Voluntary contribution of £120 for school

[Voiceofreason92]

My son’s school have always asked for a voluntary contribution of £35 per year per child. This year they have decided to up it to £60 per child. I have two children. In the past it’s never been clear what that £35 is going on so have always reluctantly contributed. This year they have asked for money for revamping the year 1 toilets, building a ‘summer house’ style cabin as an intervention room and to support their staffing structure.

since September, it’s been in the newsletter every week saying they still don’t have 100% of families contributing and they would really like it. (Only 50% have) This week a letter came home in my kid’s book bag from the head teacher saying that they noticed I havent paid my £120 contribution and they really think it’s time I contributed for my boys.
AIBU unreasonable for not contributing out of principle that I feel hounded and it’s meant to be voluntary.
(this is a state primary school not a private one)

OP I am a chair of governors for a local primary school - I would be disgusted if I found out our head had done this!

Please send a copy of the letter to the governing board, the local authority (someone will have a job title along the lines of “Director of Education” within the children’s services department - should be easily found on Google), and senior people within the trust.
A lot of families will feel threatened and obliged and will be putting themselves into financial hardship due to the tone of your head teachers approach.

I do agree that schools are underfunded but years ago they used to manage without ‘summer style cabins’. Yes we used to get asked for voluntary contributions and we used to contribute but if people didn’t they weren’t personally chased up. I would ignore it.

YABU if you are able to afford to.
State education is free and I have always been eternally grateful for the education and support received by my child and now grandchildren.
I have always made these voluntary contributions and can understand why the school contacts those who don't with follow up persuasive reminders.
It's my understanding that the contributions support items /opportunities for the benefit of the pupils.

I'm a single parent, and although I earn a decent salary I'm feeling the pinch. But I work in public services and the funding crisis is always on my mind. My daughter's school is small and because we are rural I'd say half the children would be in prep school if a really good village school like this was not an option. We heard last year and this year how the school has a 20k budget deficit for the year ahead, despite cutting so much back and increasing wraparound care costs. It terrifies me to think of how the school will continue to provide good enough education. I absolutely wish they would ask for a voluntary contribution with a suggested amount but accepting any amount. Lots of parents would do it, lots wouldn't, but no one would know who has or hasn't. As it stands, no one can donate anything at all. If it is truly voluntary and pressure stops once you say no, then I don't think it's an issue. If the letter is rude I would complain though.

Extreme and uncalled for!

I agree with this. Teachers were angry that pay rises weren't fully funded rather than what the rise actually was. The media of course portrayed teachers as money grabbing lazy scum. Far too many of the public bought into this perception and only now people are beginning too see the scale of the funding issue.

State education isn’t ’free’. It’s paid for out of the tax system.

That's completely mad and unreasonable (of them)! Are you in a particularly affluent area?

In Scotland and I’ve genuinely never heard of a voluntary contribution, genuine question with no intention of insulting anyone but is this a thing in catholic schools (only ask because if that’s the case it would explain my complete ignorance)? If not it may well be because I come from the complete opposite of an affluent area 😂 x

Apparently, nearly 40% of schools have asked for voluntary contributions from parents in the last academic year, according to a head teachers' association.

THANK YOU
Yabvu OP

They waste plenty of money within education too!
If this is an Academy I bet you would find it illuminating to see the salary of the CEO ( which is likely to be higher than that of the Chief Education Officer in the LA) and see how many layers of 'leadership and management' there are before you get to paying staff who actually work with the children, or paying for resources to teach with. That is why they want your 'voluntary' contribution.

@Humdingerydoo that's terrible! Is it a Jewish faith school by any chance?

If so, I can't believe we've not learnt anything from history.

Thanks, I'm aware of that. Doesn't deflect from my point.
Just like the NHS, state education is funded predominantly by taxes and available to all, irrespective of their financial status /whether they pay taxes or otherwise

I'm usually completely supportive of schools work, and requests for support, but this feels a lot, Especially all at once. Even if they asked for £20/30 per child, per term, it would seem better. Can they show what it's being used towards? I know how cash strapped schools are, but what if you had 3 or more kids in school. Not many folks can afford to just shell that out..

True. I didn't mean 'singled out' as in being the only one, but the letter from the school pointed out that she hadn't contributed - so the school were keeping track of who had paid and who hadn't. I don't think they should do that, even if only morally. I'm quite shocked that the school thinks it's ok.

This is likely to be a sensory/quiet area for children with SEN, or a place for 1 to 1 counselling, or another supportive activity, not a nice place to enjoy the sun. So yes they probably need it. Our school has had to install a padded sensory room and a specialist cushioned outdoor play area for the safety of children who really shouldn't be in mainstream, but are.

I'm puzzled. What do you mean by that comment?

Same here. Jewish state school. We don’t often pay, and they don’t chase for the money but the total owing just mounts up and up and up on the Parent Pay app.

This makes me think of a grammar school we recently went to view. I asked a friend who has a child there 'how come the facilities are so nuch better than the nearby comp when they get the sane funding per pupil?'. Her answer - the voluntary contribution is 1k per year, and a list of top contributors is published in their school newsletter. If you don't pay, your children don't tend to get picked for shows/sports teams. So in reality it's more like a very cheap private school than a state school.

I'm all for people contributing as able, after all, we are investing in our child's future. But there should be no publishing of who gives what, or linking amounts to school privileges, I thought that was terrible.

I would happily contribute if I felt that it would be to a worthwhile project. But a summer house style cabin sounds like a waste of money. Surely it would be too cold to use for most of the year?

I suppose the question then is, if education is for the benefit of society, why should parents, who already pay taxes, pay further costs to cover the short fall? To use your analogy, it’d be like asking NHS patients to cover any shortfalls in the cost of their care whilst in a hospital bed.

It doesn't matter if it's only 10p a week - the school has no right to keep asking, nor to keep tabs on who's paid and who hasn't. Sending a letter like that is hounding someone and it would definitely make me determined not to pay anything.

Pretty sure she means she's shocked and horrified that antisemitism is still so prevalent that primary schools (and nurseries!) need full-time guards. That's how I interpreted it anyway!

And yes @HUNGRY4MORE it's a Jewish primary school.

But only 50% of parents are paying it, which means you’re contributing 12.50 for your child and 12.50 for another child where their parents can’t or won’t pay. That’s the problem with voluntary contributions really although it does mean that all kids get access to the supplies.