school charging for extra-curricular clubs?

[shongololo]

got a message from school today...from next term they will be charging for extra curricular clubs. £20 per term for years 4,5,6 and £10 per term for year 3s (less clubs available.) These are not professional clubs, like chelsea-run football. These are the standard clubs like recorder and netball, rugby and sewing. Run by staff. Note says its because of cuts to budgets, clubs will make up the shortfall. Staff will not be paid, money will be used for school budget.

Anyone ever heard of another school doing this? Is it even legal?

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

we already pay for this stuff

[scurryfunge]

Sounds pretty crap to me. They clearly don't want a take up. Are they purely after school or does this include lunchtime?
The cynic in me believes this is an indirect way of making sure teachers don't have to give up time.

[Goblinchild]

We do it, the money goes into a general pot to fund clubs that require resources like sewing, cooking, art and gardening.
Still comes in at just over a pound a week, free staffing and yet someone will always complain.

[mrz]

scurryfunge do you give up time ?(to stay at work to be with other people's children instead of caring for your own)

[Goblinchild]

Oh, and we don't have to give up time scurryfunge, heads can't make teachers run an after school or lunchtime club.
That is illegal.

[Bramshott]

We always pay for clubs (although most are run by outside staff/coaches at DD's school).

[Abr1de]

It doesn't seem a lot of money to me. Budgets are tight at the moment.

[scurryfunge]

I used to when I was teaching -lunchtimes, after school and Saturday mornings but there were plenty who would never dream of doing that and it was the majority. Teachers are knackered generally and don't want to give the extra time, in my experience.

[emy72]

Wow!

Our school charges for extra curricular clubs which use coaching staff from outside school (sports), but not for teacher run ones!

For cooking club we have to contribute a little for the ingredients.

Other clubs are entirely free though.

I guess we are lucky then!!

[LostArt]

I think it's a good deal. Most of our clubs are run by private organisation therefore we pay. In fact, as far as I'm aware, we pay for teacher run clubs too.

If outside organisations ran the clubs, the school could charge them for the use of the hall/playing fields, so, in theory the school is losing out by providing the service free of charge.

[Goblinchild]

There are 14 class teachers in my school, and all who are not NQT run at least one club, TAs sometimes support. All optional for staff.
We also have paid after school activities run by other individuals.
If you think £20 a term is too much, stop sending your child to the activity.

[Goblinchild]

'I guess we are lucky then!!'

Anyone who has a free club run by a volunteer is lucky emy72, especially if it is a convenient hour straight after school.
In the 80s, we had a couple of terms where a lot of teachers worked to rule during the pay disputes. NO clubs. parents appreciated what we offered for a while after that, perhaps we ought to have a year off volunteering and see what happens.

[wannaBe]

budgets are being cut - not the education budget but LA budgets are being cut and this filters down to schools (ICT grants etc which are not part of the education budget). So schools do have less money than they otherwise have had.

£20 a term doesn't seem that unreasonable to me - you'd pay a lot more for your child to be in a privately run drama club, for instance (friend pays over £300 a term for her dd for stagecoach, for instance).

[Takver]

£20 a term doesn't sound that much tbh - less than £2 a week. DD's school charges for materials for after school clubs - only 50p a week for craft club, but a bit more for cookery club (can't remember amount, only runs in summer term, but £2 sounds about the figure).

I'd imagine they'll be using the money to cover materials, replacing recorders when broken for recorder club etc. ? And no doubt there will be some quiet way of helping those who can't pay, I'm sure if you ask they could sort something out.

[Takver]

I remember the 80s, Goblinchild - our school veered erratically from us not being allowed off site at lunchtimes, to being obliged to be out of the premises. Funnily enough, we weren't that grateful to the teachers when they stopped working to rule and we were no longer allowed off down the chippy . . .

[Acanthus]

£20 per term is good value

[Goblinchild]

Takver

I was just grateful when we won the right to stop eating with the children doing dinner duty. God, some of them had vomitous-inducing eating habits.

[scurryfunge]

I think it is reasonable value if parents see it as an extension of the day and therefore cheap childcare. I think on the whole though, there would not be a great take up on this if parents had to pay.

[LynetteScavo]

We already pay around £20 per term for cheer leading club, or what ever a teacher is prepared to run.

I must admit I have used one such club as child care as it is such great value.

[panettoinydog]

I don't think there should be any open-to-all free clubs run by school staff. There should be a small charge.

[LynetteScavo]

I disagree, scurryfunge, the take up for clubs at DC's school is so great, names have to be drawn form a hat, and only the lucky 20 are offered a place.

[panettoinydog]

Genrrally speaking, something is valued much more if it is paid for, even a small charge.

[scurryfunge]

I suppose it depends on what area you the school is. I've taught at a couple of schools in quite a deprived area where parents wouldn't or couldn't pay for anything.That included uniform, PE kit. Anything else would have been too expensive to justify.

[panettoinydog]

That's why I said 'general open-to-all free club'. If some can't pay the pound, then fair enough

[scurryfunge]

Yes, it can become quite divisive. Either all can pay, do it for free or don't do it at all. A mixture causes problems.