Being forced to go to school summer fayre

[Mum7777]

I just need to rant. My child's school released them early today as the summer fayre was taking place. If you couldn't collect them they could stay at school watching a film until home time. Thing is the head was stood on the gate and was telling everyone they had to attend the fayre as it was still in school hours and that no one could leave until 3.15pm at the normal end of school time. Can this be right? Should she have been allowed to do this?

If you collected your child at 1.45 pm and then whizzed round the fayre in 20 minutes or so, would the head 'allow' parents to take their children home, or were they sent back to watch the rest of the film?

You misunderstood the situation. You weren't being invited to pick your child up early, you were being invited to attend the summer fair with your child.

More appropriate to be unhappy that kids without a parent attending don’t get to do the fair. That system is just, mean.

You do know the fair is to raise badly needed funds for school.

What is it you wanted to happen op?

The kids without early parents go after school with whoever's picking them up.

Sounds more like you misunderstood the invite.

I don’t see an issue with this.
You’re welcome to go and accompany your child to the school fair. Otherwise pick them up at normal time. What’s the issue?

Eh? Seems perfectly clear to me. If you were invited to watch a nativity/school play/sports day in school hours would you expect to just be able to take your child home instead?!

Sounds like you totally misread the situation and thought you could crack on with weekend plans and pick up early and are peeved you got it wrong!

So you could pick your child up at the normal time, or have a fun afternoon accompanying them to an event at school... WTF is the problem? Totally don't get your point. Oh hang on, that's because you don't have a valid one. Thank your lucky stars they don't hold the fayre on a Saturday like most schools

Tbh i really dont like the school fayres now i have 2. After school/preschool just too tired.
I only managed 15m at ours.
Too hot/cold crowded. The expectations to help out even though you have the kids too.
I think i would prefer Saturdays at least i wouldnt have to have both dc.

"The expectations to help out even though you have the kids too."
Just who on the PTA of a primary school is going to be left to run the damn thing if you give everyone who has kids a pass?! And why the hell should they give up their time to raise money for your kids' benefit if you can't be arsed to?

We had similar recently with a D Day event. We were allowed to pick children up early to take them if we wanted. I watched one parent say, oh no we're not going to the D Day thing I'm just collecting early because I can and the child got sent back to the classroom!

so it's a bit like the fathers day thing, turn up at 2 for activities with your child then take them home at the usual time.

I get that it's actually a really long time for a child who may not enjoy the environment.

My dc's school once did a thing that was similar but they let all the children go to the fair in school time and parents could come at 2pm and stay at the fair or pick up dc from the fair at 3:15 and either stay for the fair or take their child home. So no option to not go to the fair. I came at 3:15, then had to take 2 children in sensory overload home on the bus. Thankfully they changed it the next year and going to the fair wasn't compulsory.

I addressed that with the having it on Saturday though.
And no not everyone does have more than 1 dc or such a young other dc etc. Or they may be at nursery till later or have both parents there etc.

The vast majority of the helpers at our school fair had younger kids. It was on a Saturday but most had their younger ones with them. I helped out, my 5 and nearly 4 year olds just went round visiting the stalls with some money in a purse and checked in with me every now and then.

Noone seemed to have their kids with them at ours. Especially not young kids. But either way the reality is not all kids would stand (at any age) nicely while their parent runs a stall. Mine are full on even without the stall we couldnt stay.
Probably a nice small school might make it easier, to keep an eye on them etc. I chatted to a friend for 3 min before seeing the dc disappear onto the field.
Luckily i can ignore any feeling that i ought to be helping when i know the reality of what that would look like. Whilst dreaming of the day i could watch the kids going round the stalls by themselves happily

I would happily pay to not go to the school fair.