to think you should pay the "voluntary contribution" for school trips..if you can afford to.

[daftpunk]

i'm right here.

yes?

blimey, nothing over heres voluntary
you either pay or you dont go

warpath
Our PTA does help - the problem is that the coaches are so expensive.

It is voluntary, and they really should not be making you feel bad.

Thing is, I think alot of this may be avoided with better planning. If people had a few months notice, it may not be so bad to have to all of a sudden cough up the cash.

Warpath - my DS's school has some resdential trips in Yrs 4, 5 and 6 and in the past people haven't been able to go due to cost. However this year the Headteacher has put aside some of the money from the sale of the photographs the children have taken at the beginning of the year to pay for those who find it hard to pay. DS1 has just been on the Yr 4 trip and everybody went which is lovely for the children. Nobody wants to be left behind. So yes, our school does use it's fund raising to pay for trips although not via the PTA.

I think for one day trips which aren't usually too expensive, they have financed them out of PTA funds.

But with regard to the OP I think if people can pay they should, if only so as parents who really are short of funds can get some help.

I think you will find unless they call it a "voluntary contribution" it doesnt qualify for gift aid.

I dont see why the parents who can afford it would complain, im glad that the school arranges special things so that learning isnt the dry and boring experience it once was.

I do have to bite my tongue when parents in the playground are up in arms at being asked for £2 for a "healthy eating" event or "skipping workshop" when I know they are members of the (vastly overpriced) local private gym and spend far more on their hobbies.

Oh and much as my child attended the skipping workshop he didnt get one of their ropes

Or when we are asked to 'donate' books to the school library.

I've just picked DS up from nursery.

He has a letter with him. He has made a calendar apparently. This will be on sale at the Christmas fete if I wish to buy it. DD will have made one too, and I had forgotten I recently paid for the Christmas cards they made. (£6 for 12 X2)

The letter also mentions that they are doing a story evening. For one hour they will have children back in school, in their pyjamas and read them stories. They get a biscuit and a cup of hot chocolate.

There is a 'voluntary' contribution of £1.

I do not understand how it will cost £30 (about 30 children in nursery) to give each child 1 biscuit and a small hot chocolate.
Makes me wonder how many people don't pay and if that is why the cost is high?

Are those of us that pay for everything paying for other people's children every time too?

Wily, that is part of what tears me in two. See I think it's great they do all this stuff. But what I don't think is great is them SELLING stuff the children have made to us!

If I don't buy DS's calendar what happens to it?
It goes in the bin.
It's a picture he drew with one of those little calendar things stuck on the bottom.

I think you have it in a nutshell there VS

My friends husband thinks the school should pay for all these things...of course this is the same friend who brings her child in late on non uniform day so she doesnt have to donate a bottle for the tombola. Her husband gets sacked from his jobs regularly for his behaviour every time he gets fed up then gets a "bit of extra help from the social" yet still works cash in hand and manages to support a fairly heavy outlay on his martial arts hobbies.

I do wonder sometimes if those of us who donate to everything are mugs - but still I will do it

Thats really really outrageous VS! If he made it, he should keep it. How dare they?

Can anyone else buy it, or only you?

I got a request to buy cards the children had made but tbh they were very expensive and (as we are quite arty) not as good as ones we would have done at home. I probably would have bought them but we had such short notice I just thought "NO not this time" I kept the proofs for them and we will make some at home.

Only me.
Last year DD made some crappy plant pot. Well she stuck bits of tile round the top of one.
I had to buy it, it was £5 and so I could buy it I had to go to the school fete. Which had an entrance fee of £2 per family.
Once I was there obviously the children wanted other things so I ended up spending about £30 on a crappy plant pot.

I always pay the full price of the trip, even if it means I have to borrow it off my mum.

All 3 dc are going on a trip in December which has cost £5 each (heavily subsidised by pta), so £15 for me. For this trip they need to dress as victorian school children, although these costumes will also be used 4 more times the same month.

It is fab what they are doing, but paying for the trip and the costumes this close to xmas has been a nightmare.

I also know people better off than me that don't pay the full whack.

