School constantly asking for money

[abitofpeace]

Just wondering how it is in other people’s primary schools. Ours is constantly asking for money. Usually raffle tickets, etc but more recently some of the parents are selling stuff through the school and giving the profits to the school. It feels like everyday they ask for something!

There is also a monthly (optional) direct debit if parents want to pay regular. Are finances so bad that thee government need such a large boost?

@DJattheendoftheworld

Ours expect a direct debit of £120 a month. I just can't afford it. It's a state school!

I just don't believe this at all.

schoolcuts.org.uk/

Use your postcode here to find your local school and see what budget cuts they have faced this year (data shown is pre-covid so true picture is probably worse).

It's a massive PITA to constantly have £1 coins on standby for the next random thin TF the school decides to do

Our school uses a system called Kindo. All payments are online, tagged to the item that they're for, and directly inputted into the school or PTA's online cashbook.

Some schools need to up their tech game if they're still using coins.

My sons primary was always asking for money. £10 school fund at beginning of year. One Sponsored event each term: sponsored spelling, sponsored walk, sponsored silence, raffle tickets once each half term and you have to donate a prize Easter egg, Xmas chocolate or a bottle in summer term, a non uniform day every half term on top of Pudsey and red nose day. Secondary school only ask for £5 school fund at beginning of year. Non uniform day once a term and Pudsey, red nose day and poppy appeal. I feel sorry for parent with three kids.

My children's school has an amazon wishlist with stuff like pencils and paperclips on it. They've also successfully fundraised for a new classroom which has been paid for by the parents. Parents are also encouraged to donate a yearly amount on top of everything else.

I find this quote shocking. It's not like we have really low taxes or anything!

Schools or ptas have always had cake sales and raffles to pay for panto or a sports team to travel. My dm used to bake for them, and I'm in my 50s.

But the amounts some chose to pay by dd seem very high. At ds's primary there was one kind parent who paid for the whole school to have an outing each year, anonymously.

My sons pre school is the same. They wanted £3.50 a head so they could watch an online panto 🙄😘 as if a three year old would sit through that!

@ZoeTurtle

Schools would be expected to find the difference first e.g. less or less experienced/qualified staff and/or bigger classes.

Teaching positions are often advertised as NQT positions because they are the cheapest to employ. Experienced staff are managed out or refused their pay increase on spurious reasons despite meeting performance management targets. Support staff dont have their contracts renewed.

So instead of having a teacher with 10+ years experience and a dedicated TA for a maximum of 30, you now get NQTs facing a class of anywhere between 30 and 40 children with no adult support in class.

Not saying that should be the parents responsibility, the government must do better, but they will try and palm it off as a school's problem to solve well before they admit error.

Normal around here too. Apparently schools are greatly struggling financially (I’ve heard this from fellow mumsnetters not the school itself).

I wish ours would ask for a monthly direct debit or donate a new whiteboard or something! Instead it’s endless things like raffles, tea towels, fancy dress days, buy this and that, and hoping the money actually reaches school when it’s given to a primary age child in their book bag!

We have this too and I can’t really think of anything better to spend my money on tbh if the schools really need it which it seems like they do. This half-term I’ve given around £150 buying raffle tickets, donating bottles of gin for the raffle, and buying mugs, tea towels and cards with my child’s Christmas drawing on them. I would prefer to set up a direct debit though and be done with the emails as it’s just another thing to remember and organise.

Yes finances are that bad. The government has cut things back and back. Where have you been hiding??

Stop voting Conservative is my only advice.

I'm a teacher and can confirm that budgets have been cut to the bone. No amount of fundraising is going to close that gap, but it might mean that the football team get new bibs (or whatever) when they wouldn't otherwise.

I think you'll find that teachers are also paying more out of their own pockets for things that the children couldn't have otherwise. This week I've spent £40 on Christmas gifts (my choice of course), £10 on reading raffle prizes, £10 on party food and £12 on resources for a science experiment.

If you can't afford to pay - don't. They won't send the bailiffs round.

