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Original poster

The amount of money requested from school especially in December is insane!

82 replies

Notchangingnameagain · 19/12/2023 10:38

Just that really....

This month, on the online payment app, secondary school have asked for:

£5.00 School Disco - Whole School
£1.00 Team Building - Whole School
£1.00 Non Uniform/Christmas Jumper - Whole School
£120.00 Trip in July - Plus Spending Money
£7.50 Textbook
£6.50 Textbook
£43.00 Trip in January - Plus Spending Money
£163.00 Trip in February - Plus Spending Money
£4.00 Christmas Lunch - Whole School
£10.00 Secret Santa
£45.00 Trip in January - Plus Spening Money

£406.00.

I have two children in the school so it is actually higher than that for me if I said yes to everything.

I know none of the above is compulsory and some things can be paid in instalments, but it is a lot of money and it is a lot to say no too if you can't afford any of it regardless of an instalment plan.

OP posts:
Original poster
Notchangingnameagain · 19/12/2023 10:45

@shepherdsangeldelight No I would say we don’t live in a particularly affluent area at all with a very mixed school community.

The emails all said sorry for the short turnaround but we need X deposit by X December. With about 3-5 days notice.

OP posts:
Vettrianofan · 19/12/2023 10:44

I have had lots of requests for donations from three different schools. It's ridiculous. I would prefer to do a one off payment and let school divvy it out whichever way they see fit.

One of my DC had a "reward" trip where parents had to pay for this. It's hardly a reward if you need to pay for it!

Perhapsanorhertimewouldbebetter · 19/12/2023 10:44

Are all of these things compulsory or is there an option to say no to some of them?

Are there options to speak to the school if you genuinely cannot afford it (support funds often exist)?

(Is this a state school or private?)

My main complaint regarding my son's school is that they are doing fundraiser after fundraiser for a trip that only some of them have chosen to go on - why on earth would the rest of the parents/relatives, whose children are not going, want to subsidise a trip which the parents of those who are going should be paying for? There is pressure for the to fundraise too, when some of the parents are presumably happy to pay what it costs (otherwise wouldn't have signed their kids up!).

peppermintcrisp · 19/12/2023 10:44

Do they have to go on all the trips?

LubaLuca · 19/12/2023 10:44

We haven't been asked for a penny this month. I think, to be fair, our school has carefully planned the big expenses, such as the trip abroad, so that an installment was due in October, and then the next one not until the end of January.

If you're sure this is all due now, and not just on the app for reference/future installments (such as the trip in July), take it up with the school. They're being inconsiderate.

shepherdsangeldelight · 19/12/2023 10:42

That's an awful lot of (fairly expensive) trips.

I'm guessing you are in an affluent area?
DC's school used to have 1 or 2 a year and they were always fairly moderately priced. And there was lots of support for those who couldn't afford them.

Finteq · 19/12/2023 10:40

I've had zero requests.

But then I would be grateful if my kids were being taken on trips and having fun days out.

Schools can't do right.

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