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Original poster

Sorry but bit of a schooly gripe - please dont lynch me

24 replies

cranberryjampot · 15/12/2004 17:47

Its our school play this evening and tomorrow evening and there was an afternoon performance yesterday. Now this year they have decided to charge parents and children for attending £1 adults, 50p children. The infant children do the acting and year 2 kids have speaking parts. The juniors provide the choir. Now our school backs onto a BUPA care home and each year a general invitation is sent to the care home for the elderly to come and watch on the afternoon performance FOC - fair enough. So as the school hall is quite small there is limited seating for the evening performances. The school then decide to farm out free tickets to all of the governors and their guests (not limited) and the teaching staff (who have already seen the play) and their families (once again FOC) they have reserved seating at the front whereas the actual actors parents have to sit further back... Sorry but it really makes me cross... As a consequence tickets have now sold out and many parents aren't getting the chance to see their children perform.

OP posts:

TheHollyAndTheTwiglett · 15/12/2004 17:49

I think that's appalling .. also what happens where there are large families with maybe not so much money?

I find that quite disgusting tbh

Original poster

cranberryjampot · 15/12/2004 17:50

Not just teaching staff but all staff inc. classroom assistants, secretaries, dinner ladies etc

OP posts:

bundleofyulelogs · 15/12/2004 17:50

sounds ridiculous

ZCMUM · 15/12/2004 17:52

That is absolutely appalling!!! My DS had his play the other day, he goes to a very strict school, you had to get tickets, 2 max, no photography or camcorders, no pre-school children, what is going on in our schools, they want the parents to be more involved then they shut them out!!!

Hulababy · 15/12/2004 17:53

I agree - seems very unfair. Parents of the children performing shuld have first rigths to any tickets. If not enough room then they should limit number of tickets - say two per child performing - or they should pt it on for two nights.

When our school does a school play I was expected to pay to go with my DH and D. We even paid full price for our 2yo DD, despite her not having a seat of her own. Which I was happy to do anyway. Wouldn't have expected to get in FOC.

Can understand that maybe any staff who have been involved in might get tickets FOC, but not their guests. Similarly if they want to offer FOC tickets to Governers (don't agree they should particularly though) then it should be one free ticket and guests to pay.

MaryChristmas · 15/12/2004 17:54

Disgusting!

And they should be told so.

MiaouyChristmas · 15/12/2004 17:55

Hmm...sounds very ill-thought out to me. Too late for this year but I would think it worthwhile to complain to the school that all parents should have the opportunity to be there in future.

Have you got tickets yourself, jampot, or are you one of the unlucky lot?

Original poster

cranberryjampot · 15/12/2004 17:57

I have 2 tickets (me and dd as dh is on nights) for tonight's performance but my one friend was in tears at the Head who offered her the chance to buy the video at £14! after christmas

OP posts:

cupcakes · 15/12/2004 18:00

Sounds really bad to me. At my ds's school it was 2 tickets per child. And first to arrive got the best seats (that will have been me then!)! And pre-schoolers were allowed in on the laps of parents so long as they were well behaved. There was a donation at the end but that was all.

Original poster

cranberryjampot · 15/12/2004 18:01

apparently they are charging this year as they've had to have "lighting" which IIRC they have every year and every year the PTA fund !

OP posts:

snowdonim · 15/12/2004 18:09

That's really unfair. I'd be tempted to organise a strike of the actors.....

coppertop · 15/12/2004 18:14

I think that's awful! Ds1's school play has been performed 3 times. Once was for the pupils and staff. The second was an afternoon performance for the families. The third was a morning performance for the families. Each was completely free of charge although they did have a collection for charity at the doors.

tallulah · 15/12/2004 21:43

Our primary school used to do this Governors & visiting dignitaries get the front seats & it really used to wind me up (can I say that since becoming a Governor-different school- I have not managed to get a front seat for anything!).

