(Pretty) please could we have your thoughts on school fairs for the times?

[JustineMumsnet]

Angela from the Times writes:
"We have noticed that in the more prestigious schools they are becoming ludicrously competitive and pricy (£7 chutney; professional sugar-craft cakes on the cake stall etc) and aim to raise thousands of pounds - sometimes five-figure sums - rather than hundreds."

Is this your experience and if so what do you think?
Many txs in advance. MN Towers.

You see I disagree with Charis. I think spending some of the money raised on something unnecessary but lovely is a good use of PTA funds. It shouldn't all be mundane and bare essentials.

Not every thread has to be a class war SEA!

what?

DD2s school is in a pretty deprived area so the school fair is likely to raise a few hundred rather than a few thousand. £7 for chutney made me laugh - round here 1, parents probably wouldn't know what it was and 2, you can get a packet of fags and a few cans of ale for £7

They haven't had the Summer Fair yet but if it's anything like the Easter fair it will be fairly cheap and cheerful - lots of unwanted tat gifts that people have donated as well as a bottle stall, tombola, games and 20p stalls. But it's good fun, raises much-needed money for the school and isn't terribly pretentious and competitive.

Yes Fio I know and that word in itself makes me cringe.

I think 'Angela' has very likely only come across one school selling £7 chutney and is making an entire article out of it.

so what exactly was wrong with my comment?

actually forget it, life's too short.

Never encountered professional cakes or £7 chutney. I do wonder whether perhaps Angela has encountered a school where one of the parents is, like COV, a professional cake decorator.

hatwoman - at DS's school fair a turn on the treasure island game (etc.) is also accompanied by a sweet of some description so that child feels he/she is getting something concrete for the money.

I do object to their being called "fayres", though. Perhaps the Times could run an article on that...

Funnily enough was feeling a little cross with our school this morning as I took in raffle tickets. Have managed to spend £35 and a bottle of wine on the fete and it hasn't even happened yet!

Certainly not the case with our rural village school - I very much doubt the format has changed in the last 40 years - we have a tombola, a tat stall, throw a wet sponge at a teacher, have your face painted and jump on a bouncy castle. So, you still come away with a tin of marrowfat processed peas, an alien for the top of your pencil and a second hand soft toy that smells of mildew, you drink some warm but lung itchingly strong squash, eat a gritty fairy cake with blue icing, and miraculously manage to spend £27.

I was asked to set up a stall doing characatures of people this year, but declined as i'd be rubbish. The organiser said 'can't you just have a little practice?' But I think it'd take more than that really.

are the times interested in normal ones or not?

at caricatures - you would make 200 enemies in a single night!

ours is a "fayre" too

Dammit I knew I'd spelled caricatures wrong. I can't even spell it, let alone do them, and you're right, I'd be public enemy no 1! 'draw incredibly unflattering pictures of all the staff and parents' isn't the way to make friends.

Our school fair raises usually about £1200-1700. The stalls are mainly jumble sale type, home-baking and local crafts such as jewellery. There are also activities for the children such as treasure hunts and the like. Certainly not £7 jars of chutney.

I ran a stall for Guide Dogs this year, bringing along my own Guide Dog puppy, and managed to raise £167 from 2 hours.

I think if they are being run on pretentious lines then it would take away the fun, it is supposed to bring the school and community together.

I made a similar comment Southeastastra and nobody bothered!

Two - could I gatecrash for one sec and ask if you train guide dogs/puppy walk? DH and I really interested in Puppy walking and would like a bit of insight
End of high jack

Ours is a skint area

Value tins and toiletries on the tombola, dirty toys on the toy stall... still that whole nice feeling of day outness etc though

The best parts are where the children get to splat teachers etc.

Oh and last year they had some sort of dragon's den stall idea going with yr 5, so they were competing to get the most people to play their games

only in London independents Angela.
Come to my fair fayre funday in Kent (easy from London) on the 11th July and you can buy a burnt sausage from the deputy head, take part in the it's a knockout and get wet or buy a £1 raffle ticket to win a trip on the Kent and East Sussex Railway!

Ours grows each year, for the first time this week itis pn a saturday so it can be a community thing

its fun and profitable- last yearwe had a western theme (was 4th July y'see) so we had line dancing, burgers, a petting zoo. Made @£700 but that included £400 to repair a tent we were lent (sure it was lent that way)

Was excellent fun, can't go this year as a parental birthday- shame (but so much cheaper, ussually spend masses)

Oh we did ahave a few rather spanky cakes for Christmas but a few were mine fluke and I get tips from professional baker MIL

Such as 'if you wille ating yourself add arsenic'

our school is only 220 puils so I feel we did well. chocolate tombola raises a fortune (kids bring in a bar for a non uniform day) but the amount of time we spend removing manky oput of date cereal bars beggars beleif

Oh we're having donkey rides this year for the first time, although the Head is panicking about health and safety. My friend who is organising the donkeys was stressed out and emailed her solicitor instead of the donkey people by accident, saying 'do you clean up your own poo, or are we expected to do it?'.