It's cheaper to make own gifts

“I am astounded by the comments that have been made by Mrs Bowers and Mrs Parry. I am another parent who was delighted to be given a present entirely chosen by my daughter and the delight in her face as she gave it to me was priceless. We have been attending this school now for 3 years and I have not had to spend a penny on themed days. The knowledge they get from these days is invaluable. For anybody reading this I would like to take the opportunity to express what an amazing team of staff and parents are involved with the school and I am delighted with everything that is organised and contibutes to the development of my child.”

“As a parent of a young child who attends a clayton primary school I have to express how taken aback I am with the comments made by mrs parry and mrs bowers. My daughter absolutely loved the fact that she was able to buy me a small gift, I only wish the said grandparents could have seen her face on Mothering Sunday when she gave me her small gift which for two pounds even in times of austerity is nothing....I think the whole idea gave my daughter, choice, control and independence...what a great educational experience that was for her.

Regarding the themed days, do the said grandparents realise it was a national day and if they took the time to research, they would find that most schools supported this day. With a little imagination and networking you can make a costume that has minimal or even no cost. The two experiences in my mind are educational and give life building skills to our children, and don't we all just want the best start for our children?

Lets not forget that these activities are surported by parents who give up the limited precious time they have to raise funds so that the children can enjoy not just educational but social experiences too..without their dedication trips out, presents at Christmas would not exist,and therefore make things much more expensive..

Such a shame we are having this discussion via the newspaper..my advice speak to the ptfa or school head teacher...do you realise the damage this does to the school!

Nge”

“I think there must be some misunderstanding by Mrs Bowers (letters 9/3/13) and Mrs Parry (13/3/13) with respect to the activities that are put on for children attending a Clayton School. I read with amazement the comments that the school was seeking to raise money instead of concentrating on lessons. As a parent with two children who have gone through this school I have always delighted at the varied curriculum and ideas put forward by the school to make lessons interesting. I have never needed to buy special outfits for the 'themed' days as the kids have loved putting their own ideas together (normally from clothes we would be putting out to charity). BUT critically the misunderstanding is the money involved - these events are often inspired by VOLUNTEERs from the PTFA or the Parents Forum. I have watched with admiration the time and effort put in by teachers and volunteers alike, to run events, with very small outlay, that will raise money to fund school outtings. The money raised by the PTFA is put towards REDUCING the costs of school trips to parents, with the PTFA funding all coach costs for each year group, sports kits for the children, external visitors to the school to enrich the curriculum and presents at xmas time. These volunteers are often working parents themselves whose last wish is to attend yet another meeting at 7pm in the evening, yet they do so, in order to raise funds to support all the kids in the school, to provide valued extra activities (such as camp day, fun day, jubilee days etc). The Mother's Day gift idea was a trial and proved popular with the kids, who adore the fact that their parents can't see what they buy, remember many kids don't have parents who take them shopping. Imagine the effort involved by a small group of volunteers to buy enough xmas presents/mothers day presents for every child at school (around 400!). Those volunteers give up a lot of personal time to do this - and they wrap them all too! The costs are kept really low to ensure that all children can participate and ALL of the money raised is ploughed back into the children. The PTFA worry about the number of events they put on and the costs to families, but they welcome all volunteers and would love more members to help them decide what is the right balance. It is always a very small group of parents who give up their time over many years and often miss out on going round the summer and xmas fayres with their children because they are too busy manning the stalls! The partnership of these volunteers and teachers means that the school ensures its funds are put towards vital school equipment (the children don't even have to bring in their own pencil cases!), whilst the PTFA keeps costs down paying for coaches (£200 per trip). So please don't knock those volunteers and teachers who try to ensure that the school day is enriched with variety and entertainment, which in turn means the children skip in and out of school with smiles on their faces. I am very grateful to all of them for the fun they have given to my children.

HD - mother”