Is this a normal amount of requests from the school - its non stop!

[SchoolRequests]

Dc started reception just over 5 weeks ago and already had

• An ongoing weekly donation request
• Request to buy waterproofs (with 5 days notice of when needed)
• Non uniform day plus donation
• Harvest festival donation
• School photos
• Request to go through books with no words on a night and write in communication dairy on a daily / weekly basic
• Harvest bag to fill with leaves and pinecones
• Panto trip in december to pay for

I'm dreading opening his school bag to find more letters requesting things. It is just constant requests for time and money. Is this a normal amount? Do schools think parents have lots of free time and money to get stuff with little notice constantly and don't have work or other children to look after?

What is it like at your kids school?

Trying to think what else will come up this year. Perhaps a school disco. School Christmas lunch. Class party - might need to contribute food. A parent might organise a present for staff or people might buy individual gifts.

DC1 is in Y1 and we haven’t had any of these things (not in reception), except a reminder to provide waterproofs for forest school days and a request for cakes for the PTA bake sale.

It’s a very laid back school though, no uniform etc.

Utterly relentless. I feel like having their number blocked for spamming. I also get tens of texts about stuff that doesn't even concern me, such as various clubs and other classes and SEN support and recommending various websites...

Leave me alone!

Do all these "donations" need paid? Like are they compulsory?

That sounds normal in our school, except for the waterproofs. Including my older ds, I think I’ve already paid £140+ ish for various back to school/trip requests for money.
Seems relentless, yes.

Yes normal - read this and thought 'bet this is someone from my kids school'! But it's not because of the weekly donation thing - that one seems a bit odd

I just put things like read confidently - no errors. If rereading same book endlessly. I put whizzed through 1-end no errors. I’ll get DD to put on character voices in an attempt to keep it interesting so read confidently; lovely expression.

Teacher this year much better at moving through the book bands; last year we went up four bands in one go as she hadn’t been assessed for three terms. In hindsight I should of been a bit pushier.

School has cost me £100 so far this week and its only Wednesday 😫Not to mention parents evening, residential meeting and yr6 transition meetings all scheduled for different days on the same week - lovely trying to fit around a full time job!

I actually found reception v full on. I think they were very keen to get the kids reading so there was so much phonics work to do and workshops to attend etc. Since then it has been much more relaxed thankfully!

Is the weekly donation for snack money? I had to give this in nursery and reception. Snacks were free in year 1 and 2, now in year 3 I have to provide the snack! I can barely remember to brush my hair in the mornings let alone the ever-changing snack logistics.

Yes it's a relentless demand for time, money and donations. Although what is the weekly donation for?

Yes! I was just saying this yesterday! I don't think babies are as expensive as when they get older and go to school! The school constantly want money for something! I would have thought they wouldn't add extra pressure onto parents. We had an email asking for £20 per child towards the materials used in design in secondary school, I understand all of this is expensive for the school but then it also is for parents and you don't want to not donate and have your child being the one whose parents didn't donate.

Also need to buy a laptop for the mammoth amount of homework given in year 7! School pe fleece £20, would be about a fiver in Primark. School trips, lunch money that has gone up. We do actually get free school meals but the allowance is not allowed to be used at break time anymore so need to send snacks which is fine but dd wants to buy food with her friends so I also have to top that up.

A weekly donation to what ? Ask the head to give up just 5% of her monthly wage instead if it is for equipment

An ongoing weekly donation request -
Request to buy waterproofs (with 5 days notice of when needed)
Non uniform day plus donation
Harvest festival donation
School photos
Request to go through books with no words on a night and write in communication dairy on a daily / weekly basic
Harvest bag to fill with leaves and pinecones
Panto trip in december to pay for

We had the weekly donation and waterproofs in nursery but not reception.

The rest is all very normal. Harvest bag is just homework for reception really. School photos will be at some point in the year, doesn’t really make a difference when. DDs school is usually match time.

Filling in the reading diary I just do the night before it’s due in, but for every day we read it. Reading the book is the minimum you should be doing really, they’ll move onto books with words soon and it does really help their reading if parents are engaging with it at home.

