AIBU to be baffled a mum had no idea the school fayre was happening?

[xAwaywiththefairiesx]

Today my daughter's primary school had a spring fayre after school on the school field. Ice cream van, face-painting, various stalls with games, the usual. All arranged by the PTA to raise money for the school.
There was a mufti day today, and the children were asked to bring a donation to the school as an exchange for the mufti, something like cakes to sell or a teddy for the tombola or a bottle of wine as a prize or something.
One mum wanders onto the field after school, with both of her kids in mufti, looking around bewildered saying "What's this? Is this a new thing they're doing? Will it be every week?"

And this is so weird to me because the spring fayre has been organised for months. We have lots of emails asking for donations, several more asking for volunteers, we've had at least three leaflets home about it, and she obviously got the memo about mufti, the whole point in which was for the school fayre!

My phone own child has been banging on about it for three weeks.

How can she get so unaware? I'm not judging, honestly, I'm just baffled how it got past her.

Is it just me? Could you miss something like this after all that communication?

Loving all this confusion over mufti 😂 I’d never heard of it either

I’ve always known them as mufti days. Kids have left school now. Maybe the name has changed?

Maybe she’s really busy and missed it?

Maybe her DH or DW does the school admin / emails and didn’t tell her?

Maybe she ignored the emails as she didn’t care?

Maybe she has something serious happening in her life that took precedent over ice creams and donations.

Can you really not think of a reason that she might not be aware? Would you judge a father for not being aware, or just the mother?

Mufti sounds like some rude word made up 🤣

You would be surprised at what parents miss! Unless I phone them, catch them in person, send a carrier pigeon. Text them at 6am on said day. They will still send kids to school in the wrong uniform etc

I have a kid almost finishing year 1 and have zero clue what a mufti is? And I get so many random communications from the school I sort of zone them out a bit…

Im surprised so many people haven’t heard this term. It was the only thing non-uniform days were called at my school.

Not really said so much now. I believe it’s army slang for days where they wore their own clothes in India in the British Empire days. The clothes they wore resembled clothing worn by Islamic scholars who are called muftis

I’m kinda jealous of people like this.
I can get so stressed about how much stuff I have to do, or how many emails I need to respond to; and I love the fact that some people don’t even know they have emails to respond to. I’m jealous!

I'm more surprised by the number of people who haven't heard of mufti. It's an old army term for not being in uniform. It's been around for decades.

In Kent they call them tag days which is far less understood outside of the county. Mufti is much more widely used

That’s so interesting because I’ve never heard it and I’ve been a pupil and a mum! Maybe a regional thing (I’m up North!)

Yes I think it must be regional, I’m up north too. Where are you @xAwaywiththefairiesx

Can’t believe so many people haven’t heard of a mufti day! It’s a common expression in the UK

Strange. I know it but I'm in my 50s and it was always a big thing at work 1 Friday a month but I guess the dress code now is pretty casual so it's stopped being a thing.

The fact that you care that someone didn't know there was an event in the school is really strange .

Or are you one of these mums whose life revolves around the school and you can't understand that others might not have as much time/interest as you?

I remember this type if person from my school gate days . They were always pretty judgy too.

Bane of the school WhatsApp group. There’s parents every school holiday who ask when they’re going back. Parents who miss the paper letter, email, bit in the newsletter, information meeting and second letter and then complain school never told them about the new Principal. Parents who complain they weren’t told about their child’s assessment results who it turns out haven’t logged on the the relevant app because “oh I didn’t know what it’s for” or read the letter because “I don’t check my emails, I haven’t got time”. Parents who complain they weren’t told about sports day when it’s been in the newsletter since Easter. Parents who don’t send a coat on an outdoor school trip in January because “I didn’t know they needed one”.

Some parents just don’t/can’t/won’t actually engage with school communication of any kind and seem to expect a personal visit from the headteacher to tell them individually anything they might need to know. Some of those parents will have disabilities or massive other things going on in life, lots just don’t seem to think it’s their responsibility to make any kind of effort.

We called it mufti day when I was at school and still call it that now.

More like an international thing…

See above post about the British Army in India. It’s been used for decades and latterly adopted by schools.
Shocking lack of general knowledge, but I guess there’s always Google.

I don’t think it is difficult to understand. It wouldn’t be the easiest way of doing things, emptying the school bag without reading the notes, but some folk do this.

Maybe it was the spelling of 'fayre' ?

Actually, I didn't know it was happening today either.

Ive never heard of it in several different areas of Scotland. I mean, I have heard of it - but only on MN, not in real life!

Well I've learnt something today. Never heard of it being a mufti day! I'm late thirties, lived in the south east my whole life, have family and in laws from all over. Have very recently moved to a new area so will see if this term crops up.

This must be one of those things like some people wipe their backside standing up and others do it sitting and each camp is unaware that the other exists.

I’m up North too and I’ve never heard of it either. Was always just called non-uniform day here.

My DH is ex army from back in the depths of time and being in mufti just means non uniform.
Schools adopted it for fund raising days.
I'm another surprised at how many haven't come across the term before.

Well I've just learnt there is another way to wipe there!