£800 'hidden cost' of sending a child to a state school - your experiences?

I wonder if the 800 is averaged out over the school life. My dc are currently both at primary and costs are pretty low - uniform for ds1, ds2 wears these 3 years later, one school trip per year at about 10, ds1 now has swimming with voluntary contribution to the cost of the coach. I don't count food but uniform does not get worn in holidays so still need at least 4 or 5 days worth of casual wear. If no school would not have school shoes either. I would be happy to leave a pair of wellies at school if it meant they were outdoors loads, but don't see why they could not keep a collection at school anyway. Our pta is very active and has funded waterproofs for forest school.

I just ignore school requests for cash. We were asked to contribute a certain amount per term. I just ignored it. I don't do school book sales etc either.
And music lessons are hardly compulsory!
Wish they would get rid of uniforms for primary school though, as I think the whole idea of white polo shirts for 5 year olds is mental. They should wear cheap tracky bottoms and comfy t shirts.

I've probably spent more than that already and dd is only in Year 3. Uniform, trips, fancy dress for the myriad costume days, Easter bonnets and so on.

Far higher at my DC2's school, which is a state academy. In fact, I would say that the cost of the extras rivals those of DC1 who went to a leading public school. Apart from the usual costs of uniform, lunches, music, non uniform/miscellaneous theatre trips/skiing holidays etc, it is a language academy where students are encouraged to study multiple languages, including Russian and Japanese to A level.

The school is very good at organising trips/exchanges/stays in families to the relevant countries and, as you can imagine, trips to Japan are not cheap. Still, at least I'm not paying school fees any more (smiley emoticon!).

My two aren't in school yet but my DS1 is in nursery (attached to school) I reckon we've spent 80 quid on mandatory contributions for snack plus voluntary contributions for art supplies. A few quid on a school trip, twenty pounds on sponsorship stuff. Disco, school fair, cake sales, maybe 150 pounds or so in total. I can totally see that it'd mount up to 800 if you include lunches/ uniform/ more expensive school trips.

I'll be honest though and say whilst we're not overflowing with cash I think that helping the school to offer the best that it can in terms of facilities for the pupils is a good thing. Our local school has in general very "supportive parents" so it feels like a norm though.

DDs school asks for a "voluntary" contribution every year, which you have to explain to the head if you can't afford to pay, then there are discos, quiz evenings, cake sales, book fair etc which all add up. That's before lunch time and after school clubs!

Oh, and DD's blazers are designed with room to lengthen the sleeves for when the arms grow and nothing else does - as in DD's case. She is growing upwards but not outwards.

Very interesting pretty bird, as I think your children are at a school near mine. So I think it must also be a policy of the local authority

Ds is in S3 (equiv of year before GCSEs). Costs so far this year have been: uniform £14 for new school trousers. Still wearing shirts, Tshirts and gym shorts, jumper from last year. Isn't wearing his blazer (£40) which was bought in S1 (I think it would still fit) but he has a quilted black jacket that he wears for both casual and school). School tie cost £2 or £3 but he hasn't lost his yet and he's realised if he does, just to say he'd lost it at PE as they have loads there . His trainers and rugby boots he'd have anyway.

Skiing trip ( totally optional - only a small proportion of kids go) is £720 all in (only spending money and lunches to find). Paid £200 last year, £520 still to pay (only run every 2nd year so that people can save up).

Fee for Duke of Edinburgh Bronze £40.

School lunches would be £1.80 a day but ds is making his own packed lunches (I'd normally give him £5 towards them, so that it was his choice whether to eat in or out, but at the moment that is going towards his contribution to the cost of the ski trip).

That's all.

Last year I had to pay £10 towards his Home Economics ingredients.

The school does cover a wide demographic with a high proportion of FSMs but also a number of kids from extremely well off countries.

The Parent Council pays c£1,000 a year into an "Achievement" Fund administered by the school to ensure that no kids are disadvantaged and have equal opportunities to educational events such as the trips to Germany and France which for a variety of reasons ds didn't go on

Ds' primary school was an even poorer narrower demographic. The only charge we had was the end of year school trip for £5 and i think £2 fir the Halloween Party. The Winter Fayre raises £2,000 (Toy junk Stall, home baking, bricabrac, book stall, auction, raffle and various fun stalls. 50p entry and then whatever you choose to spend. The money raised is then used in the same way as the Achievement Fund - to ensure that all kids have equal access, so for example will cover the cost of the end of year trip if required plus also their annual fun day.

Uniform is very simple - logoed stuff is available (and not expensive) but all that is requested is red tops and black/navy bottoms.

So I'm nowhere near £810 - but I think that is a function of the schools.

I do agree that having children is an exercise in spending as much money as possible not cheap.

but I do think there is a problem with school uniform and the continual springing of trips. When a state institution decides to restrict or dictate what we dress our children in, they do have a duty to make sure that it does not exacerbate the social exclusion associated with poverty.

There is absolutely no reason why a school needs to specify an expensive blazer, or stipulate a single (and more expensive) style of skirt or trousers. Nor do they need white polo shirts with the school logo on (and a year identifier colour too which makes handing down or buying second hand almost impossible) at £9.50 each. Why can't the children wear the plain supermarket ones? They could provide badges to be sewn on to generic jumpers if they wanted, but even that is unnecessary.

