Teachers asking for freebies on Facebook

[astersugar]

Forgive the provocative title. But can someone explain this? I'm part of a few community reuse sites which are wonderful. Great for finding new homes for things and picking up things for free. Over the past week I've seen about four or five different teachers asking for toys for their new classes in September. Is this really how it works? Is this normal across the country? Is it really the case that teachers either have to beg for hand me downs or dip into their own pockets to properly resource their classrooms? It's been quite eye opening this week. I know I could ask one of the teachers this but I don't want to cause offence and my instincts say they're doing the very best they can so I don't want to open a can of worms on their posts. But does anyone work in education here who can explain this? I naively thought that schools would have funding to purchase learning resources, toys etc or at least the PTA would cover this... Seems I was very wrong.

The school I worked in had nothing in the budget for stuff like that.
The English budget for the school of 380ish pupils was £68.50
That was to last a year, they replaced a handful of books that were falling apart that were needed for the secondary curriculum and some handwriting pens for the juniors and that was it, everything else was teachers and TAs supplying books that their own kids had grown out of or from charity shops and facebook.

We had a project where we printed off text from open use books like fairy tales and had the kids illustrate them, these were laminated and used in the classes.

And the funding has been repeatedly cut in real terms so as more expensive things needs replacing there is no money to do so. The poverty of resources in schools is shocking and is a disheartening situation. Having taught over several decades in all sorts of different state schools I have never seen it this bad. We don’t replace staff on maternity leave if we can get away with it, have reorganised so few are left with additional tlr posts, replaced older teachers with newer cheaper models but have lots of undiagnosed Sen and are a undersubscribed so get both lots of managed move and previously excluded pupils with enormous levels of need.

Yep this is what happens when the Tories/SNP dominate the scene and the beat is yet to come sadly.( And I don't think Labour are proper alternative either !)

It's appalling but something that the current Tory government have made unavoidable. They are chronically underfunding the education system and doing our children a massive disservice. Teachers are desperate for proper funding and proper support. The only thing this government can come up with is the last thing they need, a plan for less support staff who they described as 'superfluous'. Our children deserve so much better.

*best

And the “5% pay rise for teachers” that has been in the news lately? That is to come from schools’ existing appalling budget, the school will not receive any extra funding for that, they will be expected to find it out of their budget, while the Tories harp on about how they’ve given teachers a pay rise.

Quite the norm in primary schools, especially lower down the year groups. Most of DD's toys, dress up clothes and books when she was smaller was donated to my school to be used in the classrooms. Some are still going strong several years later.

Budgets are tight so teachers and LSAs will often help supplement the classroom resources.

It’s a good idea for schools to have a wish list, I’d be more than happy to buy stuff from it. They asked us for £2 for art stuff last year - I gave £10 and they were surprised, but I think many parents would be happy to give £10 or £20 a month

This seems to be common now.
I hope it doesn't go down the US routes where friends with dcs in schools are asked to contribute everything from pens to toilet tissue.

Unfortunately yes it is. Our schools don't have the money to afford lots of the things that our children need and so because of that we have to find ways to enable our children to achieve the best that they can; and if it means going on to Facebook or to beg, steal, or borrow anything we can - then we do. I brought plenty of things out of my own pocket as well as anything that I have at home that I can use in the classroom too.

@MissDollyMix most academies get the same funding as state maintained schools.

@KleineDracheKokosnuss talk to school PTA and offer to set a wish list up

It’s happened for decades.

When DS outgrew the craft cupboard I gave everything to my friend who was a primary school teacher. It was a sad day for me. I do love doing crafts with kids. My friend has a toddler I can’t wait till he can do some drawing and stuff here.

I'd say it's quite normal and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

My sister is forever trauling charity shops for books, knick nacks etc for her classroom that she buys out of her own money. She bought 30 torches one year because there wasn't the money in the budget and I think all teachers in her key stage chucked in a fiver for them.

Teachers don't always get it right but fuck me they invest time, energy and money into their job and the thanks they get is minimal.

I teach food and we have a few kids that can’t afford ingredients. I’m not allowed to let them sit out (rightly so) but school can’t give me the budget to provide them. This leaves me with the option of changing my scheme of work to not include practical for any students, or I buy it myself.

if I change my scheme of work to miss practical lessons out my results will dip in the long run and I will be held responsible. Students will also fail to meet the national curriculum requirements so ofsted will be all over us. Plus they need to actually learn this stuff.

