Schooling asking for money

[The90sKid]

Maybe I am being unreasonable but I would love to hear other people’s view.

My child is in reception in a government funded academy. School organised an event during school hours on school premises. It was run by a business (for profit) which brought bugs into the school for the children to see, touch etc.

School then sent out a letter saying said activity took place and parents should now pay £3 something.

If relevant, my child enjoyed looking at the bugs and school did work around it. They wrote about the bugs etc.

It’s not a question of money but I feel that education should be free. If school partner with businesses, surely they need to secure the funding.

AIBU?

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

They didnt ask for money before the event took place? That strikes me as bang out of order.

Im with you op. If it happens in school hours it should be free. But id probably end up paying so my dc could experience some more fun stuff.

What about a school trip? That happens in school hours. Should that be paid for completely by the school?

OP, school trips can't really happen right now and schools have very little budget for extras. You're in for a shock if you're not expecting to pay out any money for school-related things over the next 13 years.

I agree they should have asked for payment beforehand, though. Pay if you can because you'll be helping them cover the cost.

They should have asked before said event so that if they didn't receive enough funds they wouldn't go ahead. OP if you can afford it, pay it. Because the school needs all the money it can get but maybe gently suggest they ask up front next time!

* They didnt ask for money before the event took place? That strikes me as bang out of order.*

^I agree

They should absolutely not be asking for this AFTER it has taken place. With no agreement from parents first. :O
They should ask parents before whether or not their child would like to opt in. If you can afford it, I would pay but express your disbelief in an email to the head. Explain not all families can afford it. I would be tempted not to pay out of principle, but I would if I could because I know they're underfunded. However explain in future you will only be paying for events they've previously checked with parents for.
£3 is a weeks worth of milk here and presently every penny counts. Partners hours have gone down, should be sorted in a few weeks. With redundancies and cut back hours in Covid-19, plenty of people of people will be in this position. My mother can occasionally transfer a fiver so it would be fine for us. But not everybody is in that position.

Curriculum events like this that happen on the premises shouldn't be charged, particularly in funded academies which are independent schools.

Flakey to have not told you before, but this attitude , that it should all be free is appalling and part of the reason that education is so underfunded.

My genius idea is that schools should go uniform free- if even half the cost of acrylic blazers was spent on enrichment or text books and workbooks, the effect on learning would be dramatic.

Yes YABU

You should be grateful for extras being offered, and of course you should pay! It's in your child own interest.

It irritates me so much when people resent spending a few quid to improve their own children school days and experience.

Education IS free FFS. You don't pay (directly) for the staff salary, the locals, the supplies.

Campaign for better funding, but it's out of order to resent paying for little extras.

Academic school are short changing kids! The executive are taking profits of £300k a year!

This is normal and if you want these sort of things to happen you need to pay (if you can afford to).

As a teacher, I can often say that I often pay for school supplies out of my own pocket as if I don't, I never get any. They are given out at the start of the year but it's never enough. I don't think three quid is unreasonable for what sounds like a good experience for your child. The reality is that probably it wouldn't have happened at all without some parental contribution.

It's great that the school can set something like this to enhance the children's learning however they absolutely should have asked for the money in advance.

It's not about the £3 (which sounds like a very reasonable price), or it wouldn't be for me, it's about sending your child off to school each day and wondering whether something else has been lined up without your knowledge, leaving you with a bill to pay.

I would pay it but email some feedback saying next time I won't pay unless asked in advance.

OP, in your shoes, if I could afford it, I'd send the money together with a cross note requesting that they ask for money in advance in future. Tell them that you won't be paying in future unless they ask you beforehand.

The truth is that parents need to put their hands in their pockets (and provision made for parents who can't afford it) to avoid children having a very stripped-back school experience. Blame austerity.

@Zzelda

Curriculum events like this that happen on the premises shouldn't be charged, particularly in funded academies which are independent schools.

Then they wouldn't happen.

Academies are still funded by the government and are free to attend.

I think it would be much better for you to realise that schools do charge for some items, even though out of principle they shouldn't. And why would you send your child to an Academy if you thought that education should be free? Many academies receive financial support from private companies

Schooling is free but if you want “nice to haves” they need to be paid for.

FWIW my DC go to fee paying schools and there is still an endless lis of things to be paid/funds raised for. There are no magic money trees

It's a voluntary contribution, you don't have to pay it, but in reality if you don't then the entire class miss out on things. My children have been disappointed due to trips being cancelled, repeatedly, because some parents take the piss. If you can afford it, pay it. If you can't afford it, tell the school to work out a payment plan with you, but if you can't genuinely afford £3 then I'd be questioning your budgeting skills. I don't believe anyone should just not pay for an event. Your child will have got loads out of it. Children inevitably cost money.

Has anyone noticed OP's comment this is not a school in the UK?

Don't' know if things have changed since my time but PTA would never just ask for money, oh no, they wanted cakes or donations for stalls etc. It always cost far more to make the cakes than they could sell them for, and the risk of embarrassment with my stall gifts meant I had to go out and buy them. If schools want money they should ask for money, far easier.

Only one OP post that I can see?

Has anyone noticed OP's comment this is not a school in the UK?

I must have missed that comment unless I'm mistaken nothing the OP has suggested implies this isn't a UK school?

They should have asked in advance but I don’t think asking for a voluntary contribution for an activity like this which is going to help educationally is wrong. At £3 per head then that’s very reasonable

YABU to think that extra activities should be free...school budgets have been cut to the bone. However it’s unfair of the school to have hit people up for money after - maybe they actually DO have the money but want as many parents to cover so that they can also use it for something else

I'm a school business manager (so responsible for making the budget balance) and I agree with you OP.

I do everything possible to avoid asking parents for money. I set an enrichment budget which we use for this kind of thing. Nothing should come as a surprise that can't be planned into the budget, although obviously sometimes well need to make choices and look at the cost v the benefit students and it can be difficult to get teachers to plan far enough ahead to get everything accommodated in the budget.

School budgets are very tight, but this is my third school (1 infant school very affluent area, 1 primary school high FSM, 1 secondary mixed intake) in a decade and there's "enough" as long as you use it wisely IMO. IME the only things we can't find the money for are the last minute plans. If I know about it when the budget is set, it will be included or we'll have had a discussion about how "necessary" it is. It's when someone has a last minute idea it can be tricky.

TBH, collecting £3 per head is more trouble than it's worth and probably doesn't comply with the school's Best Value statement.

@TravelDreamLife

Not in UK, for reference. We have several things like this each year & it's normal for parents to pay, even at state run schools. Schools need their $ for other things. It's only a few dollars. I'm fine with that.

However, a permission form & payment are always required beforehand.

One poster has commented with their own experience, but prefaced it with the fact they're not in the UK. I don't think this is the OP under a name change fail.

It's odd it's retrospective. Were going to Twycross Zoo, letter in advance asking for £8. If anyone can't afford it they speak to the school. It would be odd to put it odd and then ask for money afterwards. I appreciate its different as it's in school but it still had to be planned and budgeted for, so I'd expect prior notice

School trips etc have always been at extra cost. Schools barely get enough funding for the very basic school supplies. School would be a very sad place without the little extras like trips and visits.

Our school each child pays set amount to cover all visitors and non residential trips each year.