To think school shouldn’t be charging for this?

[Indella]

Our school has a habit of expecting parental contributions for everything possible but the latest 2 things we’ve had letters about I don’t think falls under what a school can charge for.

The first one is my child has now started the compulsory school swimming lessons. These are part of the curriculum and so can’t be charged for. However parents have to pay £3 per child, per week for the transport to the swimming lessons. Is this not the school’s responsibility to fund as the swimming lessons are compulsory?

The second one is an “art and crafts day”. Letter says children will be spending the day, still in school, doing Christmas themed arts and crafts. They have asked for £12 per child for the materials. This is being held at school, in school hours and is instead of the normal lessons. I legally have to send my child to school so it’s compulsory. Letter doesn’t say voluntary contribution so I assume again we have no choice but to pay but surely the school can do arts and crafts with the children that don’t cost so much. 28 children in the class so £336 of art supplies! Sounds like they are using parents to re-stock supplies for the year.

I know they are not huge amounts but add that to the fact we paid £3 each entry to the school Christmas fair (including having to pay for the accompanying parent) and £10 each for tickets to watch the Christmas performance. Plus the never ending non-uniform days it’s really starting to add up and it feels like the school are simply using parental contributions to fund what should be covered by the school.

AIBU to think these things shouldn’t be charged for?

I get both sides. As a parent I got extremely annoyed when my childs school asked for a £70 per year voluntary contribution into a general fund. They made it quite clear this would be in addition to the usual requests for trips, special workshops etc and is separate to PTA fundraising.
I was a bit WTF... And emailed the headteacher. She wrote back a long email giving a pretty detailed explanation of the massive underfunding they are suffering, yet high expectations from Ofsted etc and from parents to deliver high standards and variety of opportunities to pupils. She explained how nearly half the TAs were being axed how essential equipment was on its last legs etc etc. Yet they were still struggling just to make ends meet on the basics.

It's a great school in an area without much deprivation. I come into contact with a lot of school office staff in my job and it's interesting when they talk about trips etc and I've heard some saying 'oh we can't do that as there aren't enough parents who can afford to contribute' and 'oh we're quite lucky, the school is in an affluent area'.

While there is the pupil premium which is supposed to try and close the gap between the well off and not, there is still a big middle ground where parents aren't wealthy but struggle to find all the contributions for extras.

I don't in anyway blame the school. Yes some have better leadership than others, some may be better at communication than others, some manage to come up with creative solutions etc. But all schools are under funded to meet the standards we expect!

If you want things to change consider who you vote for tomorrow and lobby your MP, join the campaigns to stop school cuts even volunteer your time as a school parent governor or more immediately help the PTA with their fundraising.

@Fairenuff It’s says it “owing” that means it’s a debt not a voluntary payment. I’ve already told them we’ve lost 1 income this year and are struggling financially and they think it’s ok to send me emails telling me I haven’t paid for the thing I told them I wasn’t paying for.

Great, so if I send you a message saying 'Owing' you'll pay me will you?

Honestly OP, just ignore and forget about it.

Schools are on their knees. They are receiving on average £3-400 less per pupil than they were 5 years ago. I'm afraid if we wsnt our kids to have added extras like swimming we may to have to contribute.

As a teacher, I think this is disgusting. The schools I’ve worked in have never charged for transport to swimming lessons. Christmas plays are usually no more than £1 a ticket and at Christmas fairs you only pay for anything you buy. In my current school, we’ve been hit hard by budgets, but wouldn’t dream of charging such outrageous amounts for things like this.

Since the Tories came into power in 2010, Secondary schools have had their budget per pupil cut by around £450 per year

which out of an average secondary school budget of £5500 per year per pupil
is rather a lot when wages and heating and building repairs and books are taken into account

Think carefully when you vote tomorrow

Schools have had their budgets slashed by the Conservatives. If you don't like having to pay for it, don't vote for them.

I definitely foresee us becoming like the Americans, where parents are issued with a list of supplies their child must bring on the first day.

Once again, if you don't like it, don't vote for the Tories tomorrow. It's only going to get worse.

Well the country just voted for the conservatives again so expect more of this. Schools are underfunded, there is not enough money for the basics. Teachers and the needed more than ever support staff are being made redundant. This will get worse.

Rich areas will get better education as parents can supplement the school funds.

Poor areas will get poorer education because the parents cannot

but as those parents just voted for Tory MPs, they have no right to complain I'm afraid.

listeningquietly - i dont think thats the case. we live in a reasonably well off area (not stinking rich though) and because of that we get very little per pupil...a few years ago when my kids were at school they said it was one of the lowest in the country. Not many kids on free school dinners, so lost out on extra pupil premium available that the gov pays.

not sure which government it was but a lot of extra money was pumped into intercity london schools because they were so bad ab out 10 or so years ago and this has been continued since.

dreaming
Read this article
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50732685
Rich areas will get better education for their kids because parents who have had tax cuts donate
but parents who have had benefit cuts cannot

and no, the money Labour put into London schools DID NOT CARRY ON
because the Tories kept the schools budget the same while raising costs like pensions and ERS NI
so every school in the country is worse off than it was in 2010

but the people keep voting for them

Listening - and read this one which says Dorset was allotted £4908 per child compared with £8256 in Tower Hamlets. Tax cuts would need to be massive to allow parents to meet this shortfall - 10k if like us you had 3 kids at school

www.richarddrax.com/campaigns/fairer-funding-dorset-schools

It looks as if borris is looking at public services once he's got brexit sorted.

Where is Boris going to get the money from to increase funding ?

Yes, the funding formula needs sorting
but teachers cost more in Tower Hamlets than they do Dorset

The swimming is a lot, we pay £10 per year for it as a donation.

Our school constantly try to charge for everything, Its not a newsletter but just a begging pitch each week.

Our want to take the primary school kids away for a WEEK (term time so compulsory for them to attend school but they would be left as the only kid in an empty class if you dont pay) at a price of £400 per student.

I cant afford it and dont agree with it (I think they are too young to be going away for a week without parents and we only spend £300 a year for a FAMILY holiday) but I have a feeling grandparents have paid it despite my objections because 'he cant be the only one left out'. I spoke to other parents and they are furious too, some have 3 kids they have to pay for so thats £1200 and they are panicking because the literally cant afford it.

Trips are getting out of hand, when I was at school we go 1 big one (going by bus to a museum, farm or pantomime for the day) and maybe 1 or two small local ones a year (like you all walk holding hands to the local church or wildlife area etc... for free)

(not counting the mandatory swimming where we went along the road to the other school which had their own pool which was free.)

Name changed as potentially outing, but I feel your pain, I have children in various schools and the asking for money seems never ending. My daughters senior school do their swimming lessons (and registration at the swimming baths) first thing in the morning so they do not have to fund a coach. This is practical for the school but means parents have to take their children to the swimming baths as it is not near the school, which for me means putting my youngest two in childcare which will take them to school as they're in opposite directions