School toast

[Fairycake89]

Today I forgot to pay my 6 year olds toast money which they have at morning break. They gave every single child a slice of toast besides my daughter.

I have never forgotten before. Could they not have just put a note in her book bag as a reminder? Or sent a text.

You pay online for the term so I have paid it now (20p per day) including todays… even though she didn’t get any.

Should primary schools be more understanding? It’s not the child’s fault, it was mine.

Is it fair to single them out ? Toast for you, toast for you, NO toast for you , toast for you….

I find the amount of people who are trying to blame the teacher astounding. The teacher will have had nothing to do with the list as it’s from parent pay and teachers aren’t supposed to deal with the money side of things at all anymore. She have been given the list and that it. If she is then handing out toast in her break time in addition to setting up the next part of the day, as well as trying to go to the loo and get herself a drink then there simply isn’t time to deal with trivial things like this until the end of the day. I say trivial because it’s not the breakfast club or lunch, when of course it would be far more important to find out what was going on and provide the child with something (as happens in all the schools I know). And of course, in an ideal world a teacher would sub them or the school would but the financial
situations are that bad in many many schools that the pd 20p here and there matters, a lot. Schools are going to put themselves more in debt for an optional snack. 20p in itself not a lot but how many pupils and how often, it soo adds up. As for the teacher themselves, schools are cashless so nothing they can do there and then but also remember that many teachers are themselves struggling financially. When I return to work after my mat leave I will take home roughy £150 a month from my full time wage due to childcare costs…every single penny of my wage will be needed in my own household. Again, 20p doesn’t sound much but it adds up when you keep doing it.

Although the school charges 20p for a slice of toast, it's not ACTUALLY 20p for a slice of toast is it? It's way, way less than that because you get a whole loaf for 70p, roughly.

My DC's school did the same with charging 20p for toast and I've got no issues at all with that. It's a reasonable price and a handy midmorning snack for the kids. But it is a way to raise a small amount of money for the school.

The reason this is relevant is for the PP saying more than one child not paying means multiple 20ps, which quickly add up. You could hand out half a loaf of toast for free and still end up in profit.

I was a school governor for several years (and PTA). I agree it's mean to have not given your child toast - I'd imagine they would be well aware that your child usually has toast and it seems excessively severe to leave her out for non-payment on a single day. A slip in your DC's bag at the end of the day, or an email, or however your school handles informal communication was all that was needed.

When they say they want to be entered to an event or competition, but dont send the money in, and i say dont worry, I will send it off, and then they also don't turn up.... yup me again....

@QueenoftheFarts this phrase springs to mind "“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”

If parents don't pay, then don't enter the child into the competition. People are taking advantage because you let them. I know you're trying to be kind, but some people just don't appreciate that. They'll respect you more if you stand up for yourself. All you need to do is give plenty of notice of the new system and stick to it. Once their child has missed out once or twice, they'll start paying

@Grizzledstrawberry - teachers already buy school supplies and food for children who are sent to school hungry - how much more do you want them to pay for, out of their own pockets?

20p for one slice of toast is a racket btw.
But they could’ve given her a slice.
If you don’t want a slice of toast you just send something else?
Sorry if that’s a stupid question I e never heard of toast club.

@StalkedByASpider

A loaf of Hovis bread is £1.40. Add on butter, cost of electricity etc.

Also, it's mad that the teachers are having to make the toast, yet another example of being stretched to do things that aren't part of their job description.

On the flip side....if you'd not paid it because there had been an update in your child's dietary needs....and they gave it to them anyway, wouldn't you be annoyed? They can only go on what information they have in front of them which in this case showed that you'd not chosen to opt into it 🤷🏼‍♀️

This.

Yanbu!

This! I was coming back
to mention dietary requirements. A friend of mine got into a lot of trouble for feeding her class some homemade cake that had something in that a pupil was allergic to. The pupil ate the cake knowing that the ingredient was in the cake but didn’t say anything. This is why I will only go on lists provided and never deviate when it comes to food. I’d rather have a parent annoyed at me that I hadn’t provided an optional bit of food than cause their child actual harm.
Schools have changed a lot in that respect since the majority of us attended ourselves.

