Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Nickbat]

My daughter came home today with a note from her school which said that "the whole school will be taking part in a record breaking walking bus for the charity Brake. All children will be bringing home a sponsorship envelope to raise money for this worthy cause...". [my emphasis in bold].

Now call me old-fashioned if you like, but I was always led to believe that giving money to charity was entirely voluntary. If I was so-minded, I could fail to get any sponsors, but that would put my child in an embarrassing position. So, effectively, giving is mandatory.

I heartily endorse giving child road safety lectures, but I rather think Brake may have a wider anti-driver agenda. That said, this gripe is of a more general nature about being coerced into giving to charities, which I think is wrong. 

Anyone care to comment?   

[TheBoy]

Reply back to the useless school...

"Rather than do this old tosh, and putting children into difficult situations of asking people for money for pointless charities, WHY DON'T YOU GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND TEACH THE KIDS THE GREEN CROSS CODE!"

idiots.

[crazyjoetavola]

My daughter came home today with a note from her school which said that "the whole school will be taking part in a record breaking walking bus for the charity Brake. All children will be bringing home a sponsorship envelope to raise money for this worthy cause...". [my emphasis in bold].

Now call me old-fashioned if you like, but I was always led to believe that giving money to charity was entirely voluntary. If I was so-minded, I could fail to get any sponsors, but that would put my child in an embarrassing position. So, effectively, giving is mandatory.

I heartily endorse giving child road safety lectures, but I rather think Brake may have a wider anti-driver agenda. That said, this gripe is of a more general nature about being coerced into giving to charities, which I think is wrong. 

Anyone care to comment?   

Yes, you are old-fashioned Nick and no - there isn't one thing wrong with being so

[crazyjoetavola]

Reply back to the useless school...

"Rather than do this old tosh, and putting children into difficult situations of asking people for money for pointless charities, WHY DON'T YOU GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND TEACH THE KIDS THE GREEN CROSS CODE!"

idiots.

A very simple and unambiguous statement which, in my view, sounds entirely reasonable

[Del Boy]

Send them a letter saying Charity starts at home!
Thats like my son on non-school uniform day he always when I give him the quid says keep it or i'll spend it on summin else cos it ain't goin in the headteachers pocket or anyone else's so I just let him take it. His arguement has always been why should I pay to wear my own clothes.
He's 15 but everything he says above is right 

[STMO123]

Firstly, a parental consent form should be forthcoming so that you can give/not give permission for your child to be out of school during the day.
As for the feeling of being forced into giving to a charity that you do not support, I would consult other parents to see if they feel the same (although if it's anything like my lads school, you will have had the letter the day before the event)
Each class should have a parent governor (but you know that Nick ), I would also have a word there.

In my wife's school, no one knows which child's parents contributed and which didn't, and I would hope that is the same in all schools.

In conclusion, it basically depends on how strongly you feel. If it's a minor irritation, I would live with it. But if you feel more strongly about it, then a letter to the head would be in order.

YOU CANT WIN.  You are either untrue to yourself or spoiling it for everyone else. Good luck

[TheBoy]

I only do proper charities.  If that was my kid coming home with a charity form for a bunch of tree hugging hippies, the head would feel suitably ashamed of himself

[LaserLance]

I only do proper charities.  If that was my kid coming home with a charity form for a bunch of tree hugging hippies, the head would feel suitably ashamed of himself

well the way the press portray most teachers they seem to be tree hugging hippies anyway 

[KillerWatt]

WHY DON'T YOU GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND TEACH THE KIDS THE GREEN CROSS CODE!"

Spot on 100%, and bang on the money.

BRAKE (and all it's ilk) are made up from relatives of those who have invariably been killed by drunk drivers/TWOC'rs/what have you.
They are so ripped up with grief that they lose the ability to think rationally about what they are actually campaigning for, and instead it all becomes the fault of someone who the minute they exceed an arbitary number becomes a murdering ba$tard regardless of any other factors involved (ie, pi$$ed up to the eyeballs).

As for the kids coming home with letters/fanciful ideas/etc, I've already been there and destroyed the teachers in question in front of the whole class the following day.
Apparently if I disagree with anything else my kids are taught from now on, I now have to put my case in writing before they will allow me to put the teacher on the spot in front of the whole class

[Nickbat]

Firstly, a parental consent form should be forthcoming so that you can give/not give permission for your child to be out of school during the day.
As for the feeling of being forced into giving to a charity that you do not support, I would consult other parents to see if they feel the same (although if it's anything like my lads school, you will have had the letter the day before the event)
Each class should have a parent governor (but you know that Nick ), I would also have a word there.

