Silent taxation of primary parents

[sammycruick]

I am a freelance language teacher and have previously worked in secondary. I also have two children in state sector primary schools.

The other morning I was dismayed to find that on setting up a new lunchtime language club, I was faced with the primary school's 'Business Manager'. She was adamant that to improve her budget she had to charge us for using the school (during the lunch hour). I pointed out that we are a low margin business, and that this cost would be passed on to parents, and she and the head were happy with that.

Do you know if other state schools are silently imposing this additional tax on parents who support their children's education? How do you feel about this as parents?

The attitude at the school was that if parents are able to afford the club, then they can afford the additional 'hire fee'.

90 % of the schools we work in don't

OP: can you please clarify - if there were no the fee for premises hire charged by the school, would the classes be free?

Would happily do it for free, but my family has to eat too :) We're looking at becoming a social enterprise instead.

Our school charges premises hire to all those who charge a fee to participants.

I am amazed you've found so many which don't tbh.

www.plymouth.gov.uk/1.4_lettings.pdf

Most schools will be bound by this sort of policy

Of course you should have to pay if you're charging as a business. If you're offering a free service then you don't pay.

"Do you know if other state schools are silently imposing this additional tax on parents who support their children's education?"

The school isn't imposing any costs on the parents. You are.

Compared to all the schools who don't charge, they are.

Get used to it, OP. As schools budgets continue to be squeezed, more and more schools will need to make sure they are making the most of their assets - which means charging profit making companies for the use of their premises. It's totally standard and good practise; as a school Governor, I would be very surprised if a profit making company were allowed to use school premises free of charge. If you are, then why not soccertots? rugbytots? cooking club? after all, they are all skills we should be encouraging in our children.

You are hilarious OP. You are not helping to keep school buildings open - you are running your club at lunchtime! The school is open then anyway. Just as your family has to eat, schools have to be able to pay staff salaries, utilities, supplies and everything else out of increasingly tighter budgets. I am a former school governor and would be less than impressed if I heard that we were offering free use of our premises to profit-making clubs.