to resent the unnecessary additional tasks schools drop on us?

[elliott]

Ds2 has just started in reception. Today I got a note in his bag saying 'Please bring in a 'word tin' for ds2 - a pencil tin is ideal'.

Now, WHY do they need a pencil tin ffs? Do they think we have these things just hanging round the house? Or do they not think twice about expecting that we find time for a special trip to the shops to source one of these things (I have no idea where I might buy said 'pencil tin')? Do they think we have nothing better to do?

Honestly, wouldn't an envelope do?

[bamboostalks]

There are a lot of miserable people on this thread, as if schools invite NSPCC in so they can chase money. They are hounded to death by charities and do the best job they can. They have very tight budgets and so yes parents are asked to help and contribute by supplying a small tin. Wait till you get to secondary school and it is £500 for a 4 day trip.

[stitch]

i'm actually very angry at myself right now. ds is having lots of problems with his numeracy right now, i have inf act started another thread about his , and i , whilst supposedly helping him, lost my temper at him....
so, to summarise, if the school cant manage to teach him how to add and subtract in the four years he has been going there, then wtf have tehy been doing? we do reading every day. we do speellings every week. we do times table sin the car. we do95% of the extra activities suggested by the school. i organised the bloody summerfayre and raised seven thousand pounds for the school. but they havent taught hi how to add , subtract, let alone morecomplicated stuff like divide..... all the pencil tins in the world arent going to help him, are thy?

[stitch]

bamboo, my kids school has only once, in the seven years i have been there, done something for any other charity. and that was jeans for genes day. which the head then subsequently banned, because it looked too much like a mufti day, and he wasnt benefiting from it.

[FairLadyRantALot]

btw. to those that moan about teh expenses...be glad you don't live in Germany, because there you will have to buy all the books that are needed for all the subjects...and whilst those on benefits will possibly get them for free, and there is also a chance to get them 2. hand....but it still is expensive....

[Romy7]

eh? bamboo - the nspcc has nowt to do with the pencil tin. but 3 kids at different schools turning up with a 'give us £25 or your kid doesn't get a sticker like all her mates' in a fortnight gripped me. no issue with pencil tins or other school equipment here, but strong arm tactics by the nspcc you can keep, thanks. only £150 for the primary 2 day trip this year, but the point is that kids do get something out of trips, allegedly. 'voluntary' charitable donations by emotional blackmail are entirely another kettle of fish.
and yeeees, i do lots for charity thanks, but not when it's demanded under the pretext that your child will be a social outcast if you don't cough up the cash.
we do jeans for genes (friday, must remember lol), and all the other stuff, no issue. what's a pound between friends?

[SaintRiven]

yeah, expensive trips. My boys don't go, we just don't have that sort of money. Heck, we can't stump up for day trips.
Thankfully we missed most of the emotional blackmail years through home educating. The boys went to school at 13 and don't fall for the 'all your mates have a sticker' type thing. And dd2, 4, is too blind to notice this sort of thing. Plus she is taken to school in a taxi so I never get to be there and I wouldn't let her go on trips anyhow.

[ilovecake]

My DD's word tin was an old baccy tin supplied by the school (no labelling or smell) however very obviously a baccy tin. I thought that was quite funny really - all these 5 year olds coming out of school excitedly shaking thier baccy tins! They've probably been recycled through the reception classes for the last 20 years. Probably a cough sweet tin from the chemist would do the job if you don't have a stationers nearby.

[IfYouDidntLaughYoudCry]

I'm amazed to hear about some of these requests.

Does anyone think that there is too much emphasis on making it all fun and interesting? I know I covered a lot of the topics mentioned at primary school but my mum didn't have to go to the trouble some of you guys are. Does it really enhance learning that much? My education was good as it was. Fun but not OTT. Don't know much about it as don't have children but sounds like things have changed!

[AbbeyA]

Anyone learns better if it is fun and interesting.

[Bridie3]

My son still spells their and there interchangeably. You see what happens when you disregard these requests from school.

He's in year seven, apparently quite bright, but still can't differentiate them.