school are charging £43 for one ticket to a summer ball. Taking the mickey?

[avenanap]

Starts at 7:30, ends a 1am, starter, main (chicken or vegies), desert (fruit), coffee and dj. I think this is way too much. Would you fork out and go or give it a miss?

Why is your DS leaving? Is it prep?

The reality of it is that your school fees just cover the basic teaching and building costs. If you want your school to have extras - such as lighting in the school hall, an all-weather hockey pitch, a new minibus - then extra money has to be raised, and that money traditionally comes via the parents' associations' various events, eg the Christmas Bazaar, Summer Ball etc. In reality, it's a way for the super-rich to contribute more towards the school, compared to those of us who scrape together the fees and go without flash holidays.

As to whether you go to the Summer Ball or not, you go if you like that sort of thing and not worry about how much it costs. If you don't like balls, then don't go. There really is no pressure, especially as you are underwhelmed with the school.

Yes, we get great donations for the raffle from local businesses too - had some great ones this year inc a Nintendo Wi

. There are parents that work their fingers to the bone to keep their children there, I don't see how this is fair to them. They assume that the parents are all minted and have this money to give them on top of everything else.

No, nap, I don' t think they are assuming that at all. They will know that a sufficient number of parents have enough money to go to the odd ball or two.

oh I do love quiz nights
just not that one (although it was funny)

Pointydog - a summer ball is not usually held in the school gym. It is traditional to hire a very large marquis, complete with dance floor (the school hall will be needed for Speech Day ). At the prep school my kids went to, we had a marquis for a week, and that was, in addition to the ball, used for school discos, and also available for hire for birthday parties. You really could not get the same atmosphere in the gym.

Quattro, a new head started in september, has no idea what to do with ds except to tell him off constantly, has very odd views of child rearing, I've also found some where a bit cheaper.

Hmm, do you think I'll be thought of as mean if I don't go/contribute? ds will never use the minibus and I can't really spare £43?

Dancing in the marquis

Ho hum

yes, sciency. Once I heard it was a private school I realised it wouldn;t be the school gym with the smell of sweat and rubber in your nostrils.

Private sector, balls ten a penny, get used to it

thing is balls can be quite fun though
where else do you get to dress up lke that? we used to ahve fund raising ones for orchestras I was in in the UK, and yes the tickets were expensive but you were happy because you knew where the money was going (and you knew you were going to like the people who went as well)

so I guess it's the same with schools

They are having it somewhere really expensive because they are inviting the mayor and want to get their picture in the local news paper! No joke. It seems wrong to me for them to do this.

There is no pressure to go to a school ball. Even if you are feeling a little bit, you can always have a 'wedding' to go to that particular evening. I've always found that balls have been a sell-out without including all the families.

Whilst our balls are well supported they really are not compulsary, and noone is pressured to attend.

hiring a large marquis? Sir Ball of Balltown perhaps?

it's not a ball anyway ten to one it's a dinner dance

Why's it wrong?

Why would it be mean not to go?? Quite frankly a lot of the parents going will probably be the type you'd pay £43 to avoid, so do you really give a stuff what they think? As you say, the school has had a wodge of money off you already and it doesnt sound as though they have delivered. And the suggestion of donated raffle prizes to the value of no less than £20 is hilarious!

Arn't they excluding the poorer parents by doing this?

Yes I like the idea of a boogie in the marquis .

No. Poor paretns can go to the fish and chips night. Or a beetle drive perhaps.

"they hire a large Marquis"

I think Mr Blandfords drinks bill would exceed any funds raised.

(Sorry, couldn't resist).

It's getting inside the Marquis that's troubling me ...

Lol pointydog! I find it amusing that they have decided to have it in the most expensive place in the city so that they can get their picture in the local newspaper and are expecting the parents to pay for it! I'm not going, I'd rather give the cash to the NSPCC or Oxfam.

I bet there will be a letter to parents next week telling us what to wear!

Oooh I've heard you can squeeze in a few hundred. Plus tables, chairs and the band. He's roomy.

Does he have enough entrances and exits?

I am worried about health and safety issues