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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel the school are ripping us off..??

26 replies

Ladyanonymous · 07/07/2010 09:29

PTA members are going to love me after my cake sale thread and all.... but - Have had a letter from my sons middle school (he is in yr 7, about to go up to High School in Sept into yr 8) informing us that we are being given the "opportunity" to purchase a "Leavers T-Shirt" for £6 designed by the children which they will then be allowed to sign on the last day of term and that no other items of school uniform can be signed .

Now my son has shed loads of shirts which will be redundant in a few weeks that I would happily allow him to take to school and let everyone sign as he needs a whole new uniform for Sep as do his brother and sister (not same school).

AIBU to feel a bit pissed off not to have the choice of which t-shirt he takes and to again feel a bit pressured to part with money I can ill afford to so my son can have a souvenir from his time at middle school?

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 07/07/2010 09:32

buggers!!!

they tried to stop ours getting shirts signed on last day,but they all did it anyway!!

go on,rebel against it!!

Callisto · 07/07/2010 09:33

The 'opportunity' to buy? I'd decline the opportunity myself. It's using peer pressure to sell which is a pretty low tactic imo.

GypsyMoth · 07/07/2010 09:33

and no,i wouldnt buy the stupid pre designed ones.....what are they supposed to do with those??? they are 12 not bloody 5!!

Callisto · 07/07/2010 09:33

YANBU btw.

chandellina · 07/07/2010 09:34

£6 doesn't really seem too much though.

GypsyMoth · 07/07/2010 09:34

its the fun of getting them signed which they will miss....its a bloody tradition!!!

Saltire · 07/07/2010 09:35

But you own the school uniform, so surely you can decide if it can be signed or not

nickschick · 07/07/2010 09:37

£6 can be the difference between eating and not eating ......trust me £6 to some families is sorely missed.

belly36 · 07/07/2010 09:41

...and it's totally wasteful to buy something that's going to be worn once. Has the school not heard of sustainability?

The school can't stop them signing uniform outside the school gates.

GypsyMoth · 07/07/2010 09:41

its not the money tho is it (i bet they have already flogged leavers class photos,leavers yr books etc)

its the fun!!! it marks the end of middle school....friends go away to different schools...its a tradition. ours got a bit snooty about it. they tried to ban it (they havent yet thought of flogging pre made t shirts,will wait for that one!!)

you cant stop the kids doing it once off school grounds....and they draw all over their faces and arms too....it looks a mess,but it gets done anyway. our head thought it brought the school down!

Mumcentreplus · 07/07/2010 09:44

What a bunch of gits!!...I think 6 quid is alot...should not be more than £2.50

katiestar · 07/07/2010 09:48

What can they going to do to them if they sign school uniform ? it's their last day!

gorionine · 07/07/2010 09:48

I think T-shirts have to be signed on the last day!

"our head thought it brought the school down!" That is silly! how can an once a year thing that actually shows how friendly children have become with each other do that?

GypsyMoth · 07/07/2010 09:58

thats the response we got! kids told in assembly it didnt look good at all!! they also got told no ditching school ties from the top of the bus on way home,can kind of understand that.....but the t shirts and body being dsigned was bringing the school down apparently!

muddleduck · 07/07/2010 10:03

ridiculous waste of a t-shirt.

write to the school to ask for a copy of their 'green' policy.

Cretaceous · 07/07/2010 10:05

Blimey, better watch out! If they sign their school shirts, the head might have to expell them - or is that not an option on the last day ?

PS I believe that our head is also banning shirt signing...

CrispyClusters · 07/07/2010 10:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

gorionine · 07/07/2010 10:12

LadyAnonymous, is it a PTA thing to raise money?

I have a PTA meeting in a few days , I will fight with all my strengths against any proposition of the sort!!!!

homebirthmummy4 · 07/07/2010 10:22

we had that, send ds into school in his usual shirt, that YOU have already signed, its your property what can they do?

last day things are getting out of hand though, shirts? fab! prom at age 11? eh? superglue on school loo seats, alcohol on school bus and hair removal cream sprayed on younger pupils at 16? grrrrrr call the police!

GetOrfMoiLand · 07/07/2010 10:25

That is a stupid waste of time. Buying a brand new t short for the purposes of signing, when you have a load of old shirts which could be signed.

It is ridiculous. I would refuse to buy one.

Not exactly green, either, is it?

gorionine · 07/07/2010 10:31

Do not give them any ideas GOML! They might think parents would actually buy more T-shirts if they were green ones!

mamatomany · 07/07/2010 10:52

Christ what would they make of mess up day we had in Oz, every child in the neighbourhood comes home covered in eggs and flour and some tarred and feathered uniform is utterly trashed, not just the leavers .

Jackstini · 07/07/2010 11:12

YANBU. You paid for his shirts - up to you if you want people to sign them! I would rebel too.
You could always say - no, I only let him wear organic cotton fair trade t shirts and see what they say then! (Although maybe for 6 quid it is?!)

Original poster
Ladyanonymous · 07/07/2010 14:53

Ah...I remember mess up day when I lived in NZ - felt like I had missed out!!

£6 may not be a lot to some people but its a lot to me, esp when I am worying about spreading the cost of three new uniforms.

I think I may formulate a letter to the head highlighting some of the very valid points made on this thread - esp peer pressure and how pointless/ungreen it is to buy a t-shirt which will be worn once and then probably stored in the wardrobe/loft forever more.

I presume some of the monsy must go towards school funds but, to be totally selfish, I have supported that school for 4 years and its not like my son is going to benefit from that £6 is it?!

OP posts:
belledechocolatefluffybunny · 07/07/2010 14:55

Goodness, you can go to M&S and buy a pack of 2 shirts for £6. I wouldn't bother, it's a complete waste of money. The children can deface each other's shirts outside the school gate if they wish.

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