To be really farking annoyed at DD's school marketing ploys?

[NoPresentsInVictorianSqualor]

I have talked before about the huge amount of money that the school asks from us but when it's for trips and experiences it doesn't bother me too much.

But every couple of weeks the PTA has some sort of fund-raising thingy going on (again I realise my DD&DS will benefit from this). The christmas term is the worst. We've had the xmas cards they made, the different carol concerts (which though much nicer with mulled wine and minced pies, is just another money-making event) we had mufti day last week, they have had three different costumes to find in the last month etc.

Today is the xmas fayre. If I want to I can purchase a calendar (which is basically a picture my DC's drew with one of those calendar thingys on) for £1.
I don't want to!
I've told them we will make our own calendars by creating month specific pictures and photographing them and doing it online much better IMO, but anyway I digress.

I turn up at the school with a very poorly 7 month old, who tbh, I didn't want to wake, nor take outside but I had no choice.
There is absolutely no way I am planning on going to this poxy fayre but that's ok, because it's in the Quad, so I can go round to get to DD's class, pick her up and come straight home.

I get to the school only to find parents waiting outside DD's classroom, which is empty.

A TA overhears us all talking about where our DCs are and says that they have gone to the fayre with their teacher. I mill about looking for DD for twenty fricking minutes, DS2 is crying and I am really fed up.

Then I see that there are children from her class coming out of the main hall. So I go in and she is stood right at the back with her teacher who is selling the calendars.

HOW DARE THEY GUILT ME INTO BUYING SOMETHING THAT WILL OTHERWISE GO IN THE BIN?????

Not only am I pissed off that I had to go right into the middle of the fayre (so the DC's can beg me for things) but they didn't tell us where they would be and they put my daughter in front of her work to try and make me buy it. I didn't buy it because it's crap and I don't want it but what about those who can;t afford it? How on earth would that make them feel? (I know it's only a pound, but there are a lot of people who have 3 children at that school, that's £3 for the calendars and £3 for the mufti in less than a week!)

Just found out that the school has so far raised £4500 for an adventure playground refurb.
That's a lot of calendars!

Just for the record Lemontart..I called the PTA a PITA, but I'm on it!! It is a PITA, worthwhile, but still annoying. Esp as it's just a small number of parents that do it. It feels like we are harrassing people all the time!

I don't really understand this thread but then I don't have school age children so maybe I'm missing something .

Why don't those of you (and you don't seem to be in a minority) who think the PTAs are going over the top approach them (or even join them) and get them to agree to scale back their fund-raising? I imagine they can't much enjoy constantly coming up with new ideas to squeeze money out of you, esp. as getting volunteers to help is so difficult, so they must imagine that the majority of parents want them to do it.

Of course, less money would be spent on the school but by the sounds of it most of you would be quite happy with that.

YANBU. My DD came homwe a little while ago with a letter about a French trip... £265 + money for meals and entrance fees. I know this is modest compared to the sums some of you have been asked to pay but they may as well have added a 0 because we can't afford it anyway. It's not a case of scrimping and doing without so she can go. There simply isn't enough money left once we have paid for the essentials...food and a roof over our heads not gym membership btw!!
Once, while she was still at primary school, I had 3 letters in one week all asking for sponsor money for various events and one asking for money for a non uniform day.
Now she's at high school I was recently asked to send in a pound for the priviledge of her not having to wear her tie for the day!!!!!!

Oh and I have already "donated" £25 to the school fund at the beginning of term.

wb, I have absolutely no problem with the amount of fund-raising done.

I have a HUGE problem with the fact that we are expected to do this and when we decide not to, we are practically coerced into it.

I have said to DP time and again that I shouldn't complain because the money is going to good things for the children (Though I could find a hell of a lot of more important things to spend £4500 on than an adventure playground revamp)

But I don't expect my DD to be taken from her classroom where I am meant to be collecting her, into the middle of a Christmas Fayre so I can't escape it if I don't want to participate. And then to be greeted at the classroom door this morning by DS's teacher with his calendar, asking me if I wanted to buy it.

Also, we were not informed of this move, I had a poorly baby I was desperate to get home, what about people who had to get home? hmm? I used to have to catch two buses to get home and had to leave the school within 5 minutes of collecting DD, there are some people who have children at other schools, and all manner of other reasons why parents may not have twenty minutes to stand around trying to find their child.

As it happens, I was expecting DD's teacher to collar me tonight when I pick her up, but I've since realised Dd is being picked up by her friends mum, who happens to eb the secretary of the PTA so I will bring it up, and I will be discussing joining the PTA, but obviously not everyone cant join due to other time commitments.

As of next week I will be working part-time, volunteering at the surestart centre, volunteering at the school, doing a degree from home and trying to fit in bringing up my children and doing the housework, if it wasn't for DP doing shift work I wouldn't be able to volunteer at all, so I imagine there is absolutely no feasible way many people can be part of the PTA.

My DTS have only been going to school since September and I have contributed with both time, products and money.

As a first time parent with children at school, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of activities that the PTA organises but I am glad because they are doing it for the good of the children.

On Sunday I made their costumes for their nativity play using old curtains. I don't understand why one has to pay for a costume when you can just make one using any old material lying around.