If you are not sure what they are using the money for - ask. I think you will probably find that it's for something nice for the children that they wouldn't have otherwise.

If you think that things need to be run differently - join the PTA or become a governor, or just turn up at the AGM to say your piece, or tell someone. Don't seethe at home - they're trying to help, so let them know that they've got it wrong.

If you think that the budget is being mismanaged - because they're asking you for £1 but have managed to buy a bus for example - talk to the Head. I think you'll be both surprised, and wrong. Parts of the budget are ringfenced. Some things are bought after bidding for sums of money that have to be spent a certain way.

@Fedupmum88

My sons pre school is the same. They wanted £3.50 a head so they could watch an online panto 🙄😘 as if a three year old would sit through that!

Bastards.

Is it the school or PTA? Our PTA are well intentioned but sometimes have to be reined in a bit as the requests for £1 here and there get a bit much. I'd also say that as a teacher I never notice who hands in a pound and who doesn't - it's not a big deal if someone forgets or doesn't contribute. Usually at least 1/4 of the class don't and none of the other children are aware.

One thing often not mentioned in school budget discussions is disparity in teacher pay. Schools are expected to have a range of expensive and newly qualified teachers but this doesn't happen in reality if you have happy teachers who don't leave and so can't be replaced by cheaper ones. We had a couple of older teachers leave recently and it's made a huge difference to our overall budget. It's ridiculous that schools are not really properly funded to pay for experienced teachers though.

I'm on the committee for a local nursery school that is a not for profit. Its heavily reliant on the government funding and its simply nowhere near enough, it's something like 4.20 an hour compared to typical local nursery costs of £7 per hour (we are in an expensive area).

We have a lot of wealthy parents who expect to send their kid along on free hours and blithely ignore the messaging about the shortfall in funding.

Yes, your school needs the money. But if you personally can't give more, ignore the requests. They have to keep on asking in the desperate hope that the wealthier parents will come good.

Fedupmum88

Do you contribute to make up the difference between government funded hours and the actual cost of provision? If not that's why they are desperately asking you for £3.50 for an online panto.

It really does my nut the number of people who don't understand preschool is not free. The government hours are funded hours NOT free hours and in all but the cheapest areas preschools and nurseries will need extra donations from parents or will simply go under.

TheVamoosh

Actually our taxes are relatively low compared to quite a few European countries, especially the ones with comparable levels of welfare state as the UK.

We have among the more generous benefit and healthcare systems.

Oh and we keep voting in Tory governments who aren't known for funding schools and hospitals 🙄

I find this quote shocking. It's not like we have really low taxes or anything!

We have fairly low taxes, and consequently we have fairly badly funded public services.

Nobody should feel pressured to give what they can’t.

But let’s not forget how the current situation will have impacted schools fo. DS school have missed both the summer and Christmas fairs both of which would normally bring in around £1500 for the school. that’s a big chunk of money when budgets are so stretched anyway and when they are having to pay more than normal for cleaning supplies etc.

Like charities, they know people are struggling, but they have to ask. What's the alternative? If you can't afford it, don't give, but don't be annoyed that they're trying to survive.

Schools are struggling.
Don't vote Tory again folks.

Schools are massively underfunded. Budgets were already dire pre-covid. Then you add in the things they've needed since Covid - mostly without any extra funding.

I normally run a breakfast club and after-school care in the school my kids attend. We've not been able to run. That means the school hasn't had the money we normally pay to hire spaces. The holiday clubs also haven't run - again less money to the school.

The school also normally lets the hall out for karate, football and various other things during the evenings - again less money in the pot.

Schools are in the state they are due to years of budget cuts. Please remember this when next you vote in a government.m

It’s the admin of all the £1s I’d find annoying. I’d rather the £120 direct debit when my DC goes to school. Also, I’m not as good at being environmentally conscious as I should be, but I find it completely bizarre that schools of all places do things that encourage the purchase of single-use clothing for growing children.

Schools are in financial crisis after a decade of underfunding and it is the government choosing to make it that way.