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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are we unreasonable, or is the school?

33 replies

Naiceprosecco · 13/07/2018 23:07

Name changed.

I am involved with fundraising in the PTA at my daughter’s school. It’s a primary in an area which isn’t deprived by any means but isn’t particularly affluent either and we struggle with parental support.

We are a new PTA and funds have been very tight. We are finally in a position to provide learning materials requested by the head as our last event of the year has put us ‘in the black’.

However there has been uproar because we couldn’t afford to buy the leavers a t-shirt each and instead suggested the parents pay for them if we organised them (purely optional). We have given a donation to their prom but it was either buy t-shirts for one leaving class or put the books requested in each classroom, not both. To me and others (including other parents) it was a no-brainer, we should provide enrichment before providing frivolous things.

The problem is - the head is now using school funds to pay for these t-shirts. Confused

So am I being unreasonable for thinking school funds or funds raised for the school should not be spent on expensive, exclusive items such as that (around £20 per pupil, 32 students in the class)?

OP posts:
Imchlibob · 13/07/2018 23:13

Our school is in a similar sort of area but a longer-established ptfa.

Funds raised by the ptfa are for the benefit of the whole school - learning and play resources and enrichment activities.

The year 6 kids do separate fundraising activities as soon as sats are over to raise money for their leavers' sweatshirts and disco "prom". Cake sales, sponsored stuff, different each year as the kids decide.

£20 per head is too much. You can get them cheaper than that. But yanbu.

YoYotheclown · 13/07/2018 23:14

It’s once a year and the leavers really do look
Forward to it.

JoyceDivision · 13/07/2018 23:18

Yabu, school are providing shift for their yr6 leavers, they will have a contingency part of their budget for unpleasantsuprises,unexpected costs and misc items (I know one school where the head paid for leavers gifts!) But the yr6 leavers gifts are usually factored in by school. As ptayou usually support the school as a whole rather than reception to yr5 having reason to grumble they have supported paying for leavers gifts.

JoyceDivision · 13/07/2018 23:19

Shift?? Auto stopped correct! Gifts!!

reluctantbrit · 13/07/2018 23:21

Y6 mum here. Our PTA, drowning in money, gives the Y6 parents a contribution to the DJ for their leavers party. Nothing else.

Hoodies are always paid by the parents unless the school knows of a south where a family at not be able to afford this and the. The school may step in. We had this this year with one case, all other 68 were paid by the parents.

PTA money should in general go toward things for all children, if funds allow it is nice to get a contribution but I would also go for whole school items first

JoyceDivision · 13/07/2018 23:22

Our school provides each pupil with the class photo(saves parents a fortune!) And a laminated verse about growing up and forging their own path in the future, and an engraved metal heart pebble thing with school name / year on, all lovely and thoughtful.

Tbf pta are best focusing on school as a whole, leave yr6 leavers to the parents of that year group to fundraise above school's contribution if they wish.

reluctantbrit · 13/07/2018 23:22

Situation, not a south. I hate my iPad.

BrokenWing · 13/07/2018 23:32

We paid for our own leavers hoodies, each year to they are organised by one of the parents (not PTA). There was never any suggestion or expectation that the school would fund in anyway. Ds wore his on the last day of primary and then I never saw him or any of his friends wear them again. What a waste of school funds.

BackforGood · 13/07/2018 23:35

YANBU if I've understood it right.
I would not be impressed by a school spending money on giving t-shirts to dc who are leaving, if I had been working hard to raise funds for basic equipment.

Nor do I understand how you could (or would?) spend £20 on a t-shirt ??

sproutsandparsnips · 13/07/2018 23:45

Our PTA provides funds for a leavers' disco with food, drink etc and if parents want a leavers' hoodie/tshirt they can pay for one which is facilitated by the school.
Otherwise the PTA provides funds for sweets/drinks associated with educational opportunities and directly for approved resources within the school.
Got to be a balance between strictly educational stuff and fun stuff for kids that may not otherwise have the opportunity imo.

MinorRSole · 13/07/2018 23:50

At our school the P7's do their own fundraising for the leavers hoodies. I think when there are limited funds there is a need to prioritise and clearly the hoodies, whilst lovely and important to the leavers, aren't essential items.
In fact my older children, one mid teens and the other now an adult, had no such thing when they left primary - they all just took a white shirt in to get signed by the class.

