I'm thinking that the headteacher made the wrong decision and if I lived there and felt as strongly as you obviously do, I wouldn't be sticking my head in the sand.
If this decision isn't challenged now, it will become the status quo for next year and the years after.
I AM agreeing with the statement that parents shouldn't be pressured to give to Comic Relief (or, by the same token, anything else) via the school, but Comic Relief is a nation-wide effort and to exclude the schoolchildren that want to do something to fund-raise is wrong, I think.
Which way would I go? Wouldn't slog it out openly in the press ~ initially :o. Would suggest a schedule of children's activities for next year - garden clear-up, car washing one weekend in the school playground, jumble sale, blah-di-blah and perhaps a one dress-down day? In my proposals to the Head, I'd stress the positive benefits of the fund-raising - child involvement with the community, team working, etc.etc. I'd refute her suggestion that anyone was being pressured to 'give' by pointing out that the activities are all along bob-a-job lines...ie that peeps are paying for services. I'd also point out to Her Greatness that the resulting good publicity can only be of benefit to the school.
Nah, I'd go for it Ken. But I wrote that I'd put it before Her Greatness and/or her Board of Governors initially? This because she's gonna dig her heels in come what may, at the mo. to defend her recent decision. But if you make sure that all your proposals for next year are in writing, or meetings are followed up by written confirmation of what was said, you'll have a blinder of a file of correspondence to then take to the press at a later date. 8)
Militantly yours, Lish :)
