Charging for teacher led clubs

[DebbieFiderer]

Does anyone's school do this? Our primary school has always had a selection of clubs on offer each term, sometimes more than others, a mixture of things depending on the interests of the teachers. They have always been free, and if oversubscribed, places have been allocated fairly, with the aim of allowing as many children as possible to get at least one club, but in reality there usually hasn't been an issue getting a place.

This year, the new head has changed it so that the majority of clubs run by teachers are now charged for. There was no prior notice of this change, and the explanation in the letter is around giving parents more childcare options and easing pressure in the oversubscribed after-school club, no mention of what the money is going to be spent on (it does say that any ingredients/supplies will be included in the costs, but most clubs won't have any outlay except the teachers' time).

I do understand that generally teachers are doing this in their own time, and have always been grateful and appreciative of this, but if the aim was to pay the teachers for their time then I would expect the letter to at least allude to this, but there is nothing about that. Equally there is nothing to say that it is about propping up the school's shrinking budget (which would also be fair enough).

AIBU to think that £30-£35 is too much to pay for 10 weeks of a teacher-led club which generally doesn't require any additional skills, training, or equipment?

Think Of The Children

@ChloeDecker why is it shocking it's in the staff contract and included in their paid hours? Our school employs staff until 4.15pm and 3 days a week clubs are run until that time so staff can choose which of the three days they work (one a week) then Wednesday and Friday there are no clubs but Wednesday all staff stay until 4pm for staff meeting.

The issue is, many low income families don't ask and it's naive to believe they do. They're often too embarrassed.

What I find quite interesting is that the club's which are being held before school are more expensive than those being held after school - any thoughts on why that would be?

And FWIW, my kids won't be doing these clubs - I don't need the childcare, and while they might enjoy them, I don't think they will get enough out of them to justify the cost, they do plenty of extra curricular activities as it is.

Have you considered volunteering your services to give a hand, OP? I am sure the teachers would appreciate it.

It never occurred to me that something the school puts on as an optional extra would be free - quite frankly if my school was struggling for money I wouldn't want to heat it, light it, provide equipment that wasn't vital or ask anymore of my already over stretched teachers. My kids after school clubs vary from £10-£25 for a 5 week half term.

Our school charges for clubs - not got a problem with it. You would pay a childminder...

When DS was at Primary School the clubs were free, many working parents 'encouraged' their children to take part in these clubs as they saved them an hour childcare costs.

I am a governor at a Primary School, in our budget this year there is no budget for books either to purchase or using a loan book scheme, which is a bit of a bugger as the teachers have planned some amazing lessons under the new curriculum and we won't have any books to help deliver it. Also as we used the loan book scheme last year we now have to give our remaining books back. I will be amazed if we don't have to start charging for after school clubs. Some people really don't get how awful school budgets are.

So you want everything for free? We have to pay for before and after school clubs, it's run by some of the teachers. Why should they provide it for free? Same goes for any sort of after school sports club etc, it isn't a free babysitting service!

My husband is a teacher, the amount of shit he has to buy to prop up the school budget is ridiculous. He has to print a lot of stuff at home too (us providing the ink and paper!!), he told me what the print budget is for the entire department for the year, it was frighteningly small! This is why they need to charge you £3.

Why wouldn’t you expect to pay? Children are at school 9-3.15 or thereabouts. If they go for breakfast or stay after school then of course you should pay, as you are getting childcare? Our clubs cost £7-15 an hour depending on what they are. £7 is cheaper than a nanny or an hour with a childminder or nanny

I attended a club at lunchtime and after school every day of the week at primary and we never had to pay. They were used by most parents as free after school care. Reading what some parents are paying for things now really make me appreciate what was just accepted as “free at the point of taxation” growing up.

To be honest £35 per term isn’t too bad, it’s the same as cubs/scouts for a term.

Our school offers no teacher led clubs. 😒 I wish it did! I would gladly pay for them! All we have is football or tennis, that is it.

having been on PTA committees it is becoming impossible to raise enough money to cover the shortfall now. Schools are having to think of new ways to raise monies so that the pupils do not suffer. As a granny now I help raise funds so that my grandsons school can have equipment and go on trips.

DD used to attend a range of afterschool clubs back in primary school. Some of them were free and others you had to pay for.

It's not compulsory to attend.

I would never expect any after school activity, teacher led or not, to be free!

Teachers are contracted and paid for 37.5 hours a week usually (because we are obliged to be in the classroom 15 minutes either side of the school day. Often we will have to do a before or after school duty though which adds to the time teachers give.) Unless there is some arrangement for them to be paid overtime to run an after school club but I'd find that very surprising. Why shouldn't there be a small charge for the clubs teachers run? But you're happy to pay some bored looking teenager £5 a week to show the kids how to kick a ball?
You'd pay a 14 year old girl more than £3 an hour to sit in your house watching Netflix and eating your crisps while your kids are asleep!

What I find quite interesting is that the club's which are being held before school are more expensive than those being held after school - any thoughts on why that would be?

Would you voluntarily get out of bed earlier if it was you, OP?

I'm kind of astounded that someone who works in the teaching profession would be so blasé about children being priced out of activities on school grounds.

why is it shocking it's in the staff contract and included in their paid hours? Our school employs staff until 4.15pm

Starting when in the morning, just out of interest? So you do pay overtime to your staff then beyond their directed hours (which an extended day until 4:15pm would be).

Or are you one of these free schools?

Baguetteaboutit
I'm kind of astounded that someone who works in the teaching profession would be so blasé about children being priced out of activities on school grounds.

Who should cover the costs?

@Baguette - should we give every child their tea and buy their Christmas presents too? Teachers' main concern, quite rightly, is what goes on 8:45 - 3:15. In your eyes, where is the reasonable cut off point for teachers' responsibility to the children to end? At home time? 1 hour after that? 2 hours? After bath time?

Honestly things like this used to annoy me until my teacher friend told me that she gets £20 per child per year budget to cover EVERYTHING they need - all stationary, books, tissues, every single thing they will use in the school year.

Now I understand why schools need to independently raise money.

Yep. But some parents don't want to spend that money on the kids (more than you'd think). Excluding them from school clubs just disadvantages the children further than they already are. It's not their fault if their parents don't see school clubs as a priority or have had more kids than they can afford. Not every kid who needs it is eligible for PP.

So we should be blaming those parents and not the teachers. I don’t want to spend hundreds a year on supplies for my pupils. I’d rather spend it on my own children thanks.

should we give every child their tea and buy their Christmas presents too?

If you suspect a child isn't eating then you should flag that up as a safeguarding concern. Christmas presents are a moot point- not everyone celebrates Christmas, for starters, and, while, after-school clubs provide children with experiences and skills they may not otherwise get and fall under the remit of education in general, the same cannot be said of Christmas presents.

Well, we could play the ideally game but it won't get us anywhere Boney.

I understand that teachers are having to play this game to make ends meet but I can't imagine many of them thinking that this is a reasonable outcome for children in poor families or, go so far to draw bizarre comparisons about paying more to a teenage girl to babysit and watch Netflix - as though we don't owe children a primary education that gives them a space where learning isn't cut short because of finances.

Like the NHS schools are thought to be free for all at point of contact. This is just not achievable. Private health care and private education lessen the burden but it is not enough