If its a school play then the people who get priority for tickets should be the parents of the kids performing. Full stop. They didn't limit ours to begin with & it was also a bugbear that certain families would always bring grandma & grandad and auntie & uncle so there was always some poor mum stood at the back who couldn't actually see her child.

Gobbledigoose · 15/12/2004 21:44

That is f$ing outrageous and I'd be livid.

Gobbledigoose · 15/12/2004 21:47

at the offer to let the other mum buy the video. My God, I'm absolutely seething at this Jampot - honestly. I'd be going mental in the heads office I'm afraid - what the hell is going on??

winterwarmmummer · 15/12/2004 21:48

Surely all the teaching staff etc should be going to see the afternoon performance with the biddies from the OPH?? Their priorities sound like they are completely up the spout.

hatterselfamerrymerrychristmas · 15/12/2004 21:51

it's really not on, parent's should get first refusal, no question. At our school they do two performances, you need to get tickets - 2 per family, more on request and only if available etc. I don't think you can blame people for bringing gps along, it would never occur to me that bringing someone extra (with a ticket - ie with the school's blessing) might mean a mum standing at the back unable to see - that's the school's fault for giving out too many. Our's don;t charge but did a collection to cover costs and for a charity

lockets · 15/12/2004 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

roisin · 15/12/2004 21:53

Our school doesn't charge for tickets, but allocates 2 per child, then additional ones on a first come first served basis.

BUT they do have reserved seats at the front for Governors and guests. Dh is a parent Governor, and in the past two years we haven't reserved 'governor seats' before - just had our normal 'parent' allocation. But this year we did, and I felt so guilty We just swanned in 5 mins before it was due to start and went straight to the front row of a packed hall. I guess it's a hard-earned privilege, as we both do put a lot of hours into supporting the school, but I won't be in a hurry to repeat the experience!

pixiefish · 15/12/2004 21:53

I always pay when i go to see the concert or anything at the school where i teach.

staff should have the flipping common sense to realise that they're stopping 'fee paying' parents getting in-

also far more important for parents to see the production than anyone else-

i'd be hopping mad and would complain verbally to the head

FestiveFrex · 15/12/2004 22:09

AT DS3's infant school, they just do the one morning performance. This year, for the first time ever, I will not be able to attend as I'm on a course (course booked months before show dates were notified). This will also be my last year at the infants and I was so upset at the thought of missing the show. I spoke to the head and she very kindly allowed me (only parent given this honour ) to go today to watch the final dress rehearsal . It was lovely and I blubbed as usual.

At DS1&2's junior school, they do one afternoon and one evening performance. The diktat was only 2 tickets per family, which I thought was off as I had 2 children in it and so should have been allocated 4 tickets - after all, if they weren't related, the school would have to cough up 4 tickets. Anyway, there were some left over, so I got the 4 I wanted (if I'd only had 2, I couldn't have gone because I would have had to stay home with DS3, but with 4 I can take him too and MIL).

I think your school's policy is outrageous and I don't blame your friend for being in tears. It is such a special time and it is awful to think you'd miss it just because the school is playing favourites.

InDulciJulieF · 15/12/2004 22:10

That is appalling. If I wasn't able to go and see my child because of governors, guests etc (and I have been a governor in the past myself before I had children) them my child would not take part, simple as that.

Carla · 15/12/2004 22:16

I'd have been REALLY cross at that. Could you speak to your parent PTA govenor about it? Seems absolutely ludicrous. . We too have one in the arvo and one at night - like someone said, couldn't the dear biddies go to the arvo one (which was much less well attended than tonight's evening one).

Mimsie · 09/01/2005 19:17

Sorry to bump this thread up but just wanted to add to the others and say how appalled I was.

In our school, like in Copper's there was 3 performances. 2 tickets per family. and the parents were advised to keep pre-school children if they were going to be noisy (plenty were there but kept quiet). and finally it was free of charge. you could then at the end buy nice pictures of the kids for £1.50 to the PTA and the video for £3 direct to the school.

and some parents still complained lol... because it was too short :P

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