In my wife's school, no one knows which child's parents contributed and which didn't, and I would hope that is the same in all schools.

In conclusion, it basically depends on how strongly you feel. If it's a minor irritation, I would live with it. But if you feel more strongly about it, then a letter to the head would be in order.

YOU CANT WIN.  You are either untrue to yourself or spoiling it for everyone else. Good luck

Thanks for your comments, Steve and others.

The donations, such a they are, are not anonymous as sponsorship forms need to be filled in. The "event" will take place on-site (school field).

What annoyed me is that my daughter and her friend were quite convinced that they would be raising money for children who are injured in accidents. In fact, Brake just offer counselling and advice services, they don't lob money in the direction of those affected by road accidents.

Also, having had a long hard look at their website, they appear to be a pressure group, campaigning for £1000 fines for those that are up to five mph over a speed limit, lower general speed limits, a ban on hands-free phones and sat navs, etc, etc. Now, I'm not saying that any or all of these may not be worthy causes in the eyes of some, but this hardly adds up to a charity does it?

Incidentally, as a "charity" it gets about a million quid a year income and spends just over 500K on salaries (one employee gets over £60k p.a.).

This is one of the jobs they are currently advertising:

Are you a high-flying graduate with a passion for campaigning, fast and accurate research and writing skills, and great interpersonal skills? Do you have the ability to look at big documents and get to the heart of them, even when they contain complex text and statistics? Would you like the opportunity to liaise daily with a range of politicians, academics and practitioners on a key political topic? Are you passionate about working for a campaigning charity at the heart of its campaigns and information division?

Brake's Campaigns Intern Programme, lasting 10 months, enables you to work alongside our Head of Campaigns to forward our regional and national campaigns. Go to the campaign pages of www.brake.org.uk to find out more about our campaigns.

This is a varied role for someone who wants to work in a fast-paced campaigning environment where every day is different, and who has high standards of academic excellence, and superb research and communication skills. As part of the role you might be:

- liaising with MP, organising a meeting with civil servants, and providing politicians with statistics and data;

- writing a response to a Government consultation document on driver testing;

- doing a local radio interview about the need for a ban on all types of mobile phone use when driving;

- organising a press call in a community with an MP to demand slower speed limits.


See: http://www.brake.org.uk/index.php?p=1316

Should I be adding to their coffers?

I don't want my daughter to feel embarrassed, so I may end up sponsoring for a very small amount. As Steve, says, it's hard deciding what's more important: being true to my own beliefs, or keeping quiet for my daughter's sake. I may mention it to the class governor, as suggested.

Bottom line, if I were to get horrid, is that since they are a self-admitted political pressure group, they should not be promoted in any school as it would be in breach of the Education Act.   

[Vamps]

It a little like the letters that come home saying that the class is going on an educational trip and ask for money towards the cost.  In fact they can only request a donation and can not stop a child taking part if they do not contribute. 

We always seem to be sending money to school for something or other, in lesson time. I have no problem with paying for after school sports or interest activities.

[STMO123]

If you choose to bite the bullet and contribute Nick, then I would suggest a meet with the parent governor. At this meeting you may suggest that kids these days are very astute and aware of their surroundings. As such, they are capable of choosing which charities they would like their school to support and should be allowed to have a say in any future events, WITHOUT assistance from pressure groups calling themselves charities.

[STMO123]

I would also be interested in knowing whether any member of staff is 'connected' to BRAKE.

[Vamps]

To be fair to our school, money is usually used for the school or the PTA which goes to the school. Charity wise tends to be Red Nose Day and Pudsey Bear Day when they do 'things' to raise money which I am happy enough with.

[Nickbat]

I would also be interested in knowing whether any member of staff is 'connected' to BRAKE.

I've had another look at the Brake sponsorship A4 envelope and, as you suggested earlier, there is indeed a parental consent box. Adjacent to it is a "Quick Survey for Parents", which includes this:

Is the road where you live plagued by speeding drivers? Yes/No 

Steve, it seems to be national effort as the envelope is pre-printed with the date Wed 17 June 2009 as part of its header. I imagine many schools have been sucked into this.

Wonder what they'll do with all that money?