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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not pay £6.50 for chess club?

98 replies

StuntNun · 12/09/2016 15:47

DS2 asked me last week whether he could go to the school chess club and I said yes. However he has brought the flyer home today and it's £78 per term so £6.50 per week for 12 weeks. I think that it's far too expensive and I'll teach him to play chess at home instead. AIBU to not want to fork out £78 for chess club?

OP posts:
BoneyBackJefferson · 12/09/2016 18:25

LyndaNotLinda

Many after school clubs have a cost to them, so far the club that I run has been free, but that means that I have to spend time getting sponsorship/donations for the club.

At the end of this week I will be £120 out of pocket because of essentials that the club needs that the sponsorship/donations haven't covered.

halcyondays · 12/09/2016 18:29

All after school clubs at our school are free, names drawn out of a hat to see who gets a place. Pretty sure none were charged for when I was at school. I did chess at primary school when it was one of the clubs that was on offer during the school day.

LyndaNotLinda · 12/09/2016 18:30

You shouldn't be out of pocket BBJ. But equally poorer children shouldn't be excluded from extra curricular activities

LauraRoslin · 12/09/2016 18:34

There are at least three different models a chess club can be run on, and you can decide for yourself how much you are prepared to pay for any of them:

(a) a basic teaching-the-moves course, such that the participants end up knowing how to play a legal game of chess.

(b) a club where it's expected that everybody already knows the moves, and an environment is provided for them to be able to play against each other (this is essentially the model that nearly all adult chess clubs in this country follow).

(c) a club where it's expected that everybody already knows the moves and wants to become a better player, and specific training is given towards this aim.

mrz · 12/09/2016 18:36

Or a club that caters for all of the above

Hulababy · 12/09/2016 18:36

Depends where you are in the country, who is teaching it (regards to expertise, level, etc) and where (if the leader has to pay for the space.)

If it is a retired teacher then presumably part of the costs are to cover his/her wage, the cost to hire the room, the cost of purchasing and maintaining equipment.

For round here, £6.50 for an after school activity club is on the high price, including one run in a school but by an external agency/person.

LauraRoslin · 12/09/2016 18:37

"A club that caters for all of the above" is usually a bad model, because it doesn't serve any of the groups it's catering for well.

anotheronebitthedust · 12/09/2016 18:42

depends, if it's ten children, two hours, and a specialist sitting down with them teaching them how to improve I might stretch to a fiver, for the social aspects mentioned above.

If it's thirty kids, 45 mins, and the geography teacher wandering around saying 'yes well done,' then no way!

£6.50 seems very expensive, presumably it's in the school so no need to 'rent' a room as such, so can't see what the costs are going on? Chess sets can be bought very cheaply second hand, and 'lighting,' a room as a pp mentioned Hmm can't be more than a few pennies per hour, so that leaves between £65 (based on ten students) to nearly £200 to pay....who for their time?

LittleReindeerwithcloggson · 12/09/2016 18:43

Mine do after school clubs held at school and for an hour. Cost per lesson:
Recorders - free
Drama - free
Football (external coach) £2
Netball (external coach) £3

Have to admit I wouldn't pay that amount for a club but that's just me!

Ameliablue · 12/09/2016 18:49

Seems expensive for a school based club.

Marynary · 12/09/2016 18:58

I live in a fairly affluent, middle class area and I don't think that many parents would pay that much for an after school club. Some wouldn't even pay £5. For me, whether or not it is worth the money would depend on the ratio of teachers to children.

Outtaker · 12/09/2016 18:58

Seems like the school are charging full rate for room hire. Unless the club is either tiny or the teacher is being paid a fortune, the school will be making a tidy profit! I don't think after school clubs should be run on that basis.

firawla · 12/09/2016 19:01

Mine go to chess club in the library most weeks, which is free. Worth checking libraries near you as an alternative if DS would be happy to go to a non school club for it?

mrz · 12/09/2016 19:10

"A club that caters for all of the above" is usually a bad model, because it doesn't serve any of the groups it's catering for well

So three separate groups supported by three tutors is a poor model Hmm

0pti0na1 · 12/09/2016 19:41

It sounds a lot to me.

Original poster
StuntNun · 12/09/2016 21:29

XianLiax is the school in a place ending in -ham? We could be neighbours?! If the club is going to teach technique by a serious chess player then £6.50 is an okay. Unfortunately I still can't afford it as I have four kids so they only get to do one sport, one musical instrument, and Cubs/Scouts each. I asked DS2 whether he wanted to pay for it himself out of his savings and he said no at first but now he's changed his mind and he is going to pay for it.

OP posts:
sunnydayinmay · 12/09/2016 22:23

Good for him. No harm in giving it a term and seeing how he gets on.

AnyTheWiser · 13/09/2016 00:37

Think I may be not a million miles away too...
In many countries children learn to play chess from little old men in the park after school, possibly their grandfather and his cronies, but not so much in the UK.
Yes, you could teach him at home, but playing one person all the time he will only get to a certain level.
In a club or class he can play people slightly better than him, thus improve all the time, pretty much to any level.
Schools often enter tournaments too, which offer really good experience.
A club will teach how to keep tournament discipline - timings, not taking back moves, if you touch a piece you move it etc. It can also help children socialise without being the chatty type. It can teach them how to be a good loser and a magnanimous winner, all very valuable lessons.

AnyTheWiser · 13/09/2016 00:41

Also, FWIW the people I know that run chess clubs- that is their living!
The chap who runs the schools competition, the Megafinals, gigafinal, tetragonal etc, has just declares bankruptcy Sad
Mike Basman, a lovely chap, has encouraged probably thousands of Children to get into chess. He was really nice to my DD when she won her county championship.

CandODad · 13/09/2016 11:09

Good god. Our PTA had a fit when I suggested changing raffle tickets from 20p to 50p. They would be in nektdown with this!

JC23 · 13/09/2016 11:13

That's insane. Chess club at my son's school costs £2.50 for the year! I would definitely not pay that much

chilipepper20 · 13/09/2016 11:19

If it's in London that's not unusual. Range of after school paid options at DS school and they're all within the 60-100 bracket for a term.

really? maybe I misremembering, but I think our after school clubs are free to near free (nominal fee).

MGMidget · 13/09/2016 13:32

It depends where it is, who is teaching it, how big the group is etc. £6.50 per session doesn't sound unreasonable to me. Someone else is taking responsibility for your child during that time (assuming you aren't expected to be present) and they need a room, some equipment and a teacher. If it is London it would be a normal price for many after school clubs. Also if its a private school its probably within the normal price range. Many of the low-cost clubs that some posters are mentioning could be subsidised by their school and hence not reflecting the true cost of running the club.

mrz · 13/09/2016 17:03

So for example 20 children in the club that £130 an hour or £1560 for 12 hours

lavenderpekins · 13/09/2016 17:12

We pay a fiver a week.. I'd happily pay £6.50 a week if there was a school one though. We have to drive half an hour to get to the nearest kids club!