Schools Demanding Money from Parents.

[caringcarer]

AIBU to think this primary school is going too far in expecting parents to cough up money. DS's special primary school has asked parents for £1.50 every week additional contribution, since January they have had 5 separate sponsored events which were carried out in school time so compulsory to participate even if child not sponsored, a singing assembly every child had to pay £2 to listen, an indoor fete, 5 coffee mornings with child, 2 book fairs, children had to pay to take part in Easter bonnet parade and World Book Day dressing up as character and to top it all 6, yes 6 separate non-uniform days where instead of sending in a pound they wanted a toy or a bottle and a Valentine Disco. I have probably missed some things there are just too many to keep track of. Oh yes and 4 trips away including 3 day residential. AIBU to think this school is asking parents for too much money to be sent in to school. It is hard to say no you won't sponsor child or let them dress up or they can't wear no school uniform. We can afford it but I know many families are really struggling. Are other schools asking for this many handouts by parents or is new head B bloody U?

Unfortunately slogan politics seems to be where we are at and lots of people are in denial about where they are in the income distribution. I don't think I am but could be wrong and expect that I fall into the category expected to pay more. I'm not unhappy with that as I said earlier I value living in an educated society as I think it improves everyones life.

I'm not sure I agree that education is not valued I do think it is and was one of the turning points of the recent election. I suspect people misunderstand how much it costs but hey education can solve that one!

Oh and I want money to be spent efficiently and to get good value. I am a good Northerner!

I think it is good to contribute to the school.

It's not compulsory, so you don't have to if you really can't afford it.

Of course it's unreasonable. But no doubt there are Conservative voters who will come along and say it's perfectly fine and stop being so dramatic.

One of my good friends sent her children to private primary and she constantly moaned about the extra money she had to pay. No doubt she too would get short shrift on these boards, but I told her to ride it out and not pay. She paid £9,000 per year each for two children, who later went on to a state secondary anyway.

In the school my children went to there were loads of donations to the school for the benefit of all the pupils from wealthy parents.

Wow, some people have short memories.

Conservative cuts are a direct result of Labour's reckless overspending.

When Blair got into power, Britain had a budget surplus. By the end of Brown's government that was a £100 billion deficit.

Current cuts are a direct result of the mismanagement of the Labour government. And yet apparently voting Labour is the solution!

Buttercup, that is a complete myth. After ten years of growth, in 2007 Labour had a structural deficit of - 0.4% and a budget deficit of - 0.4%. Compare that with the much bigger budget deficits under the Conservatives in the early 90s. And if you look at government borrowing records over the last 70 years, what they show is that Labour invariably borrows less than the Conservatives, and that they have always repaid debt more often than the Conservatives, and have always repaid more debt, on average.

The Conservatives really do need to get themselves out of the rut of claiming that they have no responsibility for anything that has happened during the 7 years they have been in power, otherwise their failures are going to find them out more and more and more. As recent events demonstrate, voters really are not as dim as the Conservatives think they are.

Buttercup. Complete and utter nonsense.

I'm most glad my son was born under a Labour Government. I actually pity parents whose children have SEN in today's austerity climate.

OP it's not just your school. Loads of schools are asking for more money these days. I agree with just asking upfront for what they require each month and doing it that way.

Our primary school has asked for a lot more money this year than the previous 2 years my DD has attended the school.

We are charged £3 per ticket for any school performances (nativity play, talent show, awards ceremony etc) it used to be £1 per ticket but it was raised to £3 this year.

At parents evening we were strongly encouraged to by our child's artwork for £5 a go. It had been framed in a Poundland frame but £5 is a lot for a piece of artwork made by a child - it's not like I don't have a vast abundance of my child's drawing and paintings at home anyway.

We had several sponsored events through the year done during school time.

Christmas fair, summer fair, Halloween bake sale, easter bake sale. Mother's Day coffee morning, grandparents coffee morning. I'm sure there was more I am forgetting.

Our school are also great at asking for money for trips or specific things and then cancelling them and keeping the money. I paid the school £15 for my daughter to gain access to the website that ties in with her reading book scheme. Not enough parents paid up so they didn't buy the access but no refunds given. 2 school trips cancelled due to bad weather but again the £5 paid to cover the coach costs just vanished. The trips were both cancelled a week I advance so I'm pretty sure the didn't need to pay the coach company anyway.

What else. £1 here and there for ramdom days / dress up events but all at really, really short notice.

