel the school summer fete?

[Narnia72]

I'm on the PFA committee (standing down at the next AGM as I can't believe how utterly soul draining it is).

This committee have done 2 big events now (as well as numerous little events). Big summer fair last year and Christmas fair last Christmas. Both well received, lots of people came, and enthusiastic feedback. We also raised lots of money for the school. However, each time we've had to go round the playground "persuading" people to help. It's such hard work. We've always ended up with a full team though and people have said they've enjoyed being involved.

This year we haven't had time to do the playground trawl, and so used parentmail and social media, giving parents text, email and fb options to reply. We have 17 people helping...

It's not enough. We have cancelled lots of stalls, and got it down to the bare minimum. If we dragoon our OHs in and spend 12 hours there setting up, running something and doing the clear up, we might just get away with it. But I don't want to.

I feel we should take the message the parents are giving us. The Head wants us to run it. There is a sponsored event and the children are showcasing various things they've learned in school clubs. She feels they will be disappointed. The rest of the committee are undecided.

2 parents have organised parties (one a whole class!) at the time of the event. Don't know whether deliberately or stupidly (don't know either of the parents involved to talk to). A whole group of parents who have helped historically are going away for the weekend (not together - lots of different events/weddings etc)

No-one seems that interested or bothered. I feel like we're flogging a dead horse, and if we cancel it we'll find out what people's true feelings are by their reactions. I don't want to spend this whole week running around trying to sort stuff.

I don't want this to turn into a PFA bashing thread. I know there are good and bad ones. Ours is a lovely friendly committee, and we've always been welcoming (anyone who's volunteered has been snapped up, we publicise our meetings and minutes, everyone is invited). We still get accused of cliques... It's such a poisoned chalice. WSWD?

whois
Ive been to many school fetes and always helped .

I was pointing out why the OP might be struggling to find helpers ,early evening is a strange time to hold one.

I don't get involved in the pfa tbh. I would rather give an annual donation and avoid the summer and Christmas fetes

I'd love to do this. £20 a year per kid and we'll message you once a month; £40 and we'll leave you alone for good! Trouble is there are some parents that won't pay £1 for charity on mufti days, so it would be the same people putting their hands in their pockets every time.

Please don't always expect the school staff to help out. This is a crazy busy time at school for many of them as it is. Plus they have their own families to be with at weekends.

If you do want school staff to be involved organise it with the head teacher for it to count towards their directed time, so they use this time INSTEAD of a meeting to too.

We find having our summer fete after school for an hour to two works better than a weekend - more likely to get both parent and staff volunteers, plus lots of parents are already their for school pick up anyway.

I would cancel, there comes a point when the effort involved doesnt justify the result achieved. Our PTA folded at the beginning of his year for the very same reasons We all have jobs and it was just becoming too much on top with too few people, if there had been more volunteers doing smaller amounts it would have been easier to juggle.

It is just starting to become apparent to parents and teachers alike that there is no extra money in the pot that there used to be due to our fundraising. There is also a lot of moaning about there being no leavers ball - by the same people who don't want to help. Maybe an absence will kickstart a fresh surge of volunteers

I honestly think our school's approach of giving stalls to each class rep to sort a timetable for, and the assumption is that you'll only commit to 30 minutes at some point is better - effectively, arrange it in a way that volunteering isn't going to take up your whole day, making it so the assumption is a large number of people will do a very little bit of help (in a structured way so no one is stood around waiting to be directed how to help), rather than trying to find a much smaller number of people who are prepared to offer a full day's help.

This year for our Christmas fair, DH was working, and as I have a pre-school DC as well (so can't just be brought along with me), with the standard "offer help for the whole fair" approach, I'd have had to say nope, can't help, instead, as it was only 30 minutes I was due on the stall, I could get MIL to take my 2 round the other stalls in that time then take over when the next couple of parents turned up.

When people are certain it's only 30 minutes they are offering (and they got to pick which 30 minutes if they get in early), they are more likely to say yes, compared to an open ended "help run the fair" that could well be hours/whole day, they are more likely to say yes.

When it's each class have ownership of a stall, they tend to want their stall to do well, and the pressure from the parents who know each other are more likely to get them to say yes.

I really think people would if they didn't feel like they were gatecrashing some exclusive club.

I think there's defo a grain of truth in whoever said the above. I wouldn't want to spend an afternoon coupled with some pta from my child's class who on a normal day blanks me. And who will continue to do so after the event. Stuff that. There are definitely a few alphas amongst our ptas and i just can't be arsed with people like that, sorry.

