Front row seats for PTA

[pitapta]

I’ve name changed because a few people know my usual username on here and I’d rather not be linked to the following petty moaning…

I know there are bigger things to worry about at the moment BUT this has really left a bad taste in my mouth. I attended DD’s first ever school play this morning with my partner. She’s our PFB and this is the first time we’ve seen her in a school production so were really looking forward to it. I was told yesterday by a fellow parent that, although the play didn’t start for an hour, parents queued from drop off time so we wrapped up and joined the queue. We weren’t first but were three couples from the front of the queue. Waited in the freezing cold until doors opened at the start time only to be greeted by ‘reserved’ signs on the entire front row. Obviously didn’t know who these seats were reserved for so we dutifully took our seats on the second row before a bunch of the PTA waltzed in and took their front row seats. I had to ask two of them to lower their phones during the performance so I could actually see.

Is this normal? I couldn’t believe it. Surely it’s first come, first served and the fact we’d been queuing in the cold for an hour meant we should get the seats we wanted?

The show was great; I know this is the important thing but I still feel really cross and like this is deeply unfair. I wanted to email the school but my DP thinks they’re label me as pathetic and ignore it anyway.

AIBU and should I say something?

I’m on our PTA and we had our nativity today. We spent all weekend making up raffle prizes, goodie bags and sorting tickets etc. arrived two hours early to help sort the hall out and get the tables etc ready, then stayed behind after to tidy up. Hell yes I put my stuff on a good seat at the front. If you want the good seats, you can always volunteer too?

I guess it's fair enough op, the pta at our school work their arses off. For future plays though, the back row is the best as you can at least stand up a bit if someone in front is being inconsiderate

Same here.

At my kids’ school at least one year the front 3 rows were all reserved (in non-raked seating) and at the last minute in walked all the school governors, their partners, former headteacher, etc. For a reception nativity play.

So none of the parents could see very well, and none of the children could see anyone they knew at all - just a load of middle-aged and elderly randoms.

Just to clarify as well, our school does not have any parent governors - none of them were related in any way to any of the children. I don’t even know why they would have wanted to go, let alone have the whole front of the audience reserved for them.

Join the PTA for next year 😀

As others have said that's because those people were helping get 30 excited little bodies into the correct costume, wipe the tears of the nervous ones, retie the shepherd's belt for the 15th time, persuade them to go to the toilet before they go on etc. They'll have been at the school far longer than you doing all that

Very unlikely. PTAs are fundraisers. They aren't TAs or even parent volunteers. They probably aren't DBS checked and probably don't go anywhere near the children.

Our PTA holds fundraising activities. Much appreciated and they work hard. But they don't have anything to do with helping at school events at all. And certainly nothing to to with the children. That's what we're there for as staff.

If it bothers you, join the PTA, so you can watch your PFB from the front row next year. The PTA raise money for your child's school, usually in their own time, and it's a pretty thankless task (as this thread shows). IMO you should be grateful that your PTA has enough members to fill an entire front row; at our school it has nearly had to be disbanded due to the lack of interested parents.

Second row is for peasants.

I'm with you OP, my children went to primary many years ago, but it used to piss me off then. PTA are much appreciated, but parents should be in the front rows.

This happens at ours for the members of the PTA who are helping out at the event and it seems totally fair to me - they would end up at the back etc if they could only take their seats last minute after helping on the door and they should have some upside for helping at intervals/to clear up afterwards etc.

The PTA have been the core of parent volunteers in the vast majority of schools I worked in, and that my kids have been to.

They are absolutely the ones that would be helping the staff get the kids organised, sorting the refreshments and the likes.

very few schools I know only have their PTA as a fundraising arm.

PTA volunteers are parents

I did absolutely loads on the PTA of DS’ primary school for the entire seven years he was there. We had Christmas events, cake sales (termly), loads of the usual fundraisers and celebrations for the children.

Never got so much as a thank you, let alone a front row seat. Kick in the teeth was that the only cake sale in that whole time that I didn’t lead on, the person who did was thanked profusely.

PTA can be a completely thankless task for huge amounts of time spent. A front row seat would be a token thank you I think, and much appreciated.

JustLyra - fair enough. Never been my experience.

I was on the PTA for many years, I gave up hours of my time for free. The very few perks included getting front row seats for plays and the choice of the best cakes before the cake sale! I worked bloody hard as did the few others on the PTA so a good view was a small reward. Ps I actually never sat at the front I always preferred the back where you could stand up and get an uninterrupted view :)

@heymammy this is great advice: thanks!

This just makes me think how different folk are. I prefer to sneak in at the back My observation is thatthe hall fills up from the front and the back.

The PTA spend hours and hours raising funds for the school and putting together fun events for children. They’re so vital to schools and it’s lovely that appreciation is shown to them in this way. It would be nice if you could be more supportive of this little thank you. Perhaps you should go along and see what they do and how you can help, and get your place on the front row!

I can't stand being on the front row, I'd rather be at LEAST a third of the way back. (In a small-ish theatre of less than 3000 people that is.)

Misses point of thread....................

I wanted my DD to be able to see me @PurpleButterflyWings

I won’t get the chance to attend anything after this academic year because I’ll be back at school myself so this is likely the only nativity I’ll see throughout both of my DC’s school careers.

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all. My DCs primary had the same attitude towards the PTA but i used to put in hours and hours of work as the secretary to the out of school club and did not expect any extra privileges. the school did not appreciate the work the committee did at all until it was mentioned in the ofstead report. Funny that!

I was on the PTA and we absolutely were involved in school events and with the children -fundraising was only part of the PTA function at our school and volunteering was a big part. Stacking chairs, setting up the orchestra, helping out backstage, cleaning, refreshments - no way has a teacher in sole charge of 30+ kids got time to manage this and that was when having a general class TA (as opposed to 1:21) was the norm.
Parent volunteer / PTA are usually the same crowd! Get involved OP most are working parents and juggling the same shit so it's a great way to meet other parents and feel a bit more involved in your child's education when you can't always be around in the week. I used to commit to Christmas fayre and fireworks as they were weekend events.

Oh come on - they are volunteers and work hard to make your kids' school a better place. Cant you begrudge them this tiny perk as a thank you?? Seems really petty to be annoyed about this.

I agree they shouldn't have been holding their phones high and blocking your view- but that's a separate issue and would have been bad for anyone, no matter who it was in any row.

How it works? At Secondary?

Total radio silence until they want a prom with Buckingham Palace, a fleet of golden coaches and a flypast from the Red Arrows booked and paid for by the school, largely. Don't hear from them all year round other than that.

Given that they know what the PTA absolutely weren’t doing they clearly have an idea how it works…