Oh and every week from May they have been running a thing where each year takes a turn at selling things to the rest of the school at playtime. So 50p one day for a bag of popcorn or 50p the following week for a fruit smoothie etc. Every week and usually over 2 days per week.

My DDs class also only had 2 rulers between them. So I did go out and buy another 10 to donate to the classroom (they where in the clearance section in Tesco for 15p each - I was just going to buy my DD her own ruler when I spotted them). I think I also donated a box of 100 pencils at some point. Again I saw them on clearance for around £3 and knew they would be useful for the classroom.

What does annoy me is the head teacher applied for grants and spent that money on stupid things. Some crappy benches that are on the grassy but of the playground and subsequently can't be used most of the time as the children aren't allowed on the grass when it's wet. I think the rest of the funds went on wooden boxes that are 'bug hotels' and full of leaves and sticks. I'm sure it was educational learning about bugs but that money could have been spent better. The goal posts on the pitch for example. The paints flaked off and they are rusting away and flaking off all over the place. They look mostly orange now. They need to be fixed up and repainted with a weather proof paint before they become rotted through and not safe to use.

Unfortunately grants are often very specific. I'm CoG of a primary school. Wed rather spend grant money on salaries.

The grant was specifically for the improving the playground area. That's why I suggested fixing the goal posts (and perhaps deweeding the pitch as well) would have been a better place to spend the money. My DD doesn't even use the pitch but a lot of children do and it badly needs TLC before it becomes unsafe to use.

I did suggest it at the meeting re: spending funds but the HT had pretty much made her mind up already before any suggestions where made. Just like now she has decided to scrap the existing logo polo shirt uniform and go for full shirt/tie/blazer uniform instead. (State primary school). Not one person I know was in favour of the uniform change but she wanted it so it's happening.

Write to the Governors and tell them your thoughts.

Our school suggests if people want to contribute that £15 each year towards stationary would be welcome but it's not compulsory of forced.

If the school are taking money from you for a specific trip, then cancelling the trip and not refunding you, that's theft and you should bring this to their attention.

I willingly contribute to my dc's Primary school - it really is excellent. Money is well spent and I can see that the kids there are getting a fabulous education.
With the Secondary school, I feel the head is all about how things look rather than how things actually are. So the reception area has had a makeover and looks lovely but there is no money for photocopying and the teaching is patchy, with some great teachers but quite a few dire ones.
I won't blindly hand over money to that school because I think it will be spent on things I don't value at the expense of things I do!

I'm not sure that is no money tbh. The govt seems to have pilled 1 billion out of their arse to bribe the DUP with. How many gluesticks and text books could that have bought? I think there is a deliberate strategy to starve public services of money, so the cost will be passed on to parents and we will end up with privatisation of education by the back door.
I'm not sure it is helpful for parents to subsidise schools - all the time we do it, the govt will sit back and let us and school budgets will continue to get smaller. What we really need is mass protest at these costs being passed onto us, while so much money is squandered elsewhere.

Our school have lots of events requiring cash too, Disco, Summer fete, non uniform days, red nose day, book fair, a school trip once a year, Christmas market, fathers and mothers day stalls, sweet stall at the end of each term.... the list goes on. However everyone is fully appreciative of the fact funding has been cut, and out PTA do fantastic things with the funds, sashes for the kids sports day so parents are not obliged to buy coloured t-shirts each year, renewed the playground games markings on the floor, had a great play activity gym built for the infant school, installed an 'outdoor' classroom so in good weather kids get a lesson a week outdoors in the fresh air.

So as much as it irks me at times, I appreciate what they do, it's all for the kids.

I'm not sure that is no money tbh. The govt seems to have pilled 1 billion out of their arse to bribe the DUP with. How many gluesticks and text books could that have bought? I think there is a deliberate strategy to starve public services of money, so the cost will be passed on to parents and we will end up with privatisation of education by the back door.

That certainly seems to be the NHS plan.

The design and creation of Universal Credit - which is yet to be rolled out to any significant effect - has so far cost over 16 billion. That's fully 1% of GDP. And the cost will only rise once they start to, you know - implement it. The endless private company checks on whether people are entitled to disability benefits have cost a lot more than the savings from reducing payouts (and most people who appeal succeed, horrifyingly - a lot of people won't have the wherewithal to appeal, yet will be entitled...).

The money tree seems to work just fine when needed to keep Mrs May in Downing Street, or when money is being paid to private contractors instead of vulnerable citizens.