How to complain if school demands money innapropriately?

[plasticplants]

My DCs attend a Voluntary Aided school, which raises money from parents to pay its annual contributions to the Diocesan Maintenance Fund - about 45 per year per child, so not very much, but significant if you're stretched or have a lot of kids.

The problem is the wording of the letter, which implies an obligation to pay, and the very public reminder your child brings home if you don't pay, along with an invitation to discuss the matter with the Headteacher if you can't or won't oblige.

I don't want the school to suffere financially, but I know this process is wrong, because the payments are meant to be voluntary.

I have mentioned this is the annual school parents' survey a couple of times, but nothing has been done about it.

I don't want to "discuss it with the Headteacher", and I don't want to raise a formal complaint unless I can do it anonymously. It's a small school, with a mostly affluent and vocal parent population, and anyone who rocked the boat would soon be outed and ostracised.

I had a look at the Ofsted complaints procedure, but that requires you to exhaust the school's formal procedures first.

It's a delicate matter, because the school needs the funds, and I don't want to be the party pooper, but somehow the message about their innapropriate communications needs to get through.

Any suggestions?

Well, sounds like 'discussing it with the HT' is the first step, and the easiest. Why on earth would other parents ostracise you? They won't get to know about it - the HT can't tell other parents about a confidential meeting he has had with one parent.

Are you going to pay the money? Or are you just complaining about the way they ask for the cash? I'm sure they wouldn't ask if they didn't need it - perhaps the HT can enlighten you about where the money will go, and what will happen if not enough parents pay.

TBH, if you go to a VA school and know how much it's going to be per dc per year, then it shouldn't be too hard to budget for it.

Regardless of the fact this is a VA school parental contributions are voluntary by law. The school should not be implying otherwise.

imo if you go to a voluntary aided school then you should expect to be asked pay annual contributions and should pay something, even if you arrange with the headteacher to pay less. I don't think there is anything wrong in the school sending out reminders as some parents may well have just forgotten to pay it (that is assuming parents who have spoken to the school and said they can't or won't pay for whatever reason don't get these reminders, if they do that's slightly different.)

If you are unhappy and really worried about being singled out then you could try writing an anonymous letter to the headteacher but obviously they won't be able to reply to your concerns if its anonymous.

I think tbh the best way to deal with it would be a private conversation with them, other parents aren't going to know that you've spoken to the headteacher or what it was about. Going above the headteachers head without having tried addressing the issue with them doesn't seem like a good way to handle it to me.

We usually pay on time, provided we remember, so it's not a personal issue. It's a process issue. The school doesn't tell people about the payments before they join the school (not allowed to I believe), and as someone else said, they can't make the payments compulsory, so I think they should be clearly flagged as voluntary.

Reminders are ok too - but not public, personally addressed reminders on red paper in children's hands at pick-up time, handed out in class by TAs or parent helpers.

I do know what you mean, but have you thought of it from their point of view?

If they are not pushy and demanding nobody would bother to pay.

The softly, softly approach could see the school getting into severe debt and closing down as a worst case scenario.

Would it close down in those circumstaces? Or become a Voluntary Controlled school? I always assumed the diiference between Voluntary Aided and Voluntary Controlled was parents' ability to pay (or rather the Diocese's ability to raise contributions from parents).

The difference in financial terms between a VA school and a VC school is that the VA school is expected to find 10% of the cost of any capital works required. This contribution to capital works is supposed to come from the foundation or trust that controls the school, not the parents. There is no difference between VA schools, VC schools and LA-controlled schools in terms of funding for running costs.

Any school can request voluntary contributions. It cannot demand contributions nor should it be in any way suggesting that contributions are compulsory.

Ah I see what you mean with red letters, at DS's school its just a white letter, handed out at the same time as newsletters so no one would really notice.

As far as I understand from DS's school, the school would remain open and have the same money for basic running costs as other schools but would have less extra funds, so would have to cut back on things like extra curricular activities, workshops, trips, new library books etc.

Prh, the school's contribution to capital projects is covered by the Diocesan Maintenance Scheme, which acts like the sort of insurance cover that people have to cover their boilers etc - you pay in a fixed amount per year, and rest assured they'll be there to cover any unexpected costs.

The governors' contribution to the scheme is a per pupil amount, so that is the money they are raising from parents.

It's not, plasticpants; as prh says the school must raise 10% of it's capital budget themselves. I can't imagine your school is doing it any differently.

Floggingmolly, VA schools don't always want the risk of unexpected maintenance costs so, as I said, they join the Diocesan Maintenance Scheme as a mitigation and pay an annual contribution instead. Most of our local VA schools do the same, although the letters to parents aren't usually quite so abrasive as ours (I've checked them out as some are online).

Joining the Diocesan Maintenance Scheme as a form of insurance is fine. Asking parents for a voluntary contribution towards this is fine (although really the trust or foundation that . Demanding a contribution is illegal. They should not be sending letters implying parents are under an obligation to pay. They can outline the consequences if parents don't pay

Sorry - hit Post by mistake. Trying again...

Joining the Diocesan Maintenance Scheme as a form of insurance is fine. Asking parents for a voluntary contribution towards this is fine (although really the trust or foundation that pays this from their own resources). Demanding a contribution is illegal. They should not be sending letters implying parents are under an obligation to pay. They can outline the consequences if parents don't pay (if any). They should not be putting pressure on parents to pay or calling parents in to meetings with the head for non-payment.

I think you understand that from your OP. My explanation was really aimed at other posters who seem to think VA schools can demand an annual fee.

You must first follow the school's official complaints procedure. I'm afraid it is unlikely anyone else will look at it until you've done that.

Thanks Prh. Not sure I'm up for tackling the complaints procedure over something like this so I guess they'll carry on. I'll try the parents' survey again. Maybe I'll quote the regulations this time to see if it helps.

Maintenance is just that - maintaining existing structures.

Capital works are different - new buildings and facilities, or improvements to existing ones.

If 10% of the cost of capital works has to be found somehow, it seems reasonable to ask for voluntary contributions. Obviously it would help if the polite request included an explanation of what the money would be used for.

However, capital expenditure does not include maintenance. If you get no sense from the head, ask the Diocese.

camptownraces, this is a description of the Diocesan Maintenance Scheme: schools.london.anglican.org/uploads/asset_file/3_57_maintenance-scheme-2014-15.pdf

It says "The purpose of the scheme is to create a fund from which governing bodies of VA schools can pay their 10% contribution for maintenance and repair expenditure when it falls due. All schools participating in the Scheme make contributions based on pupil numbers as at January each year"

So I think some types of maintenance must be considered capital expenditure.

These Gvt Guidelines give a bit more information about what they're liable to pay the 10% contribution on: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175382/Blue_Book_-_Capital_Funding.pdf