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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

School taking pupils to pantomime

53 replies

Doublethecuddles · 30/10/2014 12:11

Is it common for schools to take the children to see a pantomime? Our school do it ever year. It costs £10 per child and I have 2. I always grudge paying this. This year my DC are already going to 2 other pantomime which I have to pay for.
I grudge paying the money and feel the DC don't need any more treats! The have party at school.
What do other schools do?

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Hurr1cane · 30/10/2014 12:12

A lot more than that.

louisejxxx · 30/10/2014 12:14

£10 sounds fab to me - we have been asked for £17.50...I have only got the one at school at the minute, but it will be double that in a couple of years when dd starts faints

Camolips · 30/10/2014 12:16

For every child that is lucky enough to get taken to the pantomime with the family there are several that never get taken and never go to the cinema let alone a live theatre. We take the whole school, everyone has a great time, there are a few grumbling parents like yourself but why shouldn't the school do fun things at Christmas?

redskybynight · 30/10/2014 12:16

School does it only with Year 3 children. A fair few children (whose parents want them to go to the panto with them) don't go.
The tickets tend to be about 8 for a seat that normally costs 30-40 so I see this as great value!

Original poster

Doublethecuddles · 30/10/2014 12:22

I don't disagree with the children having fun at school at Christmas time, they have a party the younger school do a Nativity play and the upper school do a pantomime in which every child gets a part.
My DS is going to a pantomime with the local Beaver group, most of which are in his class.
It annoys me, the expectation that we should pay, along with the £15 per child in the summer for the trip.

OP posts:

Agrestic · 30/10/2014 12:26

Seriously, in the nicest way possible, get a grip.

LucyLastik · 30/10/2014 12:28

£23.50 per child round here this year. That's just shy of £50 for DS andDD2

SpookyGoingsOnOnTheLandscape · 30/10/2014 12:30

The whole school go, it costs £6 per child approximately.

LadyHamiltonsPussy · 30/10/2014 12:38

Whole school every other year here, including the nursery class. £8 for the ticket and the ptfa fund the coaches.

I think it is fabulous and am grateful to school and ptfa for organising it. My dc would not get to go otherwise.

MrsHathaway · 30/10/2014 12:54

Our PTA pays for a company to come in to do a panto in the hall (two performances, infants then juniors). The cost is equivalent to about £1.70per child but the parents aren't asked to fund it directly.

The village panto charges £6 per person. The Brownie, Beaver and Cub packs go to that as gangs (in fairness it's in Jan/Feb so doesn't clash with Christmas events.

I get that a theatre trip is a great experience, but I don't see that it can't wait until secondary school and have visiting companies until then.

WhispersOfWickedness · 30/10/2014 13:23

My DS's school goes every year, they take the whole school (it's a small school) and it costs £12.50 per child.
I hate the pantomime, so wouldn't be taking them otherwise, so it's a win-win for me, they get a fab day out, and I don't have to go

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 30/10/2014 13:29

Oh god the amount of stuff we do at my school is bordering on the ridiculous

Panto theatre trip
Christmas school dinner
Class Christmas parties
Father Christmas visit
Early Years play to parents
Years 1 & 2 Nativity
Carol Service
Collecting presents for Great Ormond Street

And for the staff:
Christmas party
Tree-decorating party

The only thing parents have to pay for is the panto visit. I've never heard anyone complain.

WooWooOwl · 30/10/2014 13:35

If you don't want to pay, then don't send your children. Refuse to sign the permission slip, and just keep your child home that day so that they don't have to worry about looking after your children at school that day when everyone else is out.

Or, if you accept that your children will get enjoyment out of it, then suck it up and thank the people who are taking your child out for a fun day.

noramum · 30/10/2014 13:35

Up to this year the Junior school went to a local theatre each year, funded by the PTA.

Due to logistic problems with the coaches last year the head decided to stop and now we get a company to come to the school.

I hate pantomine, so DD never went and is looking forward to it. We go to several carol concerts as she is in 2 choirs and don't mind.

SisterMoonshine · 30/10/2014 13:39

We have a company come in to the school and perform for £2 per child.
I'd be happy for DD to go to the theatre for a tenner though as I can't afford for us all to go and it is better.

hoppingmad · 30/10/2014 13:41

I wish our school did this, I hate panto so would love to not have to go and only pay 1 ticket instead of paying for the whole brood.
Schools should do fun things, it creates a nice atmosphere for the pupils and staff

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 30/10/2014 13:43

Mine had grown out of pantomimes by secondary. Too old for the kids jokes and too young for the 'adult' ones. Rally appreciated the school taking them. I hate pantomimes, myself. (Oh yes I do!)

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 30/10/2014 13:43

Must remember to proof read...

Flibbertyjibbet · 30/10/2014 13:45

Ours is £7 each at the local theatre (small town). All but recept and yr 2 walk the nearly - a - mile there and back. (And any older ones with mobility issues). Snack and drink included in that price too. Flat price for all because they would all have had a turn on the coach in infants. They all really look forward to it but I appreciate it's a cheaper theatre than most, and low travel costs. We get a text the day before reminding us to send them in sensible shoes, warm coat and hat.

Original poster

Doublethecuddles · 30/10/2014 13:56

On hindsight I'm being pretty mean. I think it was the tail end of a week of paying for
Milk money for school
School photos
Football training
Swimming lessons
Gymnastics
Beaver fees
Beaver trip to pantomime

OP posts:

Galena · 30/10/2014 14:05

DD's school always did a pta funded trip to panto for reception and up till last year. Everybody walk the mile plus there, and infants get coach back. This year there's no pta and there's a new head, so will be interesting to see what happens.

unlucky83 · 30/10/2014 14:19

Our primary school go every year - cost of £7 per child this year.
They go on coaches (and the PTA do donate some money to help out with cost of transport but not enough to cover it all). Biggest problem with ours was that they also went with 2 after school activities - and two local theatres closed - so there was only one! One year the eldest saw the same panto twice - but one was in the day and the other evening and she did seem to really enjoy both performances. The other activities started having a different treat....
The way I looked at it is if you wanted to take them you would be paying for their tickets (and at a higher cost than a group weekday booking) plus a ticket for the accompanying adult and transport...this way they get to go with their friends (more fun) and it works out cheaper. (And for me I don't have to go cos I'm really not keen ...except this year if I get organised I will get tickets for the local amateur one - cheaper but usually sold out by the time I get round to it!)

PrivateJourney · 30/10/2014 14:26

Whole school here and it's a fantastic "life experience" for a large number of children who would never go anywhere near a theatre otherwise.

However, if it's in school time, you're not obliged to pay. The school has to take all (or none) of the children regardless of who has paid. Of course, if they don't collect enough money, they'll have to cancel the trip and any shortfall will have to be met from funds that would otherwise be spent on the children's education.

WooWooOwl · 30/10/2014 15:04

I could well be wrong, but I thought it was only trips needed for the curriculum that parents could opt out of paying for. This is an extra, so needs to be paid for, or children don't go. If parents decide not to pay, then the school is still obliged to provide an education on that day on the school premises during school time, but they aren't obliged to take all children on trips that are just for fun.

PrivateJourney · 30/10/2014 15:12

It was WooWoo but the rules changed at the start of this year. Not all schools have made that clear to parents

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