As a parent I would happily just pay for the hoodies to avoid further fundraising if I'm honest

madamginger · 13/07/2018 23:52

Our PTA pays for half the cost of the hoodies but we get them in October because that’s when they go to PGL.
We also give each leaver a year book, they cost £7 each and we have 34 in this year 6 cohort. We don’t pay for anything else.
The parents pay for the leavers meal.

Itsveryhard · 13/07/2018 23:53

The PTA makes a contribution to school hoodies. They are really popular here and are still worn by leavers the following year. They are also allowed to wear them to school too.

Armchairanarchist · 13/07/2018 23:54

We could order a leader's hoodie if we wanted to for DD. They have been allowed to wear them in school since the end of SATS. I'm shocked the school has paid.

Armchairanarchist · 13/07/2018 23:57

*leaver's damn you autocorrect.

PodgeBod · 13/07/2018 23:59

What's the point of a t-shirt that they will grow out of shortly? When I was at school we just had people sign our shirts on the last day, it was very personal and meaningful.
YANBU.

RB68 · 14/07/2018 00:05

At our well supported school PTA money used for school stuff for all and we didn't contribute to parties or hoodies etc. Hoodies - parents pay, party fundraised for, teddy's provided by head.

Original poster
Naiceprosecco · 14/07/2018 00:09

Thank you all for your input - I believe the cost does go down depending on quantity ordered and it includes delivery. Was more money because we were only asked to source them a week ago so had very little time and had to find a company with a fast turnaround. This is fast tracked so they arrive before the end of term next week.

Purely as a parent I am not impressed that school funds have been used this way - but not sure how I can get that across without it seeming ‘tit-for-tat’?

OP posts:
bf1000 · 14/07/2018 00:16

I would like to see the end of things like leavers t-shirt, costly for parents or school or where ever money comes from. It's a cost for a item that isn't necessity.
It plays into the nature of getting things just because not for a need. The whole throw away attitude.

We have non school uniform days where some parents buy new stuff for that one day. Pj day means getting new pjs for school etc, Christmas jumper day, under pressure to buy a jumper.

Why can't everyone just wrap some tinsel round themselves and put it one their tree when they get home.
The pressure that is created..... and yes you can opt out but your child could be the only one not taking part.

squiggleirl · 14/07/2018 00:22

When the PTA held fundraising events, was it advertised what money was being raised for? If it was, then that's what the money needs to be spent on. If the PTA said the money was being raised to purchase learning materials, then that's what you need to buy with it.

quizqueen · 14/07/2018 00:41

Why would kids want a T shirt or hoodie presumably with the name of their primary school on when they are leaving? In 6 weeks time they will be going to a secondary school and probably will be embarrassed to wear them. A year photo is a nice idea; buy one if you want one.

KeepServingTheDrinks · 14/07/2018 00:42

Hello Naice Good user name!

I'm an ex chair of a PTA; i work in (different) schools and i've had a child go through Yr 6

Your primary responsibility as a PTA is providing enrichment for the school. So if you have money to slush around, something like a leavers hoodie is lovely. When your kid gets to Yr 6 you'll appreciate that. However, that's the icing on the cake. The playground equipment comes first.

In my schools, the Yr 6s get their hoodies in September or after SATS. They wear then and then get them signed. It's a lovely thing. It doesen't trump playground equipment.

If Yr6 parents are kicking off, then i'd suggest you tell them to organise their own leaver's thing.

Good luck with the PTA.

GoatYoga · 14/07/2018 01:27

What has the PTA done in the past? Have they paid for the t-shirts? And if yes
, is there therefore an expectation that the PTA would pay?

bunbunny · 14/07/2018 01:46

£20 for a t short that they will soon grow out of seems excessive.

At the dc’s infant school they gave them a little bear wearing a t shirt with the school logo on - cost maybe £3-4 each which the pta contributed towards.

At their junior school they wear their sports t shirt in for everyone to sign. Their school polos are a dark colour so wouldn’t work if they signed them (unless anyone knows of a white marking pen for fabric!). There are 5-6 classes per year in the school which is massive for a junior school and it would be hugely expensive to buy even a small gift for them all.

All monies raised go to kit for the dc either in the classrooms or playgrounds.

Monty27 · 14/07/2018 01:52

WTA? Leavers use their own school shirts or pe shirts in my world. And it's a similar demographic. I cannot believe what I am reading here Shock

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