Thursday 6 July 2017

D. I. S. C. O.

Our school has a JLT. That stands for Junior Leadership Team. It used to be the School Council. Same thing, different name. The one we have right now is made up of some pretty awesome kids. They decided they wanted to organise a fundraising effort for the victims of the Grenfell Fire disaster.  They decided to hold a disco. It was last night. It was hot, loud and they all had fun.
The older ones made me laugh as they unashamedly sang along to Let it go. We've some excellent dancers and they depleted the hot dogs, fizzy drinks and sweet shop like a plague of locusts! I'm not sure on the actual amount raised but I'm really proud of our young people. They also bought out of their own money, some flowers and chocolates for the main teacher in charge if JLT who made it all happen.
This year our school also raised over £2000 for the NSPCC with a sponsored dance a thon - pretty good going for a school in a 'socially deprived' ( I think that's the Government's official definition ) area.

So, it really really irks me that the school won a lottery bid to erect a log cabin to be used as an outdoor classroom. The lottery bid was for £10000. That was spent on the cabin - currently in pieces on the playground waiting for erection. ( stifles giggles )
The cost to the school by the County Council to prepare the ground and have an electricity supply put to it. Are you ready?

EIGHTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS. You read that correctly. £18k

That's not including the charges for all the planning applications and x y z .

That's why schools have no money. Not because they are paying staff what they deserve. It's because of bureaucracy.

Anyway, I'd like to say sorry for my last whiney post and thank you for your supportive totally self indulgent comments to me. I'm going to just add three photos. Two are of some of my mahoosive and frankly downright embarrassing birthday haul from the HG to me from Embsay Mill. Darling darling material and other goodies! The other is a glorious shot from Hawes. Imagine living in such a picturesque place! We went last weekend and had, to quote Wallace and Grommit - a grand day out. The link to Wallace and Grommit being the Wensleydale Creamery. We've been loads. Cheeeeeeeeese!









Right, best get a shift on.

Love from
Rachel *feeling blessed* Radiostar xxx

14 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place! And I love your haul!
    J xxx

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    1. I have mainly been stroking the material. I think I'm actually just a material collector!!

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  2. Sounds like you have some great kids at your school Rachel. Well done to them for all of the money they have raised.

    That fabric is some very serious eye candy and I am quite liking the look of those stencils and the sewing book.....I have a bit of a thing for sewing books....especially ones with pretty covers like that.
    Looks like you have plenty to keep you busy.
    Have fun.
    Hugs-x-

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    1. I do! But I'm ashamed to say I've not done anything yet with this stuff!

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  3. The world we live in has gone crazy, if your school put it out to tender, the estimates would not come close

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    1. It makes me so angry Marlene. The way firms can royally rip us off like that. And I know it's not 'MY' money, but that money could otherwise be spent on the children. Grrrrrr

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  4. Hi Rachel! Happy belated birthday to you. That's a ridiculous cost, but I suspect it's a similar system of certain companies who bid for the job and the school board must work with them and not someone much cheaper. That's a beautiful place in the picture. -Jenn

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    1. Thank you Jennifer, blasted thank you I should say! Hates is a lovely place to see.

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  5. The world has gone totally mad, bureaucracy has taken over from common sense. Your school is going great guns.

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  6. Ooohh lucky you, although you deserve lots of birthday goodies to play with over the holidays. Your children sound lovely. I always find it touching when a letter comes home from school saying "the children have decided to raise money for......" The fact they think about others is so heartwarming.

    PAH! to bureaucracy. Councils - they're good at taking our money but rubbish at putting anything back into the community. I can never understand why there is still the usual red tape for things like this. Planning, I get to an extent but only to the point where somebody needs to come out and say OK, but the rest is just madness. Does the school have the money to get the classroom up and running? xx

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    1. It'll be our Night Owls base but we will be making do and mending until the thing is all paid for. It just feels like we've been royally ripped off. FEWMIN months later!!

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  7. Half the problem with so called 'under-funding' is in fact 'massive waste'. I often wonder if institutions such as the NHS aren't actually hugely 'over-funded' if they can afford to waste so much money!

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    1. It's absolutely beyond belief. It should have gone out to local tradesmen for a fraction of the cost.

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