I put my house up for sale last week because I can’t afford my mortgage anymore so I can’t afford to keep it up next year.

@MumofSpud If you live near me, I have books you can have. I am SE UK near an airport and not too far from Brighton. Let me know if any use.

My kids are 21 and 23 and I can remember being asked for £2 each at the beginning of the autumn term for things like glue sticks, when they were in primary school.

Its awful that teachers are having the trawl the freebie pages on Facebook but as they are, how can those of us with older kids help out?

Our daughters left home last year leaving what seems like 90% of their stuff. Unfortunately I’ve already freecycled a lot (with their permission) but I’ve got a long way to go.

What might a school want?

One thing I found thousands of was highlighter pens. My husband took them in to work, but would an infant school have wanted them?

we had loads of felt tips, coloured pencils, gel pens, biros, pencils, pencil cases, about 30 long rulers, pencil sharpeners, rubbers etc. So many unused notebooks. Could a teacher have made use of them?

Also I make a lot of things with felt (Etsy shop) and have loads of small offcuts in every colour. I’ve tried putting big bagfuls on the local Facebook page, as I thought a preschool might want them for gluing and sticking, but didn’t have any takers.

I absolutely hate needless waste, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Could some teachers tell us what they’d like so we can help?

I teach P1 in Scotland where a play based curriculum is required. Probably 75% of the resources we use for this in my classroom are things my job share partner and I have brought in from home or clubbed together and bought, and this includes the furniture! Our depute head was recently delighted because she'd managed to get a box of resources for us for £10 from a local Facebook group.

Its been like that ever since I started teaching in 1969.

Things I've supplied to classroom; either begged or paid for myself.

Books, paper , posters, art and craft supplies, umpteen teaching materials.

Supplied to individual pupils (from my own pocket, supplies, spares, resources); knickers, food, sanitary wear, coats, the price of school trips, packed lunches for said trips, books, furniture for their desperate home circumstances.

My mum worked in a school and I went there on placement, I was sent to classes in every year group and found it funny that they pretty much all had something from when I was a child.
The reception end had my dress up clothes, including someones 80s bridesmaids dress and toys and my brothers action men and our alphabet poster.
Classes in the middle had my story books and my sisters bunting that she made in a textiles lesson decorating the story corner and an older rooms had more of my books and my brothers science kits. All of it had been second hand when we got it so was suprising that it was still going and that the school still had them. A bit sad really that some of it was over 20 years old and looked very used but hadn't been replaced.
They didn't have the money for essentials let alone extras so still had all these tatty bits.

School funding is dreadful and not equitable. Some parts of the country are funded ok and others the funding is pitiful. The government won't (even though they promised too) change it as its not a vote winner. Most
(not all) places with poor funding are safe seats.

If you have a higher than average number of sen children then your funding is even worse.

Any increases in cost such as electricity or gas or payrise has to be met in your existing budget. Schools are not given extra money in anticipation of costs that are really already predictable. It's then unlikely they will get them when it's happened.
I've been a school governor for many years and I've just stopped doing it..

Schools are not funded properly. The level of funding has greatly fallen in real terms since 2010. They don't have the funding to buy anything except essentials.

Posts from teachers asking for books,and soft furnishings for book corners or toys are very common on our local social media site.

@Wheresmymoneytree that’s absolutely heartbreaking.

You shouldn’t be in this situation. It’s not right.

Probably a stupid idea but is it worth approaching local supermarkets? Even smaller ones like co-op. Maybe even an independent shop? I know everyone’s struggling, but a small shop might do it in return for an advert in the school newsletter (local shop sponsors home economics at ? School) I don’t know. I’m probably saying things you’ve tried.

Almost everything in my room has been bought by me. There is no spare money for anything, even essentials. The class library is all mine, almost every toy and technology resource, craft and art materials. I could go on. This is partly why it sticks in my throat so much when people say teachers are moaners. Every month I spend on my job. We tried not doing it but the reality is that the kids lose out, there’s still no funding for it and I just spend my time feeling that I’m failing them.

I think it's fine for schools to use largely donated secondhand books to create a library and ditto to use donated and outgrown toys from older pupils. Better for the budget and for the environment.

It makes sense for schools to request specific items for craft projects sometimes too and I don't see why they can't have Amazon wishlists for optional donations.

They definitely should be supplying pencils, exercise books and text books though surely?

I have the same experience. I was fortunate that my own daughter was a few years older so I could use her old toys. Play based but no funding 😡