Puurpleduck, exactly. Give us a bit more notice than a week and we could put a £1 a week aside. I've only ever not paid for one outing. I was prepared that he wouldn't go if necessary. Tough for Ds, but unfortunately a sign of the times for us as a family. I'd never complained before about paying for trips when I was earning and had only one Dc to worry about, but my own circumstances have changed and I am counting every single penny.
With the skipping rope that was stolen, Ds paid for that himself as I couldn't afford one. He doesn't get pocket money, but he does save whatever he does get given from other people. The school makes it even more difficult because they only allow those skipping ropes to be taken in to play with.

in theory I agree that you should pay if you have the money.
However at our last school there was a school trip I really really didn't want my ds's to go on. I explained why to the Teacher and offered to keep them home. I then had a letter from the Head saying the trip was in fact "obligatory" and they had to go. I refused to pay as a matter of principle. Of course the teacher/head discussed this with all and sundry (the dinner lady) in the staff room and I then became the talk of the playground
I moved them, it was a crap school
Mind you..I had a letter from (new) school saying there will be an Art exhibition next week. Ds2 tells me his picture will be on sale for £5!!!!!!!!!

It's bloody ludicrous ingles!

i'm not really sure how it works at our school...all school trips ask for a voluntary contribution, i guess if not enough parents paid the trip would be cancelled?

ingles2....that's awful!

That's what our letters always say daftpunk.

We always pay even if we can't really afford it. I don't mind contributing but have struggled in the past to do so.

What annoys me is the fact that every week without fail the school ask for something spare books, spare clothes, toys for jumble sale, cakes for cake sale and money for juggling workshops etc.

Last week there was a school trip to the city museum and art gallery which is free entry, the school wanted £7 for the coach (2.5 miles each way) but ds had an appointment that afternoon so didn't go on the trip. It seemed pointless to pay £7 and have to pick him up half way through the trip when I take him to the museum myself every couple of months for nothing [hmm}

The schools aren't making a profit from any of this and the whole point is to benefit the children, so I think you should pay if you can afford it, and be supported by the school (in a non-humiliating way) if you can't.

Our PTA avoids the fundraising stuff which makes profits for other people - we rejected the Christmas card idea this year as the cost to parents is quite high and the school get very little per pack of cards sold - basically making money for the card people. Same with art exhibitions - these are run by profit-making companies. Other things like own clothes days for tombola prizes, buying raffle tickets, christmas hamper donations, etc are all voluntary - no-one is checking that everyone has paid/donated.

One of the regular things our PTA funds is theme days/workshops in the school - I have never been asked for money for these. DS did buy a book from a visiting author once, with his own money. It's called 'The Warrior Troll' - if you see it, I'd recommend giving it a wide berth. A contender for world's dullest book!

My DTs came home in the first week after the summer hols (after I'd spent a bomb on 3 new uniforms/shoes/bags etc, etc) with letters about swimming lessons (part of the curriculum) 35 quid each, trip to a bloody church 5 miles away, 10 quid each and football lessons (after school but most of class does them) 37.50 each. Grand total of 165 quid for the two!! So they were the only boys in their class who could not do the football and I only paid half for (35.00) the swimming as that and the trip was 'voluntary'. Got a letter from the school a few weeks later saying, 'it has come to our attention that 35.00 is still outstanding, please call into the office and pay . Was bloody furious, especially as DD's swimming lessons the year before were only 14.50 (they use another schools pool). This is a state school as well.

They also had a pirate day last month (had to get pirate costumes), then Halloween dress up disco and now need to get costumes for christmas play! Personally think they should stick to teaching. I can take my kids swimming and on days out myself - when I can afford it!!

I thought we had it bad but having to BUY your own children artwork beats me!

they know that parents will feel very guilty if not getting the picture from DCs that is emotional blackmail.

and not just buy it, but attend the 'Summer Fete' or 'Christmas Fayre' to get it, at which you also pay an entrance fee, and get cajoled into paying for a raffle ticket to win the bottle of babycham you sent in anyway.

I know, I won't be buying any pictures! I hope ds2 has got it wrong really, but if not, the head will be hearing from me

I went to the Christmas bazaar at the weekend.
Last time I contributed, but have always been working so never been to either the Summer fayre or Christmas Bazaar before this one(and Ds's last). Paid 50p to get in. Looked around and loads of tut on sale basically. I think I was in there for no more than 8 minutes! Usually, the school sets out a list for donations.
Reception ~ small toys.
Yr1 Cds/Dvd's
Yr2 Gift sets
Yrr3 Toiletries.
etc etc...
I didn't get any lists and no prize draw tickets either. No idea why not
Was glad though actually.