I dont mind attending and don't hold back on spending at various stalls. I see it as a contribution to the school.

I would cancel it. And also from the other side i.e. the parents who have helped in the past; I volunteered - once. I was really into it, really wanted to be involved. I was treated like I was contagious by the other Parents, practically needed latex gloves on to talk to me. I never volunteered again and nor do I intend to. Still get the 'FOTS meeting this evening at 7pm! Everyone welcome' Which is a total lie TBH.

There really isn't an exclusive club at our school. There are some vile parents that like to bitch, but really we welcome everyone, fall over ourselves to welcome new members, and EVERYONE who volunteers has a job to do and knows what it is. We do 30 minute chunks of help on a stall usually, the trouble is, we can't as so few people.

I think the PFA will fold. No one wants to do it, but everyone wants the perks. The kids enjoy the activities, the parents want the additional perks for the school but no one wants to help. We struggle to find class reps and they don't want to organise volunteers, so unless the teachers take it on (unfair and unlikely) then there's no one to do it.

My guess is we'll end up doing this one, reluctantly, and then that will be it. The whole committee (of 5) has had enough.

It's tough on the school- we have great teachers, who always go the extra mile for the kids. Running fund raising events shouldn't be down to them at all. We are lucky that some have volunteered.

Maybe a year without the PFA will stop the clique bullshit rumours and show that it's a vital addition to the school that benefits all kids, not just the children of the PFA members.

It's a shame it always ends like this - people feel so bitter that they quit, rather than feeling they've achieved something worthwhile and can now pass the baton on.

I feel your pain op. I've been the treasurer to the PA for 6 years, and only have 1 more year left to go.

This year we had very few volunteers and had to run fewer stalls. However we do take a lot of money (over £7k) so we're reluctant to stop it altogether.

What I would suggest is getting people in to do the food/ bouncy castles that pay you a percentage of their takings. Much less work for you and risk free income.

I agree asking yr 6 to run some stalls is a good idea- we're going to do that next year.

We also have a fete programme and get people to advertise in it - mostly parents who run their own business, although a local estate agent sponsors the brochures and gives us £500.

We then charge £1 entry and all the stalls are cheap to enter. The biggest sellers are the bottle and chocolate tombola.

Hope it goes well.

On of the school's my DC go to is great. The PTA ask for a £10 donation in September and then they leave us alone for the rest of the year until the next September.

I wouldn't blame you for one moment for cancelling. Of course the HT wants it to run - she wants the money for specific luxuries (although nowadays they're more likely to be essentials). Hand the headache over to her and say she needs to rustle up more help by Tuesday or it's off.

That said, as a teacher, we find it quite annoying to read on a newsletter that there's an event being put on for the kids (e.g. film night/disco/whatever) and it's on a Friday evening and we staff are just expected to attend in order to supervise. No one ever asks us in advance, it's just assumed we'll do it. Our job is so far removed from what it was in the olden days when PTA functions were invented, that it's a big ask, frankly. If I'm going to support a PTA event, it's more likely to be one at my own kids' school, to be honest.

My two-penneth, after ten years as a primary teacher and a few more as a parent:

Keep it manageable - more and more parents work these days, so it isn't always sensible to try to reproduce 'what we've always done' if there simply isn't the volunteer power to make it happen. Why not just have the talent show, plus family picnic, food stalls and a raffle or auction?

Don't necessarily rely on staff to plug the gap - I have carried tables, worked on stalls, picked up litter, designed and made games...but I have also volunteered on a stall, then gone home and written reports back-to-back for the entire weekend. Not the best weekend of my adult life! The fair was scheduled bang in the middle of report-writing season and SLT were surprised that teaching staff were slow to volunteer...

Think about the timing that works best for your community - at a school in a deprived area, weekend fetes were very badly attended. Families would go home and just would not come out again. We then changed the fete to a Friday afternoon, which was much better as then at least
parents were already on site. But that might not work so well for a school with high numbers of parents working in the week.

Those who just turn up are also taking part/contributing and should not be resented - yes I do slightly raise my eyebrow at those who never show up at all, but every so often even the most committed people have other things on which cannot be avoided.

I would also add some things our PTA does to raise money with fewer hours needed...Phil the Bag, where you bring a bag of old clothes to school to raise money, printed tea towels with self portraits of kids in each class and printed Christmas cards and mugs designed by the children, selling ice pops in the playground on warm Fridays after school, cake sales during school time where kids bring the cakes, refreshments at Christmas concerts and sports day. They rarely do fetes though did a wonderful one for the Queen's birthday recently.

