To think that state schools should not be run like businesses?

[Feawen]

My friend teaches at the school we both used to attend. It's a big state secondary with a very diverse intake. Not exceptional academically, but when we were teens it was good at pastoral support, looking after the less academic kids, providing loads of options and activities, etc. Money was mysteriously found for those who couldn't afford important trips or essential kit. Not perfect by a long way, but not bad.

Now, the school office charges admin fees to the subject departments for any work they do. I've just had my friend ranting tearfully down the phone because her budget for the year won't cover the textbooks needed for the GCSE classes. I mean, the cost of the books would be more than her whole budget, iyswim. When she asked her line manager - new, hired by the new head - he laughed and said the pupils would have to buy their own. They're £30 a book, and these won't be the only ones.

I know this is only one story and I'm finding it hard to see things objectively...but what the hell is going on? Can the UK actually not afford to run its education system? I can't help but think that someone, somewhere, is doing well out of this and it certainly isn't the pupils.

ToucheShay- a £1,200 payment over 12 months (what you get here as a HoS) wouldn't buy much car.

A lot of parents didn't pay the school fund and it was a non-issue (I collected money in as a tutor) as a large proportion were PPI students from refugee families. I think because of their background we may have got more funding, but am not certain there. The school were very good at finding money for these students for non-essential trips, kit etc (as mentioned in the OP). I don't necessarily agree with the voluntary school fund, but I do think they did sensible things with their funding in that school at least.

I reckon I spend £15 a month on providing stationary equipment. The powers that be demand that our students have beautiful books. It's easier sticking some highlighters here, some rulers there, some pencils another week into my weekly shop than it is to be grilled about my my students have tatty books and inferior work because they had no pens etc.

Frequent changes to the curriculum mean that books are in use a few years before they are redundant. Not that we're supposed to use books much. We have to be actively engaging the students in pacey lessons (but mind the photocopying and printing costs...)

schools budgets have been squeezed beyond belief, the IFS published a report in October 2015 in which they said "we forecast that school spending per pupil is likely to fall by around 8% in real terms (based on a school specific measure of inflation) between 2014–15 and 2019–20." report here.

But as previous posters have said, we are facing change after change which means any resources we have quickly become out of date the requirement crisis means for schools to try and get good, qualified teachers they are having to offer TLRs whereas previously this wasn't the case.

We do receive PP for the students in need and we are carefully monitored as to how this money is spent so it can't be used for example to purchase a set of textbooks.

As a teacher for 13 years I have often supplemented the resources, stationary etc myself as it makes my working life easier if I have a set of spare pens, a copy of a text book but it is getting worse. In previous years my current school (and old one) used to ensure that fresh fruit and water were freely available for students who were sitting an exam that day. This has had to stop; I had to purchase myself 30 cereal bars and fruit for my students who were taking an exam this week (given that one of my students nearly passed out the day before because she hadn't eaten all day and faced 2 exams).

Whilst I agree that a school needs to run like a business to ensure that the public funds are not wasted, it is not the fault of the school to try and run on reducing budgets but increasing demands

I work for an academy and when it etch in my mind at interview they said 'schools are being run more and more like businesses'. I don't know much about the finances but we aren't short of anything facility or resource wise and I get the feeling money/budget isn't really an issue.

I also work in an academy. Apparently we're on a "deficit budget". This means that any HODs who have left this year are not being replaced for next year. The HOD for MFL, for example, has been replaced by a "teacher of..." No word yet on who will be doing the HOD duties.

When I leave, I'll need a transit van to take away the books, costumes (drama teacher) and other stuff I have bought with my own money over he years. I won't be leaving "my" things behind, because chances are the next school I work in will have a similarly crap budget.

Interesting to hear you are recruiting 'teachers of ...' - I realise you mean as a replacement for a middle leader but a couple of schools I have spoken to recently (at a governor conference) have been saying they no longer give that kind of job description, they recruit teachers but the teachers are just described as a teacher and while they will have a subject specialism they are expected to have at a minimum a secondary specialism and often a third too that they can be required to teach at KS3.

Wow! That's a scary thought. We have recruited someone to teach three subjects (seems that "what else can you teach?" is a standard interview question these days) but the one I was talking about will prob just be MFL because it's a small dept. Mind you, the new teacher will have a higher timetable loading than the old HOD so you never know!

Worries me a lot that there is a finance manager mentioned on this thread who things textbooks are unnecessary! Maybe for some subjects but for others - all it does is just increase the photocopying bill, increases workload for all teachers creating worksheets, even if these are shared.

I teach part time, I have to lock my personal property (I am talking pens, pencils, maths equipment) away for the two days I am not in as other teachers lend it to the students for it never to be seen again. I had an emergency op in Feb - went back to an obliterated room!

We have made the decision not to have any scientific calculators to lend out in our department (maths) as in the 7 years I have been there we have bought over 500 and we are now down to about 30 as they are 'borrowed' and never returned - we have done all sorts including glueing plastic name tags on to the back of them all - and they still walk! Students now get a consequence for forgetting them.

As for paying lower National insurance contributions, mine have gone up. I will not benefit from it , it is purely to pay the increased state pension burden which is happening right now.
I unfortunately will not be able to retire until I'm almost 70. Then I won't be able to benefit from having had to pay an increased NI rate, as I opted out of SERPS but that's another's pile of crap.

I don't mind paying for text books, I already do. I do object to children and adults being treated like objects. Filling in data, ticking off boxes, boxes which constantly change.
GCSEs which constantly change so that staff are unfamiliar with the curriculum.