It’s kicking off on the class WhatsApp…

[Creamice]

So limited number of tickets for (after) school event.
It is now sold out. Parents are upset that other parents have bought tickets for their younger children meaning that school pupils can’t all attend. Though I suspect there were never enough tickets for all pupils anyway…
should younger (preschool) siblings be allowed to attend? And if so do they need tickets? Discuss.

And op get a life!

PTA committee member here.
Often we don't know how many tickets will sell, so we sell to whoever, so that we can sell the maximum and raise funds.
Some events are school kids only, some where younger siblings can come, and some where it's just parents.
The simple solution would seem to be to get some of these complaining parents to join the PTA or at least a helpers group. Then they can have a part in the decision making, and the PTA may be able to run more events without having to do more work.
It's very easy to sit on the sidelines and complain, when the purpose of events is mainly to raise much needed funds for cash strapped schools.

So, from the overall limited number of what appears to be very popular tickets, the school decided to allow purchase for pupils and non-pupils in the same household on a first-come, first served?

Jokers

and the group chat sounds more than a tad toxic

It's not discrimination, its stupidity and lack of foresight,

or the school just wanted to focus purely on the financials and make fairly certain they sell out, regardless of whether all pupils who wanted to attend would be able to

Stuff like this makes me glad I delagate the task of manning the WhatsApp to DH.

I we have a school event like this. They ask that you only buy tickets for immediate family and can enquire at reception nearer the time if there’s any tickets left. There’s a few CFs, but works on the whole.

This

I wish everyone thought the same way as you and I.

So it’s not just our school whose parents don’t know what discrimination is…

No preschoolers shoukd have been allowed!
If not enough tickets priority to correct age range...
Someone has fu with that organising
The preschoolers have their chance later on
This sounds like entitled parents bringing siblings to a kids party expecting party bags etc
Sometimes you cant make it as you have other kids thats just life or ask another parent to suoefvise

This is a problem created by whoever organised the event. There should be enough tickets for as a minimum all children and 1 parent to attend. If that's impossible then break it down to year group and do a couple of events.

This kind of tension is made engaged families want to attend school events and that should be supported not made stressful.

Ive never seen a pissed parentvat the school discos even though they sell alcohol. Its just not long enough for that to be an issue.
So i dont care what parents are buying but guess they pay more for wine etc than im paying 1£ for a diet coke

One of the high points of my life to date was when youngest DD left primary and I exited the final class WhatsApp group. The relief!

This and If the hall space isn’t big enough they should do events by year groups for current pupils only - not extra kids

I think it's totally fine to call things out if they're not right, whether they're volunteer run or not, and I say that as a teacher who often volunteers at my own and my children's schools.

I've never known a school disco to include toddlers or just random parents for that matter. Tickets should be limited to infant school children only and if that means those with toddlers can't volunteer, so be it. Infant school kids are happily at school 5 days a week with just the school staff to support them - they don't need a parent to stay with them like they might at a soft play party or similar, so I'd do away with parents hanging around altogether (which sounds like a massive complication anyway, with the potential for safeguarding issues).

Thank goodness no longer have to attend or indeed organise anything . The joke in our house was the need to get there before a certain family hit the front row . Mother, father , two girls, one boy and two grandmothers . At everything.
Also was in PTA in secondary. Refused to take any criticism for any decisions. Just told anyone that they were welcome to put forward ideas at our monthly meeting at 7pm .
Seems to defeat the purpose of a Class party if a large number of kids in the class can't go because of tickets . Why do two parents get tickets, if limited only one should be able to go. Other can stay with younger siblings.

Or host your own Halloween party .

Best thing to do in this circumstance is mute the chat

tbh I'd be pissed off if my child couldn't attend an event because loads of siblings were going. (And I am quite a relaxed parent).

Our head teacher used to say they couldn't accomodate younger siblings.

And actually I don't think the school should run an event if all the kids in the year group(s) concerned can't be accomodated.

If it's advertised as limited availabilty surely it's first come, first served? Who are they discriminating against? The down trodden kids of parents who don't have the fastest fingers? I'd be tempted to throw a bomb into the chat and suggest embracing it as a teachable moment

Is the pre-school attached to the school?
my child is in pre school which is attached to the school and therefore is well aware of events, discos etc so wants to go and I don’t see why they shouldn’t?

No. Will be 10s of different preschools attended by siblings.

I can't imagine any of the staff wanting to run an event for preschool children they don't know where the parents bugger off and leave them to it. At Halloween. When everything is spooky and exciting all at once. Personally, I think it should be a current school child only event if parents aren't staying.

Their child most certainly will NOT be "discriminated against." I dare you to tell them that - if you want to get dragged into the madness, that is!

All I can say is I’m thankful there were no WhatsApp groups when my children were at school. How did we survive.😂

Do you mean children who go to preschool/nursery at the school? If so that seems fair enough, and I would count them as school children rather than siblings. But in our school reception and preschool are in the same class (and also the school discos are just for all school and preschool children, no tickets needed we just send a slip back in to say if they are going).

If you just mean preschoolers as in the age range then yes, that seems silly.

For a school disco - it should be just the children at that school attending it NOT their younger siblings who do not attend the actual school

I agree with the parents peeved that their kids at the school can’t attend because little Jonnys parents want a couple of hours child free 3 year old brother wants to attend