Wednesday 23 April 2014

Well, Worry Not, Teachers – There’s A Solution!

A survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) of their members reports that 90% said their school or college asks for contributions towards school trips related directly to the curriculum.
More than one in ten said contributions were requested for musical equipment used in lessons and 13% said parents were asked for cash towards pens and paper.
Just say no. Simples!
A primary teacher in a Surrey state school said: “When contributions aren’t made it means we always make a loss on trips or incoming theatre groups, and pressure is growing to not do them.”
Really? I bet it’s not growing to cut back on the nonsensical Green schemes and other unnecessary politically-correct events you run, is it?
A head of department in a secondary school in Cornwall told the ATL: “We have cancelled a trip, which was linked to the curriculum, because the contributions meant there was a significant shortfall.
We’ve also found that in the past four years or so, far fewer students come on expensive trips, eg to a museum in London, when travel costs are high.”
It makes a mockery of state education if activities that support the curriculum end up not happening because there is no cash, depriving kids of a full learning experience.
When that ‘full learning experience’ leaves us with children unable to read or write to a high enough standard to be employed, while giving them an unshakable sense of entitlement, I think I’ll be less than concerned that they didn’t get to see ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ performed by wheelchair-bound transgender activists in London.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Load of bollocks, there's plenty of money in the budget, it's just it gets spent on the usual equality, diversity, H&S shite

SteveA said...

I stopped contributing to my childrens school trips as soon as I found out 20% of the parents funded the rest. Apparently everyone else stopped as well because trips soon stopped, except the end of year one to Alton Towers which always seemed to go ahead without a contribution

Joe Public said...

From the article, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, said: “Without voluntary contributions from parents and carers many students would miss out on a rich, diverse school experience."

Perhaps the ATL would have realised by now, that actually avoiding the 'diverse school experience' was occasionally the objective.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/405403/Parents-pull-pupils-out-of-mosque-visit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1277744/Parents-outrage-children-told-dress-Muslim-mosque-trip--branded-truant.html

Anonymous said...

Bunny

One of the reasons why if I have children they will be in the private education sector. Jesuits if necessary rather than these PC cretins.

andy5759 said...

No, please not the Jesuits. I do hope you're joking. They're the recruiting arm of Opus Gayee.

Anonymous said...

In the 1960's a contribution to trips was expected or you stayed in school. My parents had very little money and I knew that although they would have found the money it meant that some other part of the family budget would suffer. I never took the slips home said nothing and spent the day in school with the others in a similar position to mine. Just to show this is nothing new.

Furor Teutonicus said...

Similar to Anon. at 22:27.

Different reason though. My "parents" HAD the money, I just could think of nothing worse than having to mix with the scum AFTER school hours.

7 hours per day, five days per week was ENOUGH, thank you very much!

JuliaM said...

"Apparently everyone else stopped as well because trips soon stopped, except the end of year one to Alton Towers which always seemed to go ahead without a contribution"

And the educational value of that was..?

"...actually avoiding the 'diverse school experience' was occasionally the objective."

Or 'mostly'!

" I just could think of nothing worse than having to mix with the scum AFTER school hours."

:D