Why don't posters suggesting teachers pay out of their pockets donate £50 a month to each class in the school their child attends to cover costs such as this.

I spend a fortune on books, food resources, trips etc for my class. The moment it becomes expected from parents I will stop.

It isn't a teacher's job to fund food for their whole class.

Presumably she had breakfast...and so did most of the kids in her class?

Why are they feeding them "toast" during break when they should be running around and playing?

They get lunch within, an hour/an hour and a half?

They're not starving...why are the school over-feeding kids?

Many questions, probably easier to feed them than patrol them in the playground 🤷‍♀️
But then I'm from the generation that were made to drink frozen/warm milk 🤢 and we didn't need that either.

You are right, and this half term it's going to be very different.

I just expected people to be more... I don't know... decent? But they aren't. They simply don't care so I won't be caring back in return.

This is a very good point actually. The kid could have been diagnosed as gluten intolerant, or needing a low carb diet (although I imagine mum would have talked to the teacher about it).

@QueenoftheFarts Good for you. Stay strong !

I think it’s rock and hard place for school as not all children will want it and not all parents will want to pay. £1 a week adds up especially if multiple children.
They can’t assume you are carrying on - cost, dietary restrictions etc.
I can imagine the outrage by some parents if a child was fed white bread and margarine.
I’d just pay it and move on. Tell child mum forgot but they are all paid up now so will get it tomorrow.

It’s not the schools fault, it’s up to their discretion.

you are a good payer, but some are not and they probably can’t say yes ok for one and not others. I guess they have to take a line for all and stick to it. Shame though x

The dreaded parentpay! I forgot to pay for my sons milk one term as no reminder was sent out and he didn’t get any all term even though they ended up throwing cartons and cartons of it away. I ended up sending him with a little bottle of it from home which in the end he preferred.

With no previous record of non payment that is very harsh.

My DS was on a school trip one day (he'd be about 9/10). I'd completely forgotten to give him some money for the gift shop. His lovely teacher gave him a £1 so he didn't feel left out. I was both mortified and grateful to him for not letting DS miss out. I sent DS in the next day with the money and some of his favourite sweets.

They're not starving...why are the school over-feeding kids?

Because a lot of children are overweight and need constant snacks as it's what they're used to. Can see a funded breakfast club for those children who sadly would go without, and lunches of course for those who need it- but mid morning toast? Weird. Fruit I could understand, would be easier for teachers as well no doubt, but then the school wouldn't make as much from it I suppose so they're not arsed.

I agree with this absolutely. You're not being unreasonable, OP and it was pathetic of staff to single your child out. So many schools run breakfast clubs - or did - nothing has changed n terms of need and your daughter should have been given toast along with her classmates. Since when does a slice of toast cost 20p in real terms anyway?

Not that this is OPs situation but I suspect those who are delighting in telling the OP it's her fault are the types of frequent the cost of living board, rubbing their thighs at all the feckless fools on there.

School will not be paying co-op hovis prices for bread and butter

Our co-op donate the bread thats going out of date for kids to have toasted most stores will

Yes, I think it's shocking. Schools have a duty of care. You never know what a child's circumstances at home could be. And there should be a hardship fund for students who can't afford to pay - but also a bit of flexibility for everyone. I nearly forgot to order school dinners for this week! Even if we don't order or don't pay, our dc are still asked what they'd like for dinner and the school makes sure we eat and we get a reminder message asking us to pay.

I would have given the kid some toast. Ffs what is wrong with people

Ooh tricky.

But I'd not want one of mine (severe allergies) to be given something I had not said yes & paid for. Even toast can be high risk - gluten & dairy
Things change ...teachers follow the list and it keeps everyone safe - including the teacher giving out the toast!
(Who wouldn't be insured if she'd given an allergic child something their care plan says they cannot eat!)