To think school shouldn’t insist that everyone wears a poppy and donates £1

[moonlightholly]

It’s supposedly in a deprived area too - there are constant reminders of the high percentage of pupils with PP.

Also, I don’t think a school should insist everyone wears a poppy - or AIBU?

OP I work in a school and all staff and pupils have been told we must wear a poppy on Monday - yours is not an isolated case. Ignore the pp questioning your post.

You have the choice to wear a poppy due to the soldiers that gave their lives so that you have that choice.

Exactly - choice! They fought against those who made badge-wearing compulsory.

Now some people want to make badge-wearing compulsory. The irony is rather lost on them.

We aren't PP but my son made his own poppy. Paper, red crayon.
If you want to wear one but the cost is a barrier you could make one?

Thanks through

I wear a poppy, served in the TA (now reserves), am from a Forces family and particularly support the RBL as they gave some fantastic support to my Grandfather in his later years.

I strongly support everyone’s right to not wear a poppy.

OP if you don’t want your children singled out I would go out this weekend, put 2p in a collection tin, and get poppies for your children that way. Not ideal but at least you’re not having to fork out £1 each if you can’t afford it.

If you want to make a point, I would send the Head a link to the Royal British Legion’s own page with point 2 highlighted: Wearing a poppy is a personal choice . Give your children the option of wearing one. If they want to, then buy one regardless of your own feelings. If they don’t want one, then don’t get one. www.britishlegion.org.uk/stories/11-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-poppy?seg=WPDW3B

“ though though I’m surprised it’s seen as a worse war crime than the Holocaust. I’m surprised it’s seen as a worse war crime than the Holocaust. ”

The Holocaust was an ongoing event made up of thousands of crimes. The dropping of two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by the supposed good guys, vapourised 10s of thousands of civilians in seconds, caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands and today children are still being born with birth defects because of these bombs.

They were the worst individual war crimes in human history.

I would ring the Head and politely explain your points. A - choice. B - undue pressure on the financially strained/politically unaligned or antipathetic, for whatever reason.

It’s not ok. I hate this ‘it’s a choice but it’s not’ stuff. Not a good message for kids about choice and autonomy. Challenge it .

As for the doubters, wtaf? Do you or have you had kids in school? This kind of obligatory voluntary stuff happens all the time. Peer and other pressure is sometimes enough to tip the balance. For you £1 might seem throwaway, to someone else it’s tonight’s dinner. It’s also the principle.

Apart from anything else, the impact on the environment of all those poppies must be significant.

@StreetwiseHercules I'm with you. People on here have completely missed your point

Through then maybe you can enlighten us as to what your school will do to pupils who don’t donate £1?

The Royal British Legion, that charity supported by poppies, does partnership deals with weapons manufacturers that make and sell anti-civilian devices that are ethically abhorrent, whitewashing their crimes against humanity.

I will remember the sacrifices of previous generations. I will not support an unethical charity whilst doing so.

“Would anyone actually ring the school and say ‘I can’t afford £1’“

Probably not. Good that those people have others to speak up for them.

BertrandRussell yes they are recyclable and the RBL promote people taking them back to places (I believe Sainsbury’s process them) but I highly doubt most people recycle them and they will just chuck them away. I have an actual pin badge which I carefully tuck away each year and bring out the week preceding Remembrance Day. I still make a donation but feel better about not wasting multiple poppies every year as they would always fall off and I’d need to buy a new one!!

"The head stated very firmly in an assembly that ‘you bring £1 and you wear a poppy and I don’t want to hear ‘I haven’t got it’"

Were you in the assembly

And again...how are they enforcing this?

I cant see how the School can justify asking for £1.00 ! from a School in a deprived area? When I bought a poppy the other day ,the old chap was thrilled I had given him £1.00! BTW the paper poppies fall off all the time ,however he gave me a plastic tag that clips on to a bag when I told him this.I am very Anti War ,but feel that poppies are a thank you for generations before us who had no choice but to go and fight.In WW2 we could have been "under the Jackboot" as my Mum would say.I think it is important to remember this but not demanding a certain sum of money .Even if you gave 5 or 10p this would still multiply and give the Poppy fund a good amount .

Why can't they make poppies in art if they are so arsed about everyone wearing one?

Can some people not see the irony in saying “you have to wear a poppy because people died so you would have the freedom to wear a poppy?”

Now some people want to make badge-wearing compulsory. The irony is rather lost on them.

This wryly amuses me every year too.

OP I’d be pretty pissed off too. I guess the way forward depends on the outcome you feel you want.
You could email the head and outline why you personally don’t wear a poppy (with references) and the impact of losing £1 to charity could have on an individual family and then you don’t send your children with a poppy or donate. It may cause a bit of a debate but your children may not be thankful.
You could donate £1 and send your kids with a poppy and then send an email. It’ll probably get ignored but your kids might be happier.
You could just suck it up.

Honestly, I’m not sure what I’d do.

Those saying it’s “only” £1 should remember it’s not “just” £1 for these things. There’s also Children in Need coming up, a completely bloated charity if there ever was one. Then it will be Christmas jumper day or something which will require not only paying £1 but buying a jumper to join in! And multiple more events throughout the year.

Making children feel bad for not taking part disproportionately affects those from low-income households.

But that’s a complete other thread really...

I do what you do Dyrne

Can you link to somewhere that states the RBL's links to weapons manufacturers please Uhare

"does partnership deals with weapons manufacturers that make and sell anti-civilian devices that are ethically abhorrent, whitewashing their crimes against humanity."

It's not really partnership deals. But yes, they accept donations from events which are sponsored by arms manufacturing companies (e.g. The Poppy Rocks Ball, which is not a Legion event). And not all Poppy related advertising originates with RBL

£1 is just a suggested donation. No school should be forcing kids who can’t afford that to pay just to wear a poppy. At my DNs school the kids all made their own poppies which I thought was better - could you tell the school to do something similar?

Lots of people have more than one child at primary school- so it’s not “just £1” to them.

Throughabush - no-one can force anyone to wear a poppy. Its not a sackable offence if you don't

Why would anyone refuse to wear a poppy? I’m surprised by some of the comments tbh!