To think £4 each for school nativity is too much

[cheekynicolle]

So state Infant school have finally after covid deigned to do a Christmas performance - and for some reason (not disclosed) are charging parents £4 per ticket to watch!

I wouldn't mind £1-2 per person but really should they be charging parents so much to attend a school performance? And are all schools doing this or just this one school who have a history of bizarre decisions.

The child will be in the nativity play wether their parents can afford the £4 or not ,and kids usually want to see their parents in the audience ,extra curricular activities are just that ,extra curricular,nice if you can afford them but not essential.

Most good parents will still go

But bad parents won't? Even if the supposedly bad parents cannot afford it.

OP I think the school should charge 50p and have a raffle or a collection.

We were asked for £2 a ticket at DDs school but free for DS school. I worked in schools for years and we never charged for nativities. £4 is a lot if mum and dad both want to go then also need a ticket for a toddler as an example. I was annoyed at paying £2 given I had already paid £5 for the baking fund, £7 for a in school panto performance, and £8 on stuff they wanted for the school fair. It’s the constant request for money that is the issue.

Was about to post the same. Definitely won't be that!
Possibly an attempt to put a dent in the ridiculous budget shortfall they like all schools will have next year. Perhaps it's their way of raising awareness of that? But misguided- a barrier to attending for some. The best thing parents can do is vocally support the strikes which are asking for adequate school funding.

I think it’s affecting many actually.

But even if it’s just the minority, do those people not matter? They’re the ones who are suffering the most and now they don’t get to see their child in a play that’s a standard thing here in our schools. Who cares though, eh? They should stay at home and think about their ‘bigger issues’ which they likely can’t do much to solve. Ffs

It's probably to limit numbers?

I'd email them and ask them to take it out of what they're paying your child for their performance.

I would imagine Ofsted etc would see this as non-inclusive. Children like their family attending so charging people excludes those on low income. TBH I think schools who only have nativity plays in the afternoon exclude working parents as well which is also non-inclusive but because working parents are not seen to be disadvataged group that would not attract as much outrage.

£4 is definitely too much, it should be free! It cost me £20 to find the stuff for my son's sheep costume so there's always stuff like that to factor in too. I can imagine £24 would be too much for many families.

If school were providing all costumes and props and maybe had free refreshments then I wouldn't mind. If you have to buy/make your child's costume then it isn't costing them to run it and therefore it should be free.

Exactly what I was thinking. Poor people matter too.
Divine hypertension is just being a goady fucker nobody can be that lacking in empathy and compassion.

🙄

excellent point 👏🏼

I agree with a PP that it would be better said " a donation would be welcome - we suggest £4 per person but this is not mandatory. Any donation gratefully received and will go towards xxxxxx. If you feel you can give more then also very gratefully received." But they make sure the donation box lets people put whatever they can in anonymously or no one else being able to see what they have donated - whether that be 20 pence or for those who think £4 per head is nothing £20.

It’s not.

Here DivineHypertension, this is for you

www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/373065/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate

To be honest I don't think it's a lot to ask, and would gladly pay a small percentage more to enable those who genuinely couldn't pay to attend without charge.
However, having brought up my children in a "poorer" European country, I see that in England contributing anything, to school or health is always seen as something preposterous. Here School exercise books and colours and pens and pencils are all brought from home, tissues and even toilet paper and kitchen rolls have been asked for in the past. Families pay 4/5€ per meal for a child's lunch in very poor regions, although some may choose to bring them home to eat.
I do understand that for some families 4£ is a lot, but I can't help thinking that for others it's a case of thinking that it " should be free" because it's school, rather than actually can't pay.

My kids school is £5 per ticket but in the same letter they told parents they weren't allowing the kids to give out Christmas cards this year due to the costs.... when a pack of cards costs £1 get for two parents to see their kid in a play is a tenner. 🫤

Ah leave @DivineHypertension alone she's feeling all rich, smug and superior now.

As for the school mentioned by the OP, if they were to ask for donations and say what it's for perhaps the lovely yummies will give more than £4.

Yanbu if they need to raise money they could take good videos and charge for a copy

Sounds like a good idea.

Depends

are you providing the costume or are they?

one parents have to buy costumes and pay a fee.

But you can guarantee that all the money goes back to the kids either a party or trip

I think £1-£2 should be maximum. At this time of year £8 for 2 parents to attend with everything else will be unaffordable form some families. Our school are giving tickets for free.

Can't remember if it was £1 or £1.50 (last one left primary 2018) but we were always charged that for school performances, I had an idea it ws to do with fire regulations as it was a maximum of 2 tickets per performance (1 afternoon, 1 evening).
Also, the school got people in specially to record and you bought the cd of the kids performance directly from the school (if you wanted one); no other recording during performances.
Not unusual to charge; in those days £4 (well, £8) would have been a bit steep, now it's not very much. Everyone's circumstances are different and can change.