Voluntary contribution to school fund?

[EccentricaGallumbits]

used to subsidise trips and transport for trips (although the exorbitant cost of school trips confuses me if they are subsidised) also used for trips people cant afford to pay for.

all 'voluntary' but expected.

So how much per child or family would you pay?

£80??? was wondering if i could stretch to a tenner!

I didn't think state schools could charge for education.

£50 to £80 seems excessive.

We are asked for £1 a week per child. I don't agree with it, but as the children take it in weekly and put in pots with their names on, any children not participating would be very obvious and I don't want to make it an issue for the DCs.

We pay £25 per child per year for a foundation school.

We have to pay ?120 per year per child "voluntary fund " . I say "have to pay" because if you dont pay it then you have to arrange a meeting with the head to explain why you are not paying it so i have been told .

Nothing!!

My DDs (16 & 13)go to state schools and I have never ever contributed to school fund.

Don't get me wrong, I've always paid for trips, bought photos, etc and during the time they were at primary school I was a very active member of the PTA. However, I feel that 'fundraising' to buy extras is fair enough but if schools need more money for basics then they (and their unions) should lobby for better funding.

However, I have seen the waste that has gone on in certain schools, including the salaires spent on very top heavy management and admin. E.g. one primary school that I am involved with has 12 classes, so that's 12 class teachers plus an specialist subject teacher who covers PPA, along with 12 TAs plus additional 1 to 1 support staff and a dedicated first aider. Fair enough as they are all front line staff but they are 'supported' by a non teaching staff made up of:

Head Teacher (non teaching)
Deputy HT (non teaching)
Asst HT (p/t teaching)
Business Manager
Finance Officer
HT's PA
School Secretary
Admin Assistant
ICT Support Officer

I think the problem tends to be when 'voluntary' contributions become expected and parents feel under pressure to contribute even if they can't really afford it.

My DS's state school ask for a voluntary contribution and it is put in a pot in the classroom and it is marked down on the wall with a tick when the child pays. It is purely for this reason that I have never contributed to it in 2 years. I pay for school trips, donate items to school fetes, spend money at fundraising events and pay sponsorships etc but I am very against the way they have set up these 'voluntary' contributions so I boycott them.

What annoys me is the fact that the majority of parents at my dc's school pay the voluntary donation yet the class rooms have no soap or towels available for our children & we are asked to supply our children with their own bar of soap & hand towel . we pay on average ?30-?45 per school trip so there no subsidy either . We have been paying the donation for the last 8 years as personally i would not like to have to explain myself to the head if we did not pay it .

We are asked at the start of the year for a voluntary contribution of £15 per family. I have no idea what proportion of parents pay it, but it is no problem to me as I think the school does a fantastic job, and every little helps.

elmofun I can't believe you have to provide soap and a towel. How does it work? Does each child take their own soap and towel every time they go off to the toilet. Soap is not exactly expensive - it should be a basic provision

About £50 a child to special activities fund, get letters home, form tutor asks kids why they haven't paid.

About £100 a year to the school's "friends", you get letters home if you don't donate anything, have to explain to school why you don't pay.

Plus money for trips, materials for technology, food technology etc.

State school.

Now a year or so ago the letter about the 'voluntary' contribution was very hard sell which pissed me off so I didn't donatany. This years request was much better written and mentioned the recession and howlots of people were finding finances hard. So I'm a bit more willing to donate but I am also a bit skint - particularly at the beginning of term with new uniforms and other stuff to pay.

Can't believe you have to explain why you can't or won't pay

We pay £100 pa but it is to a faith school, which has to generate 10% of income itself.

we also have £5/term voluntary contribution to class fund - extras like cooking, special projects etc. i don't mind at all.

also - can I explain that I am a bit skint because at the beginning of term I 'have' to pay for music and ballet lessons - hobbies both the DDs do which are not provided by the school - so in some ways I am able to afford some extras for them both (because I work extra shifts to pay for them on top of my normal hours). But on the other hand I feel too skint to pay a voluntary contribution - unless I give them a tenner and feel all resentful that that was my weeks wine money.

The £5 to cover DT materials per child is not compulsory.

People have to pay for soap an d towels at a state school? And they pay £50 a year towards general funds?

I never knew. And I don't understand about soap and towels.

Many schools try to set an annual limit for trips, so maybe £10-20 for trips throughout the course of the year.

Ours is a faith school too.

Over a year we can spend £50 - £60 extra per child on trips and for materials.