Treating at primary school: a fun tradition, or too much hassle?.
Hurray, your child has a birthday! That should of course be celebrated. In many primary schools the birthday child can treat the class, but more and more schools choose to do it differently. What do parents actually think about this? We asked the members of the Landelijk Ouderpanel.
Who has a birthday treats
Most schools celebrate birthdays with treats. Most parents from the research were allowed to choose what their child treats at school (62%). In addition, a small group of parents say their child may only bring healthy treats to school (10%).
In some schools birthdays are celebrated differently: more than 12% of parents said birthday children do get festive attention, but treats are not allowed.
One way or another a party!
Most parents think birthdays at school should be celebrated with treats. Almost half of the parents think there should be no limiting rules: they want to decide themselves what their child treats at school (46.8%). A smaller group of parents think treats should only be healthy (12.6%).
Birthdays can also be celebrated at school without treats. Almost 30% of parents think birthdays should be celebrated this way: a party, but no treats.
If you have a birthday you can be in the spotlight for a moment, after all it is your birthday. But this can be without treats.
Policy versus reality
Some schools have rules about treats. But these rules are not always checked. Parents from the panel said this means they can treat what they want, even if the school policy says something else.
Healthy treats are asked for, but the practice is totally different. There is no enforcement. And without enforcement it becomes chips and candy.
About the survey
865 parents with a child in primary education took part in this quick survey. Do you also want to talk about important school themes? Then sign up for the Landelijk Ouderpanel.
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