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?

I'm just saying I'm surprised that teachers would find the situation in which poor children are priced out to be unproblematic.

Those very teachers on here who are actually currently paying themselves to ensure children don’t go without. Doesn’t mean we can’t have the view that parents (most) should take on some of the responsibility of their own offspring for a change. What are you doing to plug the gap?

YABU and sounding like another typical “why should I have to pay for anything?” Parent!

I really think people saying things like this have not understood OP's point.

Ffs the teachers will not get that money I can guarantee it!

Yes, that is part of OP's point.

I didn't think anywhere did free afterschool clubs any more.
However we only pay £10 a term for afterschool club. £30 I think would be too much but I dont need it for childcare.

Honestly can’t believe you are moaning OP 🤣🤣🤣🤣 a typical school day is 9-3, you expect to have free after school clubs too? £3 is fantastic value for an hours childcare. So what if it’s helping pay for resources, electricity etc. Seriously, some people expect everything for free 😂

We’ve always paid. It’s normally pretty minimal. I’ve just paid £18 for gardening club which is teacher led and runs for 6 weeks. We have a church based after school club that is free and run by volunteers.

I'm genuinely interested in your response as to why you think it's ok that teachers are being expected to take on more and more of the parent's role and then being slated for it?

I think it's a fucking travesty that teachers are having to provide after school clubs simply to pay for the basics like glue, paper and printing. I think it sucks, that without taking a moment to think about it, that this system means that my kids have had amazing quality clubs and access to the basics at school at the expense of making school, a liberal space where learning should be for all, a two tier system that disadvantages already disadvantaged children.

What are you doing to plug the gap? Vote.

We had a state education system until recently. It is not too late to save it. Blaming parents for not paying for education is a red herring.

Baguetteaboutit
I'm not sure how whether the club is free or not is going to help with the fact that you seem to have been lumbered with a bunch of cheeky fuckers?

These people were unable to pay and being priced out in your previous posts, now they are cheeky fuckers!

I don't think that you should be paying for this.

No I shouldn't but no-one else is?

@beanaseireann yep!!you wouldn’t believe the difference between teaching in the uk and Ireland!! Two completely different worlds!!! Teachers in the uk get taken for a ride!!

Ffs the teachers will not get that money I can guarantee it!

And as a teacher, I have already stated that even if it goes on resources (of which there are many types) that ends up making their pupils lives easier/better as well as their own, then that is also a win win situation. Genuinely. Why is that so bad? Parents paying a nominal fee for after school childcare for their own children?

There are how things are and how things should be and an increasing gap between the two boney. I just said I'm surprised that teachers could be so blasé at the widening gap.

When I was teaching (very briefly) after school clubs like this were free, but if they needed equipment/ingredients there would be a small fee. Pupil premium children wouldn't pay. I would hope that in OP's school children who couldn't afford it would be subsidised.
In my DD's school clubs were free, but children only got one a week, so not a full time alternative.

donquixotedelamancha

This was also happening under a labour government and a coalition government. I have been teaching many years! Voting won’t quite fully cut it, sadly.

Wow, can't believe teachers are expected to run clubs free of charge?
As someone upthread said that would be almost unheard of in Ireland.

In my school you can run whatever club you want but it's your own business and you can charge whatever fee is reasonable.

And in Ireland many teachers leave school at 2.30pm every day or whenever school finishes.

Can't believe how hard teachers work in the UK.

Bet it doesn’t go to teachers. They will be told to do it out of their directed time.

I just said I'm surprised that teachers could be so blasé at the widening gap.

At least we are doing and have been doing something despite our misgivings, to ensure children don’t miss out. You haven’t yet mentioned what you are doing

Does this include things like the football/netball team or the school choir? It would be sad if only the children who could afford it could play on the school team.
It doesn’t appear to be the same at secondary school. My sons school runs over thirty clubs and parents cover costs for things like cookery but all the sports, IT, drama, music etc. are free.

Baguetteaboutit

I just said I'm surprised that teachers could be so blasé at the widening gap.

Its not about being blasé, teachers have been arguing this point for years, and have been classed as whiners who think that they have it worse than anyone else.

When we say something we can't win, we keep quiet we can't win.

Do you know for sure the teachers are not being paid overtime?

£3.50 for a club is not much at all - my daughter's after school club ( at school ran by school staff) cost £10.

Most clubs incur costs- providing materials, keeping computer rooms running, print costs, subscriptions to any kind of national organisation, badges and certificates, paying TAs who are on hourly salaries, equipment. The teachers won’t see any of it. Children who qualify for pupil premium can have club costs fully paid or subsidised in many schools.

School funding has been slashed so close to the bone that schools can’t afford to simply absorb the costs of extra-curricular activities. any more, and teachers who are already buying books, equipment and furniture for their classes can’t afford to subsidise the costs of the clubs they run for free while paying childcare costs for their own children.

*Its not about being blasé, teachers have been arguing this point for years, and have been classed as whiners who think that they have it worse than anyone else.'

By blasé, I was referring particularly to 'howlovely* who is of the opinion that poor children will have to fucking lump the widening gap between how they experience school and their peers experience school and chalk it up to the feckless behaviour of their parents.

Fair point Chloe, I could do more.

Absolutely there should be a charge. Our PP children will get free places. We also certainly don’t expect teachers to run clubs - we’d rather they were using that time to concentrate on teaching prep or school improvement.

Too many parents treat them as free childcare with loads of kids who don’t actually want to be there being forced to go, and then school getting it in the neck if it has to cancel at short notice.

After school clubs are increasingly rare because schools really do not have capacity or the funds available. Teachers are essentially giving up time to do the the huge amount of administration required of them. This is not possible within their paid working hours as it is. The after school clubs my DC attended were maybe for 5-6 weeks and involved a small cost. I work with vulnerable children and I have never known a school charge in these cases so a child is not excluded because of cost. And yes, an extra £1-4 for a family really struggling is not doable.
The reality is lots of after school activities now have to be be provided by third parties and that costs money. As do all the after school provisions which basically are now run by private enterprises. When DD joined secondary there were promises of loads of clubs which she would be intested in. When I asked about it at parents evening I was told because they depended on an outside provider coming in and parent's having to pay the equivelent of sourcing theses hobbies privately, it was not really worth it.

Lol at teachers being paid overtime! The evenings, weekends and whole weeks I have spent of my own time taking children who are not mine to residentials, performances etc have all been unpaid with not a sniff of an extra hourly rate or reimbursement for food or drink!

"By blasé, I was referring particularly to 'howlovely* who is of the opinion that poor children will have to fucking lump the widening gap between how they experience school and their peers experience school and chalk it up to the feckless behaviour of their parents.

Fair point Chloe, I could do more."

What the actual fuck? You really have written yourself a lovely little story there Baguette.
I run a cooking club after school and ask for £2 a week to cover costs. Some children qualify for pupil premium so that covers their costs. So no, 'poor' children don't miss out. There have been many times I have paid for children to do the club myself. The £2 I charge parents doesn't even cover the costs of the ingredients. I even had to buy my own fucking oven! So how dare you assume I hate poor people and think poor kids should know their place. You have absolutely no fucking idea! You admitted you could do more but yeah sure, have a go at the teacher who spends hundreds and hundreds of pounds a year plus many, many hours researching recipes and buying ingredients in my own time to make sure all kids can join the after school club but maybe question why there is so much disgust at schools charging £3 for an hour's child care and maybe suggesting that a parent could take their child to the park to play football or cook dinner together once a week.