I don't volunteer. I find the PTA cliquey and intimidating. I've never felt bad as I do volunteer at the school with academic stuff and support all the PTA events.

This thread, however, has given me pause for thought, and I'll give it a go next time.

I'm puzzled at all these people refusing to get involved in PTA fund-raising events. I thought it was meant to be the sure-fire way of getting your kids the lead roles in school plays?

Just cancel. No one likes these events anyway, they are tiresome and a pain in the arse. Parents attend out of a sense of duty. I would prefer to give a tenner in a whip round than have to give up an afternoon pretending to enjoy the poorly executed entertainment.

The PTA at my kids primary school were disparaging called the "alpha mums" by those not in the group.

clam
I think do the ultimatum. Our school does that for most school trips. ie. We've not had enough voluntary donations and will have to cancel the trip if more don't pay. It seems to work.

At the school we attended before moving abroad, it was expected everyone did their bit at the school fete. The day was broken up hour slots with blanks for names. The day started at 8am with prep. All parents were expected to put their name on the rota, first come first served. And people kept an eye on each others kids when it was their turn.

A class was also responsible for a stall etc. Reception was face painting, crafty activities, year one was cakes and drinks and year two was brick a brac etc. It was run like a military operation and raised loads of money. There are people who are going to be away, weddings etc., but their was someone else happy to devote more time.

Agree with roping the YEAR 5/6's. Kids love a bit of responsibility at that age.

Surprised at the number of teachers who help out at PTA events, we have none! Well, one or two who attend meetings, and some pitch up to attend events like summer fetes with their own kids, but none who volunteer to run stalls or set up.

We do also ask older children to man stalls, usually the simpler ones like guess the number of sweets in a jar. Due to licensing laws we can't get kids selling raffle tickets or running the tombola.

I avoid the fetes and stuff. I think we are all a lot more pushed for time these days.

We did class reps and half hour slots. Only the reception stalls filled up, and even that was at a push. All that happened was that no one wanted to be class rep. Maybe it's a shame if you cancel the fete and it may mean that if you drop one year, there will be a boost in volunteers the next time round but it will soon tail off again and people might feel you are threatening them. When we requested volunteers for the millionth time, we were told we should tell people what the money was spent on. We told people after every fete in the newsletter. People just haven't got the time or inclination to want to do these things. If the volunteers don't come forward maybe people arent that bothered. Sorry I went into the PTA with goodwill and it ruined my relationship with the school. I'm very down on it now.

We've noticed additional problems with our PTA in recent years as our school has become more popular, and people having larger families. 30 PAN, gone from usually admitting 28 ish to having 40+ first choice applications per year.

Each new entry has around 20 siblings (22 in DS2's year). That leaves only eight new families a year, or maybe two volunteers. More than that leave at the top end.

I can be crashingly awkward, socially. So I used to say apologetically, 'I'm not sure what time I can get there, so how about I do the clearing up slot at the end?'

Every fair needs someone to scurry round with a bin bag. Social graces not required.

I can't really help at our school fetes as they are 6-8pm and DH isn't back till at least 7pm, and my children are too young to go round by themselves. Scaling back could be an option rather than cancelling it altogether - ours dispensed with the playground stalls this year and just had indoor ones and the bouncy castle outside. They also had some older children helping on some of the stalls.

Problem is you probably have a limited number of families to help, who are also expected to spend as well.

The example at our school is there are 80ish pupils. I can think of 5 who are only children or who have much older siblings at secondary school.

There are quite a few families with 2 Dc at the school and a high proportion who, like us, have 3+ dc. So you're right down to probably 30 families.

By rights that should be 60 parents. For any given event assume half might be working or are single parent families. That's 30 parents left.

They've got to look after their dc, they're being asked to mind a stall and they are needing to spend money to raise funds.

It is an awful lot to ask of people.

To be fair, that is probably an extreme example. But sometimes our pta have needed that pointing out when they're organising a sliver change collection, a fill a sweet tube with coins collection, donation for the raffle, summer disco, Halloween disco, Xmas party, Easter disco, people to come up with ideas and to help at the fayre, pay to put a team in the quiz night, donate a prize for quiz night and also to then spend their money.

Then the school does fundraising for nspcc/sports relief/flood relief on top.