Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To thinks schools can’t be that short of money then?

84 replies

AwakeNotAwoke · 02/08/2021 16:22

DD has just had a wonderful week attending her soon to be secondary school’s summer school.

I was very surprised that the 200+ kids who attended were given -

a free trip to a theme park(including travel)
free water bottles (expensive metal ones)
free stationery sets and pencil cases
free lunches everyday
a BBQ with an ice cream van on site (all free)

They were also given a good quality t shirt and a hoodie embroidered with the name of school and ‘summer school 2021’ so won’t be worn again

I’m not knocking it at all. It was an excellent way to introduce the DC to the school and DD is really looking forward to starting next month but I’m surprised that the school had so much money to throw around when we’re constantly being told how underfunded they are Hmm.

Even the extra embroidery on the t shirt and hoodie would have cost a lot when they could have left the ‘summer school 2021’ off and said they could be used as part of the PE kit. As it is the mandatory PE top is in the same material but a different colour and costs £22!

AIBU to think this was rather a waste?

OP posts:
TheTallOakTrees · 02/08/2021 17:45

Although it is from a particular pot, perhaps that pot shouldn't exist since wasteful when other pots of money are not large enough. Waste is not great. Is it a deprived area school?

SleeplessWB · 02/08/2021 17:52

It is not a postcode lottery. All secondary schools were entitled to apply for funding of £60 per day per pupil to run a summer school. Some will not have done this. Any with sense will have planned the activities carefully to buy resources which will also be useful in the future.

Plumbear2 · 02/08/2021 18:07

Shame. Funds should have been shared out to give all other year groups a much deserved end of year trip 😠

junebirthdaygirl · 02/08/2021 18:11

On a side note they do wear those hoodies forever..my dd still wears hers from around 2014. She loves it. I was out walking and a young guy passed me running and ghe was wearing his 2016 one. Looks like they like to keep them forever. Not for school but generally hanging around, going for walks/ runs etc.

Pieceofpurplesky · 02/08/2021 18:20

We have summer school in a couple
Of weeks. All in house and once staff have been paid there is very little left to do exciting things. Ours are being given a survival kit of pencil case (filled), calculator etc.

Only PP children will be attending and they do benefit from it.

Stevenage689 · 02/08/2021 18:22

@Plumbear2

Shame. Funds should have been shared out to give all other year groups a much deserved end of year trip 😠
But that's not allowed. Like any reserved funding, it must be used for the purpose for which it was allocated.
JustLyra · 02/08/2021 18:25

It depends on their funding.

Locally here the summer school got free lunches and backpacks/stationery as two local businesses donated them.

Plumbear2 · 02/08/2021 18:28

I I know it's not allowed. But it should be. The amount of lost learning and no trips by everywhere year group but should not be reserved for new year 7. Year 8 for examples have had their entire school life for 2 year in secondary, where's there support?

ineedaholidaynow · 02/08/2021 18:30

I can't imagine many schools would have used funding from their normal budget for any items at summer school, because most schools will probably be in deficit by now! I am sure most schools would have love to spend the money on other year groups/other resources but there will be a criteria for what they can spend the money on and they will have to report what they have spent it on (if only to the governors)

ineedaholidaynow · 02/08/2021 18:31

Parents need to complain to the Government about school funding, it is a disgrace

FunMcCool · 02/08/2021 18:36

There’s always one isn’t there.

Antsinyourpanta · 02/08/2021 18:38

As far as I know ours is just lessons/an introduction to the school. We are away that week so I havent looked onto it in detail but I'm sure there wasnt any mention of day trips etc

lannistunut · 02/08/2021 18:41

School funding is generally pitiful. One swallow doesn't make a summer and all that.

Waveafterwaveslowlydrifting · 02/08/2021 18:41

Funding is ring fenced.

Education in general is woefully underfunded.

OP you are either misinformed or just naive.

