school finances situation in your child’s school.

[kafkesque]

Letter received today:

Updating you about school finances
I am sure you will have heard through news and topical radio/television programmes about the crises in school funding and I felt it important to update you about the situation in your child’s school.
Our school is also suffering financially and for a number of reasons. For example, the recent staff pay rises are not centrally funded, meaning we need to find thousands of pounds from this year’s budget. On the horizon, employer’s pension contributions will increase from 14% to 50% by September 2020, resulting in £140,000 to be found (annually) from our school budget. Some centrally funded support for September 2019 is promised, though not from this point onwards.
Schools are now charged for services that used to be free at the point of access. In addition, the needs of our pupils placed at The MSE continue to increase and as such, so do our costs for relevant resources (e.g. reading books, IT equipment and programmes as well as staffing and related training costs.) However, per-pupil funding levels are not keeping pace with the significant extra demands on the school. We know this funding argument is ‘won’ though have no confirmation as to whether any additional finances to support us will actually materialise.
On our doorstep, the cuts to other community services leaves vacuums, for which we find ourselves undertaking crucial pastoral work that would not otherwise be provided for our families.
If only the ‘little extras’ money promised in November’s budget could be for ‘extras’. If we cannot fundraise to meet such additional costs, we will have to make savings in other areas. Fundraising has been very successful at school, but as you can imagine, so many grants, trusts, company and private donors, do not want to spend money on school essentials like staffing, replacing toilets or worn-out flooring.
I am sure you are aware that Teaching Assistants, Teachers, Admin and Leaders at The MSE School regularly undertake unpaid overtime, though you may not be aware that this is often in excess of 30 additional (unpaid) hours per week. This is not just because of the love of the job, but to keep up with the immense demands placed on the school.
I do hope you that won’t find this pessimistic but I wanted to update you about the current situation as I do know you take a keen interest in your child’s education. We remain optimistic - the school continues to innovate and be highly resourceful.
Best wishes,

Unfortunately yes I did send that response. So I am a dick and a twat, really embarrassed myself with that email.

But in my defence (whoa the backlash) this school has a reputation of thinking out of the box and has achieved amazing things. Truely people are looking at this school as an example of what can be done.

It just struck me that council run tip are helping to make charities lots of money so why shouldn't it for the schools? Council should have initiatives to help it's organisations. Maybe it is still unpalatable at the moment.

Judging by peoples responses Education is supposed to be paid for through taxes.

This is their ask this week:

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR TO IMPROVE THE SCHOOL…
Each week, we’ll be posting a list of items our staff are looking for to improve their classrooms for their students. If you have spare or unused items that match the descriptions below, then please contact the school office.in date on 1st December) / Tea and Coffee / Soft Drinks / 2 or 3 poles with hooks (for hook the duck) / Paddling Pool (for hook the duck) / Good quality Father Christmas Outfit (to borrow) / Large Santa Sack

If you did fund raising yourself without involving the school (as they have enough to do with running a school) I'm sure they'd appreciate that.

Schools have always raised money through the PTA for the ‘little extras’. But the basic funding of stuff that school needs, like teachers, TAs, building maintenance and classroom supplies should be paid for by the government.

Why not turn the school into a Tesco Metro, or an estate agency, staffed by parents and former year 11s? How about setting it up as an Aston Martin showroom, or newsagents, or a hairdressing salon? I mean there are numerous opportunities out there which are successful businesses, why limit yourself to selling second hand coffee tables for 50p.

ignoring the fact that any amount of fundraising cannot be spent on core expenditure such as staffing.

@Letsgetreadytorumba

50% employers contributions?!

I think it's more likely a 40%(ish) increase on the current employer contribution percentage. Still a significant cost to schools, but not quite as startling as 50% of actual pay!

Forgot to add a link: www.aoc.co.uk/news/big-teacher-pension-contributions-increases-in-2019-8-oct-update

I have no doubt that funding cuts are a massive problem, BUT, spending decisions are often pretty poor, i.e. wasting money on projects/initiatives that are soon forgotten, and also many schools have valuable resources they simply don't capitalise on. My son's school rent out their hall for local exhibitions, their gym is rented out long term for a evening/weekend dance school, their pool is rented out to a local swimming club. In Summer, they rent out half the site as a summer school to overseas students. They also have a very active PTA, who run an on site school shop selling uniform, books, even merchandise with the school logo such as umbrellas, pens, etc and organise annual events. The PTA has funded computer suites, 3d printers, theatre lighting etc. They can't just sit back and wait for govt grants anymore - they need to be far more proactive in using their assets wisely.

Funding a computer suite is all well and good but if the school can’t afford to hire teachers and TAs, then the computer suite isn’t going to fix that problem.

Funding a computer suite is all well and good but if the school can’t afford to hire teachers and TAs, then the computer suite isn’t going to fix that problem.

They work closely with the school. The school say what they want and the PTA do the fund raising for it. Do you really think they'd just randomly spend thousands on things the school didn't ask for????

But they can’t ask the PTA to pay for class teachers.

OP you are a complete and utter steaming twat.

