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Original poster

Does your STATE school ask for a regular donation?

83 replies

TeenTimesTwo · 24/02/2018 11:11

Prompted by some of the feedback on the what are London state schools really like.

I am wondering how commonplace it is for schools to ask for regular donations, and how much this varies by school type, area, or whatever. Part of me thinks DD's school might be missing a trick, and part of me thinks it is nice that people aren't being pressured.

So, if anyone would care to answer the following I'd be interested. The bits in are my suggestions, feel free to add any categories I've forgotten:

Type of school:

Is school part of an academy:
Type of area:

Contribution:

Your views:

My DD's school is:

Comp, non faith
Single convertor academy
Prosperous small town
£0 contribution requested

I think they should consider asking for something like 'If you feel you can afford it we would like to ask for contributions from parents, perhaps £500 if you think you may be in the top 10% of wealth in our school, £200 if you are in the 10-20%, and £20 if you are in the 20-50%'

With 1000 parents that could nett (100x£500+100x£200+300x£20)=£76k. Wow that's a lot! Perhaps I'm pitching too high.

OP posts:
ScipioAfricanus · 24/02/2018 11:43

this leading anywhere

ScipioAfricanus · 24/02/2018 11:43

Teen you are right about the PTA - I hadn’t considered that in depth. And I totally agree about the should happen/is happening difference. However I can’t see Thai leading to anything but more inequality and unfairness.

newmummy I don’t really understand - income tax is based on what you can afford so seems a fairer way of determining what you should pay into services than what you then later decide you can afford and use that specifically to help only your own child’s school.

Cauliflowersqueeze · 24/02/2018 11:42

Schools are desperately underfunded and I feel they should ask politely.

MrsFantastic · 24/02/2018 11:39

Lots of schools do it now. My sons' grammar school asks for £60 per month per child and they still don't have enough money for text books.

EdithWeston · 24/02/2018 11:34

It's extremely common, my school did is back in th 70s (and there was fundraising in top of that).

I don't know why it receives more public attention when there is a Tory govt than when it happens under Labour....

Original poster
TeenTimesTwo · 24/02/2018 11:33

Scipio Well yes I do kind of agree.

However, I would think that is what occurs up and down the country with PTAs. The PTAs in the more affluent areas can raise more, so give more extras etc.

It is the balance between what should happen (all schools properly funded) and reality. If the reality is that schools are under funded, is it so wrong that existing parents to be asked to donate if they can afford to?

At the moment I am waiting until my DDs finish school before making a donation, as I feel it might seem like trying to curry favour if we randomly sent in a cheque. Whereas if there were an organised scheme it would seem easier.

OP posts:
newmummycwharf1 · 24/02/2018 11:30

But some people already pay 40% of what they earn, others 45%. That's almost half of every pound you earn going to government. I am not sure if as a country the right thing to do is to more than half of what is earned to fund a system that will only require more funding. Parental contribution based on what you can afford makes sense. And not just in monetary terms but time and other resources too

ScipioAfricanus · 24/02/2018 11:21

But isn’t the big problem with this approach that it will lead to more disparity within schools - the richer the parents, the more money the school has, so the better the resources, so the better the results, which leads to more competition and shenanigans to get in, pushing up house prices near the schools and creating more division and less diversity? And, conversely, creating worse schools in other areas where the poorer parents are forced even more.

I can understand schools which are asking for contributions in the current, horrendously stretched situation they are put in by the government. But I feel this is a stealth privatisation of schools which plays into the government’s hand, just like running the NHS into the ground so people who can will be accepting of paying a bit here and there. Then, before you know it, no state education or health service truly existing anymore.

The only fair way is to raise taxes and not vote for the promotion of austerity which has been proven not to work.

I’m a secondary school teacher, but my son’s primary has recently asked for money for an activity within school which used to be funded (albeit there is a hardship fund as there has always been for trips). It is a bit of a dilemma.

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