Moral issue with fundraising in school - I really need your opinions please

[Cheeseycheese]

Dear all. I would really like your opinions on something that's really bothering me. I live in Wimbledon and my daughter goes to the local CofE school. She's in nursery at the moment. Since she's started, there's been numerous requests for money in one form or another: donations for different charities, cake sales, buying cards, etc etc. All that is fine, I fully understand that the school needs to get their funds from somewhere. However, there's recently been a request that I have been struggling with. It is called Smarties for Lent. The request is that children buy a packet of smarties, share the smarties amongst family & friends, and then fill the tube with coins and give it to the school. My problem is not with the 'branding' issue or the 'encouraging to eat sweets' issue, but with something else. My problem is that children will get a certificate in Assembly for bringing in a tube of smarties filled with coins. To me that's a terrible thing to do as it alienates children that, for whatever reason, have not been able to bring in a tube of smarties filled with coins. To me this is a moral issue and it is borderline with bullying. I am concerned that the school that is going to educate my daughter thinks nothing of alienating children in order to get their parents to donate money. Like I said, I understand that the schools need fundraising to survive and I personally give and contribute as much as I possibly can, but this particular method is, in my opinion and according to my values, fundamentally wrong. I am very interestied in learning your opinions, whether you agree with me or not. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

[nickytwotimes]

I totally agree with you. It's not particularly Christian, is it? And don't get me started on Nestle....

[choccypig]

I don't think you are being unreasonable. Fundraising should be done so that it is not obvious how much people have paid or not.
It's not fair to put pressure on the children. Some people really can't afford much.
I also think Smarties are the devils invention, but that's another thread.

Thinks...maybe the idea is that you could fill with pennies, or pounds and no one would know which was in there???

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

When I was involved with the village playgroup they operated a scheme like this, we got round the smartie issue by encouraging those who wanted to, to bring in a raisin box filled with coins instead.

I would recommend you suggest this to Head Teacher, or Nursery Manager as possibly they have not thought that this might be an issue. Then no child will be left out.

HTH

[avenanap]

All schools do things like this I'm afraid. At my ds's last school (state) they were asking parnts to buy chairs for the classrooms!.At his current (private) school they still fundraise, only they have balls at £30 a pop instead, it gets it all over and done with I suppose. There's nothing wrong with filling it with loose change, it doesn't need to be full of £1 coins. This is the way things are, schools are not funded enough so the parents take the shortfall. Education's not free and it never will be. It's not really bullying if it's for the benefit of your child. Annoys the hell out of me though.

[missmama]

We do this at 'my' school but tbh the school does supply the smarties themselves

[GrapefruitMoon]

Where I know this has been done in other schools, the school/PTA has only expected coppers or small coins, not £1 coins, to be used. Don't know how many pennies it would take to fill a tube but would have thought that most families could find enough lying around?

[maisykins]

I think the idea is that it can/will probably be pennies - so about 20p to fill it? If so I would probably think okay although would be more annoyed at having to buy Smarties first. My DC would probably lobby hard to avoid the raisins alternative!
But anyway although a number of these sorts of schemes annoy me(eg we had a mufti day last week and had to put in a pound per child if wearing mufti) - I dont feel that strongly that I would do anything about it other than mutter under my breath (or on MN).

[seeker]

I would quite likt eh Smartie tube thing if it wasn't that they are made by Nestles!

I honestly don't think it would take many pennies to fill a Smartie tube - would 25 or so be a problem for people? I think it's a rather engaging and interesting way of getting children to donate - maybe I'm msiisng something?

[pofaced]

I'm horrified! Schools shouldn't ask children to eat sweets ever (Smarties or organic Fairtrade). Nor should they single out for praise children whose parents have contributed to school funds, whether 20p or £20,000.

I have an additional problem with Smarties for LENT: surely lent is a time of reflection and, for some, denial? I don't think kids in a CofE school should fast for 40 days but this just seems completely to miss the whole point of Christian views on children (all equally worthy, whether rich or poor) and food (nothing to excess, whether it be sweets or wine)

Raise it with headteacher and also ask for governors' guidelines on fundraising.

I'm not a crazy fundamentalist and contribute to DDs school and organize fundraising but believe strongly that children should be neither penalised nor praised because of money they contribute

[pofaced]

I'm horrified! Schools shouldn't ask children to eat sweets ever (Smarties or organic Fairtrade). Nor should they single out for praise children whose parents have contributed to school funds, whether 20p or £20,000.

I have an additional problem with Smarties for LENT: surely lent is a time of reflection and, for some, denial? I don't think kids in a CofE school should fast for 40 days but this just seems completely to miss the whole point of Christian views on children (all equally worthy, whether rich or poor) and food (nothing to excess, whether it be sweets or wine)

Raise it with headteacher and also ask for governors' guidelines on fundraising.

I'm not a crazy fundamentalist and contribute to DDs school and organize fundraising but believe strongly that children should be neither penalised nor praised because of money they contribute

[fluffyanimal]

I think most people are missing the point - the OP is concerned about certificates in assembly for doing it.

[pofaced]

But then you are publicly rewarding kids whose parents make financial contribution that is supposed to be voluntary and should be secret?!

[EffiePerine]

I probably have enough pennies lying around to fill any number of Smartie tubes - would be happy to send a sackful to the school so no-one was left out

the certificate thing would worry me, though. As would the Nestle thing [weak liberal emoticon]

[Sparks]

To me, the problem is that kids of that age are not going to be able to get a tube of smarties or fill it with coins themselves. They will be relying on their parents to do it. In the end, kids will get a certificate and public recognition in assembly for something their parents have done. That's what is unfair about it.

[seeker]

Do you think the parents should get the certificate?!

[madamez]

I agree wtih the OP, it's making it very obvious who has/hasn;t donated (whether it's becasue the DC forgot all about it or because the family really hasn;t got any spare change), and that's a bit crap. Endless annoying demands for funding are one thing, trying to force families to donate by humiliating their DC in public if they don't is quite another.

[sherby]

The nestle thing would piss me off.

Are they really going to hand out a cert to each child in assembly? That would take ages surely. If so then it is a bit of a crappy idea.

[SueW]

DD's school has had the NSPCC in and we've had a sponsor form for some getting active thing.

More sponsors = bigger prizes for the child. Top prize stickers - woo hoo.

Poor DD. I don't give money to the NSPCC so I have refused to sponsor her. I suggested she ask DH but if she wants lots of sponsors she'll have to ask him to make up names or make them up herself and raid her pocket money tin if she feels she wants to support them.

[LittleBella]

Sparks has it exactly right. The children are going to be singled out for praise because of something their parents have done.

Now I know that happens with homework and GCSE coursework as well, but it is a bad, bad principle.

[Cam]

Just being nosey SueW, why not NSPCC?

[wheresthehamster]

Is the nspcc one in a Mr Men envelope? The more money you give the bigger the prize? I hate these as lots of parents get sucked in. I give £3 in total for everything and spin it out with a lot of relatives at 25p each. With 3 dds in school it adds up otherwise. I think my dds appreciate this.

The smartie tube is the same sort of thing but I think I would have to make a point to the organisers about using products made by the baby-killing Nestle bstrds.

[NAB3wishesfor2008]

A smartie tube full of 20ps = £5.

[JingleyJen]

don't have a problem at all with the principle of the smartie tube.. fundraising but I think the idea of the children getting a certificate in assembly is outrageous.
It is blackmailing the parents.. give us your money or we will embarrass your child.
Horrid. I write to the board of govenors and the head teacher with my opinions.