Bursaries

[EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime]

Merely as a footnote to the comprehensively-debated VAT on school fees, we donate several thousand per year to our children’s private school, in order to provide bursaries for less-fortunate children.

We have just cancelled these donations and are aware of other parents doing similarly. It’s genuinely sad for the kids who will lose out, but the Government need to realise there are consequences to their actions.

Just a comment - I have no plans to enter into another debate.

Never mind

They aren't, you are describing a scholarship. Burseries are means tested given to those who wish to attend a private school they can not fund. Often up to 50% of fees is provided.

Yes you can donate to State schools.
When DD left State Primary we offered a donation to The PTA (I was Chair) but after discussion with The Head we gave vouchers for a local bookshop instead as they were building a new library, we also gave The PTA some money to buy new seating
It wasn't £6k a year but it was a reasonable amount.
I am now Governor at a different State school and we do donate a bit from time to time, usually by asking The PTA what they especially need.

People like OP continue to make ALL Private school parents look like entitled arseholes who are throwing a tantrum - we aren't

So if you rocked up to a state school and said I’ve got £6000 to donate to you a) would they be allowed to accept it and b) what would it potentially be spent on?

Yes of course they would. It would be spent on whatever they felt was needed most, books, outdoor play equipment, sports equipment, technology.

I genuinely don't get it.

You have 6K to donate.

You actually believe that spending that money on hoiking an intelligent child out of the state system and out of their community and putting them somewhere where they are likely to get a worse education, BUT will get grades that an education business can claim credit for, and use to lure in more wealthy Russians, who don't even pay tax here (yet -thankfully they will now!)

This is a good use of your money? I can't see how this is caring about education?

If you GENUINELY care about education of opportunities for children (which I don't believe you do) and you have 6k a year to donate then can I please recommend SOS Children's villages to you

This is a charity that runs children's homes in poorer areas overseas. They specialise in giving destitute children stability and security, placed in small "family groups" in homes with long term "parents". Children need to be in a safe home in order to benefit from an education.

Your 6K will do some genuine good there. You can donate to the charity as a whole, or sponsor 15 or 20 children, and track their progress and be in contact with them. Some will fail and some will thrive, but all will have better opportunities in live through your giving.

I have visited these several of these children's homes, and you honestly would not know these are children in care. When it works out, they stay in the same sibling group with the same house parents for their whole child hood. They get the security, relationships and love that gives them a basis to walk into school with their heads held high, feeling they are just as good as everybody else. A big change from sleeping alone in the gutter, begging, or a life sold into slavery.

Of course they carry trauma, and life isn't always smooth in these families, but it is the best opportunity they can have.

I have sponsored several children through this charity. Two have gone on to university and are now successful professionals. 3 have a trade. 2 more, well, life has not worked out so well for them, but at least I know they have an education, and they might be able to use it one day.

Isn't that a better use of your money than giving something that will pay for a fraction of some already privileged child to change school for no real benefit or reason?

And guess what! you can gift aid your 6k! so it will go so much further than paying into an education business that will be paying tax on whatever it does with it

https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvfCP1fTQhwMVQ62DBx0AExrMEAAYASAAEgJo-fD_BwE

Surely bursaries don't normally come from fee paying parental donations?

The local school takes a percentage of of its fees and its asset generated wealth to do this. At one time they took in a vast number of disadvantaged inner city kids. I just think that will stop. It's no different to any other cut VAT brings about. The charity stops, the charity aspects stops to surely?

It's ok OP, we're balancing you out by increasing the amount we donate to DH's former school to support their work with full bursaries for orphaned children.
We also regularly donate an equal amount to a school in an African country to support their work with orphaned and destitute children.
It's up to you which charities you support, if you choose to withdraw support for a school as an objection to a political decision that's your right. It doesn't make logical sense, but people behave illogically all the time.
Not sure why you felt the need to make a thread about it though.

Sos children's villages never take a child away from their heritage - all families are created with siblings and parents that share a culture and speak the same language

Unfortunately bursaries still only tend to benefit the privileged who have family money. The max you can generally get is 50% meaning you need to find £10k a year plus uniforms etc, outside the reach of all but the affluent, every kid I know on a bursary had wealthy grandparents paying. My dd had a government bursary (specialist school) which is more generous.

This is terrific, genuinely.

Thanks

Not at all schools - the large private school my kids are at looks solely at financial need and are not selective academically for bursaries. No idea if these will continue at the current rate in the future. It would be great to see Labour doing detailed work to map out the private sector and establish what rate of bursaries, SEN support, discounted use of facilities are being provided - but they don't actually care about improving education sadly.

@Marchitectmummy, bursaries often 'top up' scholarships (which in themselves are nominal amounts these days).

This is spot on IMHO.

O I am so please you are considering it. Thank you so much xx

😂🙄

The previous Labour government ended the Assisted Places scheme - they ideologically don’t believe in bursaries 🤷‍♀️

😜

If you and all the other donators have £6k a year to the local state schools it would make a dig difference to them. The PTA committees provide a lot of the "extras".

The OP very much prefers guinea pigs to actual children …

@mitogoshi the current undergrad in our family had 100% of their fees paid for eight years. Traditional, wealthy, full boarding prep and public school. And the latter prided itself on offering 100% to a significant proportion of pupils.

Anyway - I’ve completely lost track of the arguments here. It would be wonderful if everyone - not just those in £3 million houses in leafy catchments, had access to brilliant state education. But that isn’t currently the case - and I think most people’s primary concern is what they can do for their own child.

‘The Government is punishing private schools by levying VAT, therefore I’m going to punish my private school by withdrawing my bursary donations’.

Way to go OP. You’re really sticking it to the man.

Every little helps.

I’m simply not prepared to stand back and let the Government target children. Oh wait, they are also targeting the old. What a lovely bunch. And BTW, they will soon get to you and yours.

I’m simply not prepared to stand back and let the Government target children.

But … meanwhile you’re targeting the children that your school’s bursaries are intended to help? Okaaay.

And BTW, they will soon get to you and yours.

Unlike the last 14 years of Tory rule of course.

I’m simply not prepared to stand back and let the Government target children. Oh wait, they are also targeting the old.

They’ll go for both

They all be donating £6k or more to state schools - VAT.

I had to cancel donation to a local state school. Can't afford it anymore.

I've been donating to a state school for years, no idea how they managed that, they just gave me an account number.