I see Tesco has come in for another bashing today. Now the Tesco story is a complicated one to say the least. Especially when we consider producers. The question of the effects on local shops and the killing of the high street is also a bit of a chicken and egg , and maybe I will tackle that another time.
But Tesco is a British success, and as ever, we hate a success when it's British. After all, success isn't what we are about.
So they are being knocked because of the sports equipment for schools vouchers. A school would have to get the parents to spend a million pounds in order to get the top of the range, state of the art, trampoline. But that isn't actually the point. The point is that Tesco give things away when they don't have to. They do support the community and the schools. Yes they could give more, but they could also give less. They are a business. Of course it isn't completely altruistic, it's marketing, but they have never claimed any different.
If we are going to argue about the rights and wrongs of Tesco, let's not make it over the fact that they do give things away. So they haven't given away the best trampoline. £12 million of sports equipment to schools last year should still be a cause for celebration.
10 comments:
Merlin, do you accept that there is something of a problem with this means of supporting public schools in that it favours schools in well off areas, who chances are already have active and affluent PTAs etc.
No sports/computer/book vouchers for my local schools - our neighbourhood osn't affluent enough to support a Tesco or Sainsburys and strangely Lidl, Netto and the downmarket Asda don't offer such perks...
So once again the system is stacked so that those who have more, get more.
Do you acknowledge that the this is a concern, particularly when we're talking about basic state provided education and concepts such as equality of opportunity?
Well I don't accept that this only supports public schools. And this is going off on a tangent, but I thought that there were only four post codes left in the UK that aren't covered by Tesco. And before my daughter was going to school we collected vouchers and gave them to friends going to local, non public, schools. Now we give them to "A"s school, again not a public school. So I think it unfair to say this supports public schools. And even if you don't ahve a local Tesco then I bet you know people who shop at Tesco elsewhere who could gather vouchers and give them to you which you could then give to your local schools.
However you first point is true in that I think there is a problem when schemes like this are necessary to support schools at all.
But this is a tangent because my point was that Tesco shouldn't be slated for doing it because they are offering some support. The politics behind why there is a need is a completely different argument. What I think is a real shame is that not everyone collects the vouchers, even if they don't have children then they could still collect them and give to a local (or a poorer) school.
Sorry Merlin, my bad, I meant public with small 'p' ie state schools.
Yes I know people who shop at Tescos, sometimes I even shop there myself, but in socio-economic terms I am highly atypical of the neighbourhood. The fact is that very few parents of schoolkids here will be able to afford to shop at Tescos and even those who do, will be on a far more restricted budget than the average person in Britain.
So...the access to equipment at school becomes linked to the consumer ability of the parents (and yes maybe extended family/friends). Doesn't sound like equity of opportunity to me.
Got lots of money to shop at Tescos = your kids get lots of shiny computers/sports gear etc
Living on the breadline = tough shit your kids get a badly equipped school and no handouts from those lovely folk at Tescos. Never mind they're probably f***ed anyway.
Still maybe middle England will speak up about the poor state of the schools. Ooops they're too busy watching their kids bouncing on Tesco's trampolines in the sports hall the PTA raised funds for to notice that the kids up the road are f***ed.
Things look different from here...
(I did wonder about whether there was supposed to be a capital or not, but after my last grilling....) But this isn't Tesco's fault. That was what I was saying. You are taking a state problem and laying it at the door of Tesco, which doesn't work for me. We shouldn't expect Tesco to be about equity, they are a business, and that shouldn't (or can't) be overlooked. And what they do has a reason, they hope to get more shoppers. It isn't altruistic, but why should it be. That isn't thir job as "Tesco", Tesco needs to answer to the shareholders. But we can still hope that those that get paid a lot by Tesco do give elsewhere and help.
I don't think I've said it is Tesco's fault. Expecting a corporation to not act for financial advantage is a bit like being agrieved because a duck insists on quacking.
But that doesn't mean that we have to like the scheme, support it or not regret and seek to take action to counter the circumstances that allow it to prosper.
And when you look at the same principles playing out in PFI schemes with schools, then yes I think we do have the right to ask questions of the government.
OK so it is probably no suprise tht my frst comment is about education.
I work in a school that gains nthign from the Tesc0 scheme ( exept for the vouchers my friend gives me and a couple of others ) We had encogh vochers to buy a box of bean bags. ( about 7000 vouchers at £10 per voucher ?)Unfortunately the perception is Tesc0 is good..it gives schools things... in reality schools that don't need are the ones that get. Know its not tesc0s fault but it does make the better of parents feel better about themselves and those that can't give even worse.
I think we should regret the need for the scheme, but we should not regret the scheme itself. We should take action to counter the circumstances leading to it prospering, but not take action against the scheme itself. I am surprised that either of you would say that there are schools that don't need. There may be some schools that need more, but as I understand it all schools need. My daughters school is trying to raise money for a library, my daughters school can't afford to give hot lunches. Even one new football is better than no new football.
Very cynical to say that it just makes the better off parents feel better about themselves. That must apply even more to the people who aren't even parents. Maybe some of us see it as an opportunity to at least get something back. It isn't necessarily all about feeling better about ourselves.
So you'll be forwarding your vouchers to a school in a deprived area will you Merlin ;-)
Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly with you that we should be taking action towards countering the need for such schemes.
Don't see much of that happening though...
Trouble is i suspect, human beings, being as they are, they tend to be more motivated to actually get off their arse and do something if it directly impacts them. However, if one's kids are in a school that is not experiencing acute difficulties, then the motivation to take action on behalf of the schools in a more deprived position is vastly lowered.
Couple that with the parents of schools in such areas being vastly more disenfranchised in society and the problem fails to get raised at the sort of volume it should.
One of the reasons I oppose schemes such as the one run by Tescos, is that it amplifies that problem, by further mollifying the middle-class parents.
On the other hand I'd be delighted if you countered that point by telling me that you're a Governor of a school in a deprived area campaigning for equality of opportunity in education, or you regularly and consistently lobby your MP for better education provision in such areas, or for every pound you help raise for your daughter's school's library, you send two pounds to a less fortunate school so they can at least get some books etc etc. ;-)
Actually I was going to offer to send half my vouchers to either you or George.
You challenge me liz and that is good. I have actually considered becoming a governor but the problem is that I spend half my time on the road, difficult to be reliable. Now I am sure I can find a way to get books to poorer schools.
The issue of course is much bigger than Tesco...Persil, sainsburys etc are all in on the act...I noticed in Starbucks the other day (really don't go in often) they have a box that you can put new books in for a local school...but surprise surprise the box is overfllowing with books for the 'best' school in the area.
My school is working really hard to get funding to open a community space with integrated services, but we can't have lottery funding because we can't match fund it.OF COURSE WE CAN@T that's why we want the money. The local tennis club hoever can match the funding so they get more money...it just gets goes on.
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