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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Birthdays at school - is taking in a cake "normal"

50 replies

MrsTaraPlumbing · 09/09/2013 18:31

Do most children bring in a birthday cake to share with the class if it is their birthday on a school day?
My impression is that this is very common, Dh thinks it is very rare.
What do you think?

Relevant to us now as our twins B'day is in just a couple of days!

OP posts:

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3MenAndMe · 09/09/2013 20:35

I always buy for DS big tin of Celebrations so the kids can share before heading home...
I think cake is too cumbersome for a teacher, they have enough to do anyway.....

Nerfmother · 09/09/2013 20:36

I always send in Asda fairy cakes. This year ds has developed a dairy allergy and is vegetarian so I may send in some wholesome strawberries.

cherrytomato40 · 09/09/2013 20:40

In DD's school it can be anything- sweets, chocolates, home made cakes, shop bought cakes, 'healthy' sweets (like those fruit strings etc). All gratefully accepted by my DD! I think it's nice for the birthday child to feel special, I know DD was very keen to have her turn handing out treats on her birthday.

Zingy123 · 09/09/2013 21:00

Sweets in our school. Never known cake be given out.

TheBuskersDog · 09/09/2013 21:15

Usually sweets or small cakes (homemade) at our school. Individual buns, flapjack etc are fine but cakes that need cutting are a nightmare.
Last year we had one parent that brought in sausage rolls, cakes and all sorts - they obviously expected us to have a party for their son!

MidniteScribbler · 10/09/2013 03:32

Nothing at our school. Children with allergies, as well as a large refugee/non english speaking contingent, so there's always some children missing out. You want a party, have it after school or on the weekend. Names of birthday children are announced over the loud speaker morning announcements (either on the day or the closest school day to their birthday).

SmallTorch · 10/09/2013 04:24

First primary it was always different sweets, once little chocolate bars.
Second primary, after the first closed, mainly different people here as we were quite far from the first school, it's been uniformly fairy cakes.

pokesandprodsforthelasttime · 10/09/2013 07:35

No cakes or sweets allowed here too.

In reception they had a pretend cake they used and they sang happy birthday. From Year 1 onwards its business as usual and no fuss is made.

pollywollydoodle · 10/09/2013 07:51

class sing happy birthday in the morning. multipack haribo/chocs to give out at the end of the day. Cake a couple of times then it was discouraged

MiaowTheCat · 10/09/2013 08:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Oblomov · 10/09/2013 08:37

Never cake. Large Pack of mini haribo or small chocolate bar choices.

pyrrah · 10/09/2013 11:59

I think it depends on the school - and class size.

The primary that DD where in the nursery form, they only had 25 kids in the class and everyone seemed to bring cakes.

Her new school has 60 in a year and that rather solves the issue of doing things like whole class parties or taking in birthday cakes.

I don't think I will send anything this year.

insanityscratching · 10/09/2013 16:30

I bake buns for dd's birthday because dd doesn't eat sweets or chocolate others send in lollipops, haribo or mini chocolate bars.

applebread · 10/09/2013 21:38

Cakes welcome at ours. The kids eat it at morning break. Some bring in chocolate or haribo but most do cakes.

Hulababy · 10/09/2013 21:41

At DD's school people took cakes or buns to share.

At the infant school I work at the norm is a big bag of sweets or chocolate to dish out at the end of the day.

Hulababy · 10/09/2013 21:45

There is no rule at my school though. Cakes and buns are not barred or anything. Infact they are generally welcomed, especially if they are already cut up or in portion sizes, and even more so when there are some spare pieces for the teacher and TA :) Our staff room has a big knife, as does the children's kitchen (high up) which we can use.

Regardless of whether the child brings in something or not the child does get sung Happy Birthday to and a general fuss made at snack time - asking about birthday plans, etc.

SanityClause · 10/09/2013 21:49

At DS's last school, most of the DC brought in a cake, to be cut up by the teacher and fed to the children.

I sent in a big bag of "fun size" sweets, and his teacher was so grateful that she didn't have to faff about with a cake. Actually, it was just me being lazy.

exoticfruits · 10/09/2013 22:06

As a supply teacher, in many schools,I have only seen cake once. Sweets to give out at the end of the day are the norm.

MacaYoniandCheese · 10/09/2013 22:21

This is sad . People always used to bring in cake at school when I was little...if I was to take a homemade cake into to my children's school tomorrow it would be viewed as a terrorist act and I expect I'd be escorted from the building. My school takes the view that nuts (even theoretical ones) and eggs can kill without warning at any time.

exoticfruits · 11/09/2013 06:49

Even when I was little we never took cakes - we didn't take sweets either. I don't think they did when I started teaching. By the time mine were at school sweets were the norm.

HerbPlot · 11/09/2013 08:19

Definitely no cake here. About 60% bring in sweets that are handed out as they leave the classroom. I refuse to do this and DD hates me .

NynaevesSister · 11/09/2013 10:33

If you have a child with a severe nut allergy then touching a surface that has been in contact with nuts can kill. So I can understand the ban in those schools.

But not otherwise. It seems mad when there's no good reason.

Sons school doesn't ban anything but does ask that cakes are brought in pre cut. I have done cupcakes in past but his birthday keeps falling in half term and I forget!

DalmationDots · 11/09/2013 21:24

depends on school policy, I used to send sweets and most of the children in my class bring sweets.
Cakes are fine but a PITA if you don't cut it up/send fairy cakes as it means the teacher or TA has to do it and often the school day is busy enough without that added task!

wheredidiputit · 11/09/2013 22:27

I make cakes, as dc prefer cakes.

I wish they would ban lollipops from school. I hate seeing children running, scooting and riding their bikes with lollies in their mouth.

Looksgoodingravy · 11/09/2013 22:35

When DS started school it was actually his reception teacher who suggested bringing in a cake, his birthday isn't long after the start of the new school year so I think it was lovely of her to suggest it. It's a small school though and there's a canteen so no problem trying to locate a decent knife.

He's taken in sweets since that first year though

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