I contributed gifts to the Christmas fayre by supplying unwanted gifts/products and bought cakes and mince pies from Aldi - it does not have to cost a lot. At the school fayre, we spent about £7 on items for each child. Again, it is up to you to operate within your budget.

I bet if the PTA did nothing, there would be a lot of moaning about the lack of facilities, actitivites etc for the children.

If you don't want to take part, then don't.

'not everyone can'

Interestingly I know someone who is a TA and has been on several trips in the last 12 months. Some abroad and some in this country and she doesn't pay anything towards them so yes there is a proportion of the cost you are being asked to pay that covers the staff going. I appreciate that they are giving up some of their time but they are still being paid and getting fed and accommodated and to visit some pretty wonderful places. I do feel that the pupil's parents shouldn't be being asked to cover the entire cost of this and the staff should have to pay a little towards it. Anyone see that story of the school where the head had booked a trip to Marbella for the staff of his school for a conference while the children were off for teacher training days. It was eventually cancelled but at considerable cost because it only hit the press the week they were due to go so school had to pay cancellation fees. Should never have been booked in the first place imo. What possible justification can there be for a school to need to hold their training in Spain at taxpayers expense?

My main bugbear is the "book fair" event that happens several times a year. At some point in the school day the children are led in to look at the selection of books.

Cue 3.15pm and all the parents are met with pleading faces and hands pulling us all back in to the school hall so that we can purchase said books. (The school gets a % of the money raised).

Now I'm all for getting ds to read more, but I would like to be able to choose when and how much I spend on literature. The school is basically co-ercing all the parents into spending more and more. I usually conveniently "forget" to bring my handbag with me, and so have no money on me. I work in a library fgs, I bring enough books home with me for him to read.

Oh, and incidentally, my dd's trip to Kingswood in Wales cost £365 in 2006, which was from Monday to Friday. She has decided that she didn't want to go to Kingswood in France this year at a cost of £700. Good job really, because she wouldn't be going anyway.

VS wrt the adventure playground, our PTA fund-raising over the last 2 years has been for a £15k trim trail ? yes that?s how much those things cost. It has made a massive difference to the school, the atmosphere at break and lunch times (now the kids have something to do) and has been so useful for outdoor learning esp with FS2. I have seen all this (I am lucky as I am able to help out in school) so I know it was money (a lot of money) very well spent.

I think most people here woudl agree with you about the calendar/child not in classroom incident tho.

I think people moaning about the cost of school trips are talking about something else entirely. FWIW we don?t have a lot of that tho I don?t have any DC at secondary yet so maybe that?s to come {worry}

deckthegirl I say no to book fair books too as a rule.

I get books from library and Book People. But I think it does no harm to the kids to hear "no" now and then

I do support the school. I call them taxes. Which we paid even during the 8 years we home educated all 3 kids.
PTA stuff is getting beyond reason in some schools. And trips are ridiculous. 2 days in belgium? I managed to pass my O and A levels without leaving the country!

They are not "giving up some of their time" they are on duty 24 hours a day (on the recent residential trips from our junior school they didn't have one night when they didn't get woken up, from a child throwing up at midnight to one coming to tell the teacher at 4am that he had found a screw in his bedroom!)and they don't get any overtime.

and they ask for more money than is required. ds1 recetly had to go to the shopping mall to do some geography thing. On public transport. But the school wanted £7. I pointed out the bus fare was £1.80 return. They never did explain why they wanted 7 quid.

Clary, we already have an adventure playground! But the kids are never allowed on it, for a variety of reasons usually based around the weather.

oh well if they're not allowed to use it that;'s a bit crap then.

sigh

I agree about the book fair too. I ended up writing a fairly hefty cheque at that one.

I always say no to the book fair too as the books are way overpriced.

However, this year the school have cleverly combined the book fair and the xmas fayre so that you can't do one without the other.

I have cleverly given the job to xp.

I desagree that the staff schould pay for accompanying a school trip ,wherever it is. As it is work, the school should pay for it, the same way it does their wages. It is not fair to ask for parents to fork out the cost.

My daughter's school does not have a PTA - hence fundraising is limited to school discos and there is no xmas fair/calendars etc.

The school/my DDs education doesn't seem to be suffering for the lack of it.

Who does organise the school disco *Scarletibis"?

'They are not "giving up some of their time" they are on duty 24 hours a day '

Exactly-I am amazed at the suggestion that teachers should take your DCs away and pay to do it!!! I think they are wonderful to do it, especially when they carry the can for anything that goes wrong, and even with the most meticulous planning accidents happen.

All those people who moan have a very simple solution-go on the PTA,use your suggestions and do the work! Even if you don't want to go on the PTA you are entitled to go to the meeting and then you could put your point of view before the fund raising starts.

Perhaps you haven't been into other schools to see what can be provided with fund raising Scarletibis! If you had you would know what you were missing.

I do understand where you are coming from , but do not know how treats for the children would be possible if it wasnt for work most PTAs do. we too do a lot of fundraising to try and improve the school and the teachers do a wish list each year and stuff is bought of that after these events. i too think 4500 is alot for a playground but this is probably been raised as well as alot of other money which is spent on books and new equipment requested by the teachers. As a PTA we pay for whole school trips and for smalller individual year group outings too. Are you sure your school do not do this and you dont know about it all?