Schools are doing absolutely everything they can to cut everything other than the stuff that directly impacts the pupils - they've been doing this for years but they're now at the point where there is absolutely nothing else left to cut and pupils are suffering massively. Before the summer holiday it had got so bad with no whiteboard pens in my daughter's class that I went off to buy some packs so the teachers could actually bloody well teach! (And unlike others on here I'm not in the financial position to really be able to do so - I'm a supply teacher... so I'm not working as there's no bloody money and we got cut back on long long ago now). Any good-quality books my kids have outgrown have gone into school to prop up their classroom stocks as well - thankfully there are a few good-egg parents like me around busting our arses to try to support things as best we can.

Our PTA, which has always had the very strongly held line that we won't fund curriculum as that should be funded out of school budgets has had to drop that line completely this year to keep things going for school.

Our teaching staff are bloody fantastic (I am seriously jealous of how good DD2's teacher last year is), the kids are bloody fantastic and the head's awesome - it's an amazingly good school. I would have absolutely no issues if an email went round asking if anyone had a Father Christmas outfit to be borrowed for the school Christmas stuff - it's the sort of random thing someone will have shoved away in the loft somewhere and can save the school having to buy one.

Well said, reverse.

My dd's old school sent a letter this year asking if parents could make a voluntary contribution towards the cost of running the school - officially it was for the continuation of non core subjects like art and music but I see them as core!

My dd is now private and the difference is astonishing, 1:1 tutoring is standard if they are missing target grades

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR TO IMPROVE THE SCHOOL…
Each week, we’ll be posting a list of items our staff are looking for to improve their classrooms for their students. If you have spare or unused items that match the descriptions below, then please contact the school office.in date on 1st December) / Tea and Coffee / Soft Drinks / 2 or 3 poles with hooks (for hook the duck) / Paddling Pool (for hook the duck) / Good quality Father Christmas Outfit (to borrow) / Large Santa Sack

So OP if you have any of the above items, help your school by giving them to the school, if you don't then wait for the next message, read that, see if you have anything you can donate to help etc.

Maybe you can go scavenging on the local tip to look for these things for them, seeing as that is your answer to their funding problem.

I don't see any problem with their message, it seems sensible to ask Parents if they have any of these things, to save spending money they don't have on them.

In the UK we spend a lot on education compared to other countries

If this is based on the figures the DfE were trumpeting recently, then they’ve been taken to task for it because the figure ‘spent on education’ included university tuition fees and private school fees, which are, of course, not government spending.

I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere with all the trolling. I am the first person to help the school.

I was looking for ways to help the school.

You said you were fed up with the 'begging bowl'. You referred to a school letter about the desperate financial situation the school is in as a 'guilt trip downer'. Your response was to suggest rummaging about in skips which comes across as you making a mockery of a very bad situation that is costing people their jobs. You deserve the responses you got.

I was looking for ways to help the school.

If you actually want to help, why don’t you donate some of the things they’ve asked for then, rather than moaning on here about the ‘begging bowl’ and suggesting they set up a junk shop in a tip.

Well said Ana

I don't think it's a bad idea for the school to use the "begging bowl" they're in dire financial straights. Personally I'd contribute to my child's school because I can afford to. I wouldn't expect others to contribute if they can't afford to but I don't see why they shouldn't be informed about the financial situation in their child's school.

That’s a very poorly written letter from the school though and partially inaccurate. They don’t have next year’s budget yet. They should have forecasts and be planning what they can do. Trying to get the pta to provide for the wish list could help. There are some extravagant salaries at the top end in some schools. Perhaps they should share the budget with parents and see if anyone can trim a bit here and there?

Perhaps they should share the budget with parents and see if anyone can trim a bit here and there?

I'm sure class 4's teacher would be more than happy with everyone knowing what she earns.... Or how much Billy's mum earns as a dinner lady.

"Well what a guilt trip downer on a Friday afternoon
Why did you say this? Do you think he should keep funding cuts a secret from parents in case it puts a downer on their afternoon?

As I said previously on the thread we gave a big donation after a letter like that, however I don’t think that it precludes discussion about spending in schools which seems to have been insinuated by some. This is local to me.

The headteacher of The Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, a moderately performing single school academy, was paid £210,000 in 2016-17 making her the highest paid academy head or Chief Executive in Kent and Medway. This is an increase of 35% over the past three years after what can only be described as an irresponsible series of decisions by Governors, bringing the whole process into disrepute, and undermining the credibility of the very real financial crisis in schools, as explained below. By contrast the Principal of Homewood School, the largest secondary school in the county, had a salary of just £110,000 last year, one of majority of secondary heads around or below £100,000

knole

After Knole come the CEOs of two of Kent’s largest Academy Trusts, both responsible for more than a dozen primary and secondary schools: Swale AT and Leigh AT at £190,000 and £180,000 respectively

Grammar School Academy Headteachers are generally paid from around £85,000 to £110,000 annually, with Dartford Grammar School, the largest and most oversubscribed grammar school in the county on the latter sum. Highest paid Grammar School Head is at Rainham Mark Grammar, Medway. with £155,000 (£90,000 for HT salary, £65,000 for Academy Trust CEO), followed by Barton Court, Canterbury, at £125,000 (also a Trust CEO)