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Post by corkwing on Oct 13, 2014 15:00:45 GMT
I'm just getting fed up with the never-ending stream of calls on my wallet. Dress down days, trips to the theatre, etc. One teacher discovered that a local activity centre did cheap rates at the end of the season so suddenly that's in the calendar. It may be cheap relatively, but it's still a couple of hundred quid!
Today's was that the kids are going to be donating Christmas goodies to the local food bank. Great cause, but who is actually going to be donating? I asked the teacher what expectations they'd led the kids to have about who would be supplying these items - sponsored events, doing work around the house, asking friends and relatives for donations, their pocket money, their parents - and got the reply that they hadn't thought about it and would leave it up to us.
Great, so we either stump up some money or endure Sprat having a huge meltdown at the thought of doing some work, spending his own pocket money or going in with nothing.
Not sure that it teaches our kids anything at all.
Kermit says I'm not allowed to reply at the moment...
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Post by donatella on Oct 13, 2014 16:56:44 GMT
Oh bum, that's just reminded me it's harvest festival soon. DDs school want different things from different age groups. The older children are expected to make a cash - real money! - donation to a charity of schools choice. I think that's a real cheek!
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Post by serrakunda on Oct 13, 2014 17:02:52 GMT
Cash! That's pushing it. And missing the point of harvest festival?
Simba will be taking in own brand tins of beans and and tea bags
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 17:19:34 GMT
In my girls free education school, they ask parents for a "voluntary" donation towards the running costs of the school. First year eldest DD went i paid it as it was only £15. Second year when younger DD went it had increased by 50% to £30 and I thought maybe it was per family, but was told no, it was per child. I didn't pay it as I thought they were taking the Michael. I have never paid it since and have never been asked to. And as for the £20 towards art supplies and £10 refundable deposit for a maths text book etc etc. That reminds me I never did get the deposit back now EDD has left the school despite me returning her text book. Free education is a laugh and they wanted something like £2, 200 for a ski-ing trip  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 17:26:56 GMT
Oh, and while I'm at it, school uniform - ours can only be bought from one school supplier.
The girls school have to wear regulation school skirts or trousers, (black with a very faint grey pin stripe that you can only see if you are really close up). Trousers cost £28 a pair and are rubbish quality. (EDD's zip pulley thing broke off the very first time she wore it), but at the affiliated boys school, the boys are allowed to wear any plain black trousers of their choice and you can puy two pairs for £8 at Tesco's or other shops.
How is that fair, especially as I have two girls and no boys?
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Post by doubletrouble on Oct 13, 2014 19:14:28 GMT
MMMmm. Interesting. Ours go to a private school ( on bursaries so don't pay) and I am rarely asked to donate anything. Last Friday it was British armed forces day and each child took in £1 and could dress up in Red white and blue if they liked. There is the occasional bring and buy sale or cake sale run by the parents for charities. We don't pay for tickets to the school concerts, lunches are included in the fees and the minibuses for trips are free. They don't go on trips to fun parks and there are outward bound trips for the older ones which are quite reasonable the only foreign trip they do is in year 8 to France - same place every year and costs about £500. Reception take harvest festival baskets to the old folks home, year 3 send boxes at xmas to troops but there is no compulsion for the rest of the school children/parents to donate to anything else. There is a second hand shop for uniforms and sports gear that everyone uses. The uniforms are expensive new, a cardy or jumper is £45 but our are into year 4 of wearing the same ones and so when they grow out of them they'll be going to the second hand shop and I'll get something for them.
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Post by moo on Oct 14, 2014 3:14:04 GMT
Gotta say I take huge offence at the 'enforced ' charity donations...
The nature of the beast makes each charity ' a choice which one iykwim ' so why force each parent into a different one of someone else's ' choice ' ??!? Never have got my head around it...
You could 'do' your reply & send it to us instead Corkwing!!- that I'd love to see....
xx. moo. Xx
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Post by daffin on Oct 14, 2014 5:39:43 GMT
Harvest festival today. Monkey Boy is taking a jar of peanut butter. His favourite!
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Post by corkwing on Oct 14, 2014 6:31:57 GMT
I'd love to post my reply - which is actually quite conciliatory - but don't feel comfortable with it as it's a public board.
I may also contact the head and the board of governors as they probably haven't thought it through, either.
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