It has been so much cheaper since fast-growing teenage DS1 changed schools. None of this 5 polo shirts at £9.50 each, two sweatshirts at £15 each, an additional PE polo shirt at £9.50, a rugby top for outside PE at £12.50, a bloody £5 apron for cooking, regulation PE socks, and a regulation coat that costs between £35 and £50, which he then grows out of half way through the year because Y9 boys grow - a lot. His new school has a simple dress code that's easy to work with. Supermarket school trousers, primarni shirts, a couple of primarni/ supermarket jumpers (which don't have to be school jumpers, so they do for everyday wear too) and his own coat. You can even have shoes he'd be willing to wear outside school (so long as they're not trainers). Much, much cheaper. And he loves being able to wear black shirts.

Sorry, haven't rtft, but wanted to add something about uniform. I teach in a secondary school and the majority of our pupils come from homes where there isn't much money about. When our new head arrived a few years ago he did away with all uniform containing a logo with the exception of a school tie. This costs £5 from the school office or pupils can borrow one for the day if they pay £1 which is refunded when they return it.
Without exception every pupil at out school wears full school uniform and they look so smart. It's just that they can wear any black trousers or skirt and any black jumper or cardigan with either a black or white skirt and their £5 school tie. They take pride in their uniform too. We used to have many pupils who refused to wear the uniform and I'm sure that it was because they couldn't afford the special kit. Now no one sticks out as looking particularly different and they all feel they are part of the school - two essential steps to inclusion IMHO.

The state schools which make you buy lots of different uniform with a logo on it are being ridiculous.

I know Daisy's post might sound a little harsh, but I agree with her. Having children is not a cheap option.

I agree that schools shouldn't have sole suppliers for uniform. Although I can only get the blazer, PE kit and tie from DD's school I can get everything else anywhere. The blazer is only £32.50 and lasts for a couple of years anyway so I don't feel that is poor value for money. DD is in year 10 and has the same tie from year 7. She also has a spare in case she loses it because being without a tie incurs a detention (I bit draconian IMO)

My DD's school sends out a letter with school trips and probable charges, then usually within the week springs an unexpected trip on us. So far this half term we've been asked for £8 for a drama workshop, £18 for a theatre trip and £250 for a 2 night residential. Only the residential was mentioned on the letter, and was estimated as £200, so even if I'd budgeted, I would have an extra £75 I could not have planned for, just this half term.

Daisy: my DD's music teacher said in her last report that she's do well to learn an instrument, if I can't afford to pay for lessons I feel like I'm holding her back. My DCous is a concert pianist, God knows what he'd have done with his life if my DA hadn't got him piano lessons.

Fanjango, I agree sole suppliers shouldn't exist and there should be at least three. Color wouldn't matter then.

With regards to trips though, of course it's going to be more expensive if you have three children at school. Many cant afford three children so they don't have them. It was made quite clear on school newsletters etc what years did residential and the costs involved. Hence parents know from the start of costs coming up and can budget if they want their child to take part.

Most school costs aren't unknown in the slightest and very many are optional like music lessons, non uniform days, fetes etc. Parents can pick and choose what extras they want and the basics of uniform, dinners etc are just simply part of being a parent and providing.

The wrong tie gets you sent home or put in isolation

This is an illustration of where schools get their priorities crazily wrong. Children attend school to be educated, not to participate in a fancy dress parade...

The wrong tie gets you sent home or put in isolation

I think that's shocking. At our local high school they just give you one from the lost property

I expect to have to pay for lunch, as they would have that at home. It's the extras that add up. Next year my twins will be in year 6, school week away costs over £300 per child. Same year my youngest, year 4, has 2 night residential, another £170. Anyone have £770 just laying around I could have, coz I don't! Uniforms pee me off. I bought my eldest a brand new blazer to start year 7, sole supplier £40, the buttons and rear stitching didn't even make it past the first term . Sole suppliers and strange uniform colours should be illegal. I f they must wear uniform put it out to the wider market, if it's good enough to create "competition" in our essential services why can we not have it when it comes to clothing that our schools make compulsory. The wrong tie gets you sent home or put in isolation, the price is of no importance to school rules but it is of great importance if you are on minimum wage!

Some of these things are just the cost of having a child though surely -food, music lessons, odd days out, toys their friends have. All the well trained teachers, buildings, equipment, books, sports grounds and general education (plus childcare) are free which is pretty good. I don't think we can expect the government to start paying for 'in trend toys', cake sales and extra tuition lessons and it would be a shame if we had to ban all these things. I know it must be hard though for families who are really struggling, and for the children to be excluded. Different schools/schemes do try to help those with no spare cash but I'm sure they don't reach everyone.

Bathsheba
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and then skim through the trust deeds of all those who come up to find the one or two who might be right

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TiP

We live in a postcode that has received extra funding from the EU because of poverty/social issues. We are okay, not crying poor mouth, but just giving context.

When DS went into Reception I counted up all the 'asks'. So, not including uniform, lunches etc but just stuff like photos, sponsorship, Christmas Cards, Reindeer poo, contributions to the Christmas Hamper, raffle tickets for said hamper, non uniform days, trips etc came to just over £150. And I am a serious tight wad and certainly didn't go overboard. I know one mother on FSM and some serious issues who had twins in Reception and other children in the older classes.

The school are pretty good about uniform, but insist it is new from eg supermarkets. Not including shoes, ds wasn't so bad. However by the time you add on uniform, shoes, fancy dress, gin for mother to get them both through homework etc I am quite comfortable it is more than a few hundred a year at primary school. I believe ds is likely to be in the catchment for the local academy and the costs I have heard about that have made my hair curl.

An iPad is still not that practical for loads of typing though.

Does MyMaths work with iPads?

Or a you have VLE that is comparable with iPads because that's what school uses, but not cheaper tablets.

Ours just drives me mad because it won't work with FireFox and I always forget to switch to horrible IE.

Ditto manky

Such a lot of DD's homework is set online that a laptop is essential. An iPad isn't compatible with the school's VLE.