To not want to pay the school’s voluntary contribution

[Millie2016]

This is light hearted because I will pay it, but AIBU to think the school asking for a voluntary contribution of £40 a year is a bit cheeky?
Last year my child attended 3 hours a day at the nursery and we were asked to pay it. It is an electronic payment against the child’s name so they know who has made it.
I reasoned it helped the school, improved resources etc.
Every week in the newsletter they published how much had been donated and how ‘short’ the fund was i.e. how many parents had not paid.
The thing is, with last years experience under my belt I now know that the school constantly asks for money/stuff. Weekly! Dress down days, PTA cake sales and even £5 to buy a piece of my daughter’s art work.... the list was endless and relentless.
So I’m left wondering, does every school do this? Am I just being a bit tight or are they taking the P?

Everyone knows this when they sign up.

It really depends on exactly what people know when they sign up.

If they know that parents will be asked for a contribution, but that it really is voluntary and they can quite happily go to that school and not pay anything, then fine.

If they are told "all parents contribute here, technically it is voluntary, but if you choose this school then you will be expected to pay" (shocking, but this does happen) then that is really very, very wrong.

I'm guessing from what you say that it is the former, and they don't hound people, and they don't abuse the concept of 'voluntary' like some do. In which case, good luck to them.

I think the school suffers without the voluntary payment, if most don't pay it the schools can't run properly.

Gosh you’re essentially getting free education, I’m not sure how you could begrudge bring asked for a donation towards your own childrens’ education. It’s voluntary as well!! Goodness you should take a look at what private school parents are asked for. It’s quite literally never ending.

Gosh you’re essentially getting free education

Unfortunately, that's why there's often the bad attitude within the schools, NHS etc. Some staff have the "free" attitude so don't think they have to provide a good service. The fact is these services aren't free at all. We all pay ever increasing amounts of tax so we all pay for them.

Personally, I'd like to say reductions/refunds in taxes for those who opt out and make their own arrangements.

@Kazzyhoward so those who educate privately or use private health care opt out of the portion of the tax bill that relates to those items? That would be great for those who are private but would leave even more of a deficit for those in state system. I think the anti private school brigade don’t realise that by shutting down the private system there would be a huge influx of children needing to be educated alongside their own children creating even more of a burden on an already crumbling system. Also as those privately educated still pay tax there wouldn’t be any more funding for all these additional children that need education, resources etc

one of our county grammars asks for this and has a c.30% uptake from parents. Presumably some of that 30% pays more than the suggested contribution. The school has hardly any PP pupils, largely because its' catchment is one of the wealthiest areas in the country, and therefore it gets little "extra". To refuse paying it after prep school fees and tutors to get in and living in 7-figure houses is pretty despicable I think.

so those who educate privately or use private health care opt out of the portion of the tax bill that relates to those items? That would be great for those who are private but would leave even more of a deficit for those in state system.

If they're not using the state system, that's saving the state money.

Yes but those who are privately educated aren’t using state funding now. Surely it would be worse if they were given tax back

Yes but those who are privately educated aren’t using state funding now. Surely it would be worse if they were given tax back

And even worse if they put their kids back into the state system!

This is something I will keep saying but if parents control give funding to schools then the schools will continue to be poorly funded. There will be no need for the school to move up the chain to lobby central government for the additional funds. We pay for education already through our taxes so it is not free to start with. The issues should not be placed on the shoulders of over stretched parents schools need to take ownership and pass this upwards.

We are in Australia. Ds1 is in year 10. His fees in a state school is around $400 for two terms ( 10 week terms) he’s also going on a camp trip which is going to cost $200. I pay for all his stationary and uniform. It’s bloody expensive!
Ds 2 is in year 8. His fees were $250 for the year . Again I’ve had to provide all stationary and uniform. Ds 2 will be about $200 more next year😪

People who privately educate their children are still benefitting from the state education of everyone else's children, since their kids won't spend their whole lives only coming into contact with other privately educated people. Who do they think is teaching their dc, or working in hospitals, shops, the emergency services, farming and all the other jobs necessary to the smooth running of society. For that reason no one should be getting a tax rebate on education costs.