I do get that it’s overwhelming sometimes though. DDs in year 1 and by Christmas we will have had 7(!) non uniform days, parents evening, harvest festival, book fair, buying wristbands for something, buying poppies for Remembrance Day, nativity, Christmas Fayre and Christmas party. That’s without weekly handwriting homework, daily reading, remembering her kit for pe days and after school clubs. Plus the birthday parties for friends she’s already had a couple. It does seem like there’s something everyday. I work in secondary and there are far less events that need any input from parents.

Oh god don’t get me started on snack money. Our school is apparently cashless. Except the PTA, and random non uniform days, etc etc, and snacks are provided by the PTA, and are 25p each.

I do the same as a previous poster and get a note changed into pound coins that I leave by the door. That covers snacks, ice cream Friday in the summer term, random non uniform days, Friday film club in winter term, Halloween discos, etc etc. And the tooth fairy!

It was like this when my DS was at primary, always something to buy/provide/attend/donate.

It did get better at high school.

Re: what to put in reading records.

School just wants to know someone has listened to the child read and when it was.

The amount of kids that no one reads with ...

Just write the book name, page from this to that and initial it

That's horrid. If you're being serious. Yes, it should come from the government, but as/if it doesnt, and the choice is between me or the teachers, I would a million times rather it came from my own pocket for my own children than the teachers.

When my DC were at primary school I used to pray for just one week where there wasn't a dress up day

Normal .. we were asked to set up a direct debit

secondary also direct debit and less day to day requests though one child’s school is always after mo et for something

Seems fairy normal.

Harvest - time of year
Book and diary - that's always the case
School photos- normal
Panto- again need to book ahead
Own clothes days happen about once every half term
Waterproofs we're on our uniform list to start with, it's common sense

Only thing never incurred was ongoing weekly donation request

What is the weekly donation for?
Says for extra classroom supplies like baking and extra snack choices.
Waterproofs? Again for what? Waterproof trousers to take in every week on one particular day for a walk in wooded area next to school. It was not on school uniform list like the wellington boots were. I would have preferred if mentioned on uniform list then I could have bought it with everything else rather than giving me 5 days notice to buy waterproof trousers.

Yup, totally normal. We've had flu jab consents, surveys, info evening and parents evening etc etc on top. Donations are normal, I'm very happy to support the school but realise others may not be able to afford it.
Reading with child - we have done every night since they were born anyway, so not an extra burden. Reading with them is so important!

Just checked. Since the end of the summer term, on Parentmail we’ve had:

34 emails

12 forms to fill in

We’ve been back at school 26 days!!!

We’ve also paid out approx £400 (1 x residential was most of that, plus trips, plus swimming, plus class books).

That’s without the incessant emails from the PTA and the PTA WhatsApp group asking for help. I asked about time-poor parents (ie 2 working parents) setting up direct debits each month as I don’t really have loads of time to commit to midday events. Was told no as not everyone can afford to do that. So now they don’t get my time, or my money.

Fucking inefficient is what it is. If I ran my department like this, I’d be sacked.

I've got a lot of experience of primary schools and don't think it's all standard. Can you just opt out of some of it?

Weekly donation - never had to do this. Surely it's voluntary?

Waterproofs - also never had to do this but my kids had home waterproofs they could use

School photos - pretty standard. You don't have to buy, or just get the cheapest option. My start of term doorstep photos are nicer.

Harvest festival - a tin of beans is fine

Reading homework every day - standard and will make a big difference to your child

Non uniform day - just wear everyday clothes and take a pound. Have a quiet word with the teacher and they will probably say it's fine not to pay if that's too much

Bag of autumn leaves - 5 mins at the weekend and at least it's free

Panto - not standard but it's sometimes more affordable for your child to go with school than to go as a family.

Secondary school can be more expensive due to uniform, ipad cost, trips abroad, sports kit, musical instrument lessons... and you still have to sign to say they have done their homework every week!