DingDongThongs · 02/08/2021 18:42

It sounds ace. Be glad of it - some of those children won't have been to a theme park. Ever.

Intherightplace · 02/08/2021 18:45

Schools have been given quite a bit extra in various grants because of Covid, but it all comes with restrictions on how it can be spent. We've done quite a bit of "fudging" to try and get expenditure within the rules and yes, have "wasted" some just because it needed spending, when it could very much have been better spent elsewhere.

DingDongThongs · 02/08/2021 18:46

That's sad. It will still benefit those who got it.

StormyTeacups · 02/08/2021 19:42

The summer school funding is specifically because the majority of new yr 7s haven't even able to have a transition or even set foot in their new school. That's why this year in particular gets it.

Eatenpig · 02/08/2021 20:19

Ours was a mixture of welcome events, trial lessons, team building etc and free lunch in school canteen. Mostly but not all run by school staff. About 1/2 the intake attended. Some didn't as were away and some didn't as they didn't want to risk having to self isolate etc

Adreinnesarmy · 02/08/2021 20:42

@StormyTeacups

The summer school funding is specifically because the majority of new yr 7s haven't even able to have a transition or even set foot in their new school. That's why this year in particular gets it.
Yes but neither did last year’s year 6s, so as a parent of aYear 7 child who missed out not only on the end of his primary education (and all the rites of passage moments that go with that) and subsequently had a disrupted and disjointed first year of Secondary I am disappointed to learn of this. Last Year’s 10 and 11 year olds have had a really rubbish eighteen months and should have been included.
Eatenpig · 02/08/2021 20:57

Our local Yr6 have all had a variety of leavers events and stuff so I get why it might feel raw. I thought it was originally for catch up stuff but all the local high schools have done loads fun stuff.

TheDukeissoHot1 · 02/08/2021 21:10

@DanglingMod

A tablet? Trips out? Hoodies?

Is this another postcode lottery thing? Our secondary school is running a year 6 into 7 summer school but the govt funding only just covers staffing and basic materials (food tech/art/paper supplies etc). No way would it cover some of the things quoted in this thread!

I too am amazed by this! Lucky kids!

My DS just attended summer school at his new secondary & spent the week there doing maths, English, science & lots & lots of PE. Can’t believe that some schools have had spare cash for theme park trips! Ours got free lunches & some children got a stationery pack but that was it in terms of freebies.

I appreciate they are lucky to have that at all and feel for last year’s Y7 intake who got nothing. However I’m pleased my DS got this opportunity - he’d never set foot in his secondary school, no year 5 taster days, no open evenings, no chance to look round in person & no transition days. He’s not met his form tutor or any of his classmates so this was much needed & has definitely helped settle his nerves about going there.

fantastaballs · 02/08/2021 21:15

I'm sorted this isn't more common tbh. My youngest son got an iPod , 5 days summer school and a trip to Alton towers just before he started school. This was about 11 years ago though. When the kids started on year 7 they got a fully insured iPad mini and a case and this was pure installed with all sorts of apps for lessons. It was replaced in year 9 and then after the end of school GCSEs it was there.

When my daughter started her senior school 3 years ago they got a full weeks activities and day trips like bowling, Alton towers, science camp, a hall sleep over and a full school uniform and pe kit. We just had to buy the bag, shoes and coat.

JustLyra · 02/08/2021 21:16

Can’t believe that some schools have had spare cash for theme park trips!

They probably got specific funding for that.

I’m getting ten tonnes of shit from parents locally as the playscheme I chair is running a couple of expensive day trips, but we’re not running our usual childcare programme. Trying to explain to people that a certain funder gave us money that must be spent on trips to places is falling on deaf ears. I couldn’t use it to open normally even if we were able to hire our usual space.

DreamAboutSleep · 02/08/2021 21:16

But the summer school funding is meant to be to help kids catch up on lost learning isn't it? Not take them to theme parks and buy them presents. How ridiculous.

Swipe left for the next trending thread