School trips and non- uniform days demands

I worked at a school in a very deprived area. We never charged for any activity to raise money for school funds - trip costs were kept to a minimum and heavily subsidised by school, but no child was left out because they couldn’t pay (many didn’t). We did have a couple of events each year to raise money for charity, which the children enjoyed, but it was done in such a way that children who couldn’t pay weren’t singled out. I’d guess it’s easier in a school where most families are in the same boat. Poorer parents in a school in a middle class area must really struggle to meet all these demands.

I would agree with you about excessive fund-raising demands. When I was a teacher there seemed to be a request nearly every week for some form of donation; sponsored silences, spellings, table tests, mile of pennies, fruity Friday, walk the perimeter of the sports field, book club, buy sport equipment (headbands, T shirts, socks etc), not to mention Red nose day, Children in Need, Summer and Christmas Fairs, school photographs plus trips to the pantomime and educational visits, one a term. There were also swimming lessons, free, but the parents were charged for the cost of the coach. Pressure was put on parents, whose charitable instincts were exploited to 'raise money for the school' by a charismatic but avaricious Headteacher.

I recall the Sunny Smiles 'charity' when I was in junior school. Each pupil was given a small book of photographs - maybe 20 or 30 - they were photos of babies and the idea was for the pupils to sell the photos for a donation to the charity. I never did manage to 'sell' all mine. My parents wouldn't allow me to go from house to house to sell them.
Then in grammar school during the first year we had a talk by the NSPCC and were each given a money box which was to be collected in at the end of that school year. I still remember the smug, superior look on the face of one pupil who had the fullest money box.
I have never agreed with sponsorship either although my own children have been involved with such events at Brownies, youth clubs etc. I would determine how much I could afford and enter fictitious names on the forms with that amount divvied up between the list of names.
Yes, I do give to charity but I do it by choice and not under pressure by anyone.

Good story Maw

My daughters complain, justifiably I believe, about the constant text / email demands from school. Fundraising seems endless. One has just paid £40 so both parents and 2 grannies can watch her 3 and 6 year olds in their separate class nativities.
Wear yellow, non school uniform days, disco afternoons.
Then it’s homework every night for the 6 year old.
Too little down time for children and parents (and teachers)

We never had any spare money, when I was young or when ours were small.
But we had ‘freedom from hunger’ week when I first started Secondary School and we were encouraged to take homemade cakes in to sell, that was easy as Mum was always baking.
Then we had a fundraiser for Biafra, again taking in food to sell.
When mine went to school it was mainly sponsorship or non uniform day, to which we contributed for a nameless Charity.
The same thing when the GCs went to school.
I don’t think any of us felt we had to do it nor was it ever mentioned if we were unable to.

Now it seems that teachers are not allowed to discriminate against children who do not bring in a "donation" to show them up in front of their classmates.
They shouldn't be 'allowed' to discriminate, and nor should they feel inclined to do so, IMO
Of course they shouldn’t.
At one time I had a very sweet but isolated boy in my tutor group, polite, hard working though not particularly high achieving, neatly turned out but a “loner”. With hindsight he may have had ASD tendencies but we were not necessarily as aware of things then. Although some of the kids tried to mock him he was never physically bullied, but certainly never fitted in and it was always a fear.
Last day of term was always non-uniform day (yes, with a £1 donation to whichever charity we were supporting) and all the kids turned up in “uniform” jeans and trainers. Only this one time I passed him on his way to school and I could see he was in full immaculate uniform. As soon as I got in I rang his Mum and asked if he had told her about non-uniform day. Apparently she hadn’t, and yes he did have jeans and trainers at home so worried that if he turned up sticking out like a sore thumb he might be picked on by some of the “lads”, I caught him at the entrance, and sent him home to change. His mum thanked me at the next Parents’ Evening for being sensitive.
No reacher worth their salt would discriminate against a child for not producing a contribution, or expose them to the ridicule of others, contrary to what some people believe, we knew a lot about family backgrounds and were sensitive to both the kids’ and the parents’ situation.

We have teenage twin grandchildren living with us so we are constantly bombarded by this sort of thing. Until recently we had to pay charitable donations via Wisepay to avoid taking cash into school. The annoying thing was that this organisation would take a cut of the donation. I refused to do this and would pay the charity direct. It is interesting that one of the schools has reverted to taking in cash and the other school has far fewer non uniform days than before and asks for a lot less money. This is a mainly neighbourhood school in a poorer part of town. Good for them I say.

Sounds ghastly. Glad they don't have it here. All the schools collect fees off parents though, state and private and you have to buy your own books at all the schools so maybe that is why? You also have to pay sometimes quite substantial costs for school outings and camps. State and private.

My children regularly brought home sponsorship forms. I didn't feel comfortable with them asking people for money so we gave them money which we couldn't afford and 'made up' the sponsorship names.

Now it seems that teachers are not allowed to discriminate against children who do not bring in a "donation" to show them up in front of their classmates.

They shouldn't be 'allowed' to discriminate, and nor should they feel inclined to do so, IMO.

I was at primary school in the late 60s, and remember Smile books, which were for something like Save the Children. They were little books with perforated photographs of orphans, and you were supposed to sell them to friends and family, who wrote their donation on the 'stub' and tore off the photo of the child they liked best. It was all kinds of wrong, and as I was one of three children it must have been a real nuisance to my parents and relatives. There was a similar one for Barnardos, I think. We also had plastic money boxes in the shape of houses for (I think) Christian Aid Week. You took them home and tried to fill them up during the week, and there was a public count of the donations in class with the winner getting a prize. We occasionally did sponsored things, but they were always useful, such as cleaning brasses that people sent into the school, or litter picking.

My children started school in the 90s and had seemingly countless 'days' such as World Book Day, which involved making or buying costumes and paying for them not to wear the (non-compulsory) uniform. Ditto Children in Need and Red Nose Day etc. There were also book sales and fundraisers for the PTA. Some of those were fun, but again, the cost will have added up for those with larger families. I hated the dressing up days, and resented paying for them to do it. Most people bought outfits from supermarkets, which didn't fit the following year and ended up getting thrown away. Anyone who couldn't afford them must have felt bad. I think that if schools insist on doing this sort of thing they should have a 'bank' of clothing that people can use, so nobody is left out.

Some of the 'days' were quite specific - wear a colour for a cause sort of thing, so not everyone would have (eg) a yellow top or a green dress. I can't remember what they were now. Red for AIDS springs to mind as an example, although I doubt it was one of the causes the school supported. They also did sponsored activities but they tended to be silences or other things that benefited nobody, but cost the parents and friends money.

I know schools struggle, and that getting money out of parents is essential, but I would have preferred a voluntary (and anonymous) direct debit or something, with none of the emotional blackmail attached to visible displays of contribution. Some of the parents made a huge deal out of letting everyone know how much they paid up.

And don't get me started* about Operation Raleigh-style schemes to give experiences to 6th formers that they hope will boost their University applications. They are just organised begging, and I lost count of the social occasions we went to that were supposedly for a parent's birthday or something but turned out to be raising funds for someone else's child to get a fancy holiday that would give them the edge over others who were applying for the same courses. How children from deprived areas were supposed to be able to access them is beyond me. Even the ones that don't allow direct contributions are totally skewed in favour of kids whose parents know enough people with spare money or whose companies can contribute auctionable items that can be deducted against tax as charitable donations, or whatever.

*Oh, I got started .