I live in a deprived area, it's actually on the news fairly frequently as it is the most deprived area in our large city. (not London though)
My children's school has quite a few children living in high rise flats,have free school meals, food banks and clothes banks etc are common.
Every nursery and reception child need waterproof overalls and wellies to be kept at school.
When my oldest started at this school we lived in a flat, I was a single parent on benefits.
We used our wellies daily to get out of the filthy flat. I couldn't afford the overalls but sent in stained joggers to be used outside, even if they were put on over the school trousers that would be OK.
I used to ask if I could have the wellies back after school every day and the teacher are a massive fuss, nobody else took theirs home, blah blah blah.
it was embarrassing and upsetting.
I don't mean to judge, but she had a nice car, nice clothes, a career, and a posh accent. She was clearly the kind of person that chose to work in a deprived school so she could help us little paupers out.
She kept asking me when we were going to get the overalls and she said 'they are only £15 on amazon' at the time I was fucking freezing in the draughty damp flat with a new baby unable to heat the one room because the storage heater cost £2+ a day. which I couldn't afford.
Me and the children's dad got back together and he works so we could afford the overalls and I found a pair of wellies in the second hand shop to leave at school.
Now a few years later we are better off financially.
and I get a news letter when my younger child is in nursery asking for parents to donate their old wellies.
I think Halelujah! they aren't going to make the people round here buy extra wellies to keep at school! they are asking for some to keep there as school wellies that the children can use!
So I ask around for wellies and give a few pairs.
feeling like finally i am given closure for the whole ordeal with the teacher not getting we can't afford firsts, never mind multiples.
A couple of months go by and my daughter comes home with a wellie boot full of compost with a little plant growing. I cried. They wanted the boots to be used as planters or pots. Which didn't work anyway because there were no drainage holes so the plant was sad and drowning anyway.
I would have donated £5 for them to buy pots. or they could have pot noodle pots or other kinds of upcycled rubbish destined for landfill but they used wellies that they expected to buy 2 pairs of for one child. It just seems so wasteful and out of touch with the reality of how people are living in that area. if it was a private school ot wouldn't seem like such a punch to the gut (but it'd still seem wasteful and inappropriate for plants as pots should have good drainage anyway.
This was last year so it's old news now. I just thought I'd shar