Page 2 | To question the cost of this pasta salad?

BoohooWoohoo · 19/02/2024 14:08

£13!

I am shocked that they aren’t using internal staff for this activity so that the cost can be more reasonable.

LordBummenbachsMagnificentBalls · 19/02/2024 14:10

Can you let the school know I would quite happily show some students how to cook pasta for a reduced fee of £250 instead?
Quids in for me….
YANBU

Skiphopbump · 19/02/2024 14:11

That’s a ridiculous price, I wouldn’t pay out of principle.
Definitely ask for a breakdown of costs.

RosesAndHellebores · 19/02/2024 14:12

I'm loving all the suggestions that teachers could teach cookery. MIL was a primary deputy head for 30 years. Despite having a family she could not and would not cook. I asked her to put some rice on once. She'd never cooked rice, ditto I once asked her to par boil some spuds for roasties so she left them in the boiled water to go to mush! I know not all teachers are the same, but it's a massive assumption.

Prawncow · 19/02/2024 14:17

The ingredients per child can’t cost £13 so they’re asking you to pay for the teaching of an in-school lesson that’s part of the curriculum.

Kinneddar · 19/02/2024 14:18

RosesAndHellebores · 19/02/2024 14:12

I'm loving all the suggestions that teachers could teach cookery. MIL was a primary deputy head for 30 years. Despite having a family she could not and would not cook. I asked her to put some rice on once. She'd never cooked rice, ditto I once asked her to par boil some spuds for roasties so she left them in the boiled water to go to mush! I know not all teachers are the same, but it's a massive assumption.

Any coking we did at school was done in Home Economics & taught by that teacher. We did a lot more adventurous things than a pasta salad

Therealjudgejudy · 19/02/2024 14:25

That totally insane, and tone deaf!

Anjea · 19/02/2024 14:25

What's she putting in it, lobster?

talksettings1 · 19/02/2024 14:51

IfYouDontAsk · 19/02/2024 13:49

It’s not the cost of a pasta salad though is it? Presumably it’s the cost of the ingredients to make the pasta salad and the cost of paying the external teacher to come in.

It’s fine for the school to ask for a voluntary donation of £13; it’s not fair for a state school to insist upon it. Not all families will have £13 to spare.

Legally, the school can only ask for a voluntary donation towards the cost of an activity that is part of the curriculum. The tuition fee is an activity cost.
The school can only charge for materials, including cookery ingredients, if you have indicated that you want the results to come home.

This is very easy to check - I would email the school and include some links to educate them. https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/charging-for-school-activities/
Also, parents must not be asked to pay anything that subsidises other parents.

Charging for school activities - childlawadvice.org.uk

Sections 449-462 of the Education Act 1996 govern the law on "charging for school activities". This applies to all maintained schools, academies and local authorities. This information page will cover what schools are able to charge for, what they are...

https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/charging-for-school-activities

PoliteTurtle · 19/02/2024 14:51

Pastasaladage · 19/02/2024 13:47

NC

School have emailed today and all the children in DD class will be learning to cook a pasta salad one morning next week.(it is part of their topic)

A lovely person who runs cookery classes is coming in to take the session.

Parents have been asked to pay £13 per child.

AIBU to think this excessive?!

Christ what’s going to be in it? Wagu beef?

Blondeshavemorefun · 19/02/2024 14:52

Madness

Many parents will struggle with that

BobbyBiscuits · 19/02/2024 14:54

What is the pasta salad meant to be made of? I'd say that's extortion for any cookery lesson that wasn't making some really fancy meal, involving expensive ingredients like steak or truffle or something!
And surely pasta salad is pretty self explanatory, it's not even really cooking. I guess if they don't know how to cook pasta it's a useful thing to learn.
I cannot think of any ingredients that could push the cost up so severely. Pasta costs pennies per portion. I think it might be a mistake? Unless she's pulling a fast one?

WibblyWobblyWeeble · 19/02/2024 14:56

Fuck me, no.
That's completely insane 😳

Original poster

Pastasaladage · 19/02/2024 15:01

@talksettings1 I've just had a look and the letter just says 'Pay on Scopay'

Maybe they want a quiet day at school as I expect lots of children won't go in! Some families who are vegetarian won't want children making chicken pasta and there's no mention of a vegetarian option. It's a bit odd.

OP posts:

C1N1C · 19/02/2024 15:04

Maybe it's for the fire brigade and heat shields for when the kids are boiling water for the pasta... although I'd expect it's pre-boiled too. Which means all you're doing is ripping a few leaves, chopping up some pre-cooked chicken, and I don't know, mixing in some mayonnaise???

I went to a wholesaler over the weekend and if you're smart about it, you could probably buy enough ingredients for the whole class for no more than £20!

Original poster

Pastasaladage · 19/02/2024 15:07

@talksettings1 thank you. I've read through the info in the link and charging for teaching and materials seems to go against legislation.

I hope someone else brings it up with the school!

OP posts:

Hankunamatata · 19/02/2024 15:11

So its usually £8. Id query why the extra £5 and ask if there has been a mistake

greektreacle · 19/02/2024 15:13

Is the pasta to be made of gold? This is ridiculous.

LondonWasps · 19/02/2024 15:13

Ridiculous. If they’re paying a cookery school a fee to come and teach a class; at least do something more than pasta salad!
How hard is it?

Illpickthatup · 19/02/2024 15:14

It's a pasta salad. It hardly requires a professional to come in to show the kids. Definitely unreasonable from the school.

Heather37231 · 19/02/2024 15:16

Pastasaladage · 19/02/2024 15:01

@talksettings1 I've just had a look and the letter just says 'Pay on Scopay'

Maybe they want a quiet day at school as I expect lots of children won't go in! Some families who are vegetarian won't want children making chicken pasta and there's no mention of a vegetarian option. It's a bit odd.

How would that work? You can’t just have a day off school because one lesson doesn’t suit you. The school would have them all marked down for unauthorised absence, surely.

My money is still on a typo.

Not sure why you can’t query it yourself? It’s just an email, would take no more than a minute or so to write:

Dear school

Hope you’re well.

[child] is looking forward to pasta salad making on [date].

However, can you please give us some more information about the £13 charge, as it seems rather expensive?

Thanks,

signed OP

lifeisafunnyoldgame · 19/02/2024 15:19

I’m assuming fresh pasta and not out of the bag…

YireosDodeAver · 19/02/2024 15:20

Pastasaladage · 19/02/2024 15:07

@talksettings1 thank you. I've read through the info in the link and charging for teaching and materials seems to go against legislation.

I hope someone else brings it up with the school!

Be brave @Pastasaladage - don't wait for "someone else" to query it. Be the person who points out that this is unreasonable.

If it's part of the curriculum then no one should be required to pay. Voluntary donations only. £13 for a pasta salad is extortionate.

Alwaysgoingforit · 19/02/2024 15:29

What is it with waitting for someone else to ask? Just email or phone the school to confirm.
I would refuse to pay it personally. What are the school going to do about that? Not a lot they can do, I would have thought.

paintingvenice · 19/02/2024 15:30

I’m in the wrong job!!!