Volunteering crisis in local schools - free-loading parents?

[LProsser]

I've had some very worrying conversations lately with teachers and parents from local primary schools in Teddington and Twickenham. In one large sought-after primary school the PTA is about to collapse because none of the 1000 or so parents are willing to take on the responsibility of running it. The retiring committee have found it more and more difficult to get parents to volunteer to help with events and have found some parents react with hostility and/or ridicule at being asked to. It seems these parents aren't capable of understanding that the money raised by PTA events is becoming more and more essential to their children's education, and that school events are important for the children in showing them a sense of community. One teacher told me that she now has far fewer parents coming into volunteer with reading so the children who are struggling are suffering. Another teacher said she was shocked when the class rep refused to organise a card for a family that was leaving as she said it "wasn't in her job description"! Yet the coffee shops still seem to be packed! Are these just isolated problems or is there a new generation of free-loading parents in our local schools? Is it because schools are becoming so large the sense of community has been lost? Has helping out at school become deeply uncool because of mocking comments by comedians and chick lit novels? Interested to know what people think.....

It is the governors who decide - the secondaries all held consultations for parents to contribute views, although not all received many responses. It made more sense for the four secondaries and funding for sixth forms seemed to be part of the deal. With 1,000 pupils plus 300 sixth formers, their budgets are big enough to have some purchasing clout as standalone academies and three times that of the average primary.

This idea of a purely 'commissioning council' is disingenuous though, because if the community primaries did decide to convert, they could refuse to take on any more ad hoc bulge classes. The council would have the duty to place children yet no negotiating power. So not a huge advantage for them. I wonder whether your LibDem councillor is just speculating? Even if not, Labour is proposing more local oversight over academies so it would seem foolhardy to rush into major changes so close to the election until there is clarity.

But I trust the head and governors of my DC's school to take a sensible and considered decision.

Lottie you think paying to send your child to a private schools will spare you being asked to help on the stall at the fete? www.oldvicarage-richmond.co.uk/recentevents.asp

"I wonder whether your LibDem councillor is just speculating?"

It's possible the comment was triggered by item 2.2 in the Children and Young People's Plan: Delivery Plan which was on last week's Scrutiny agenda.

It might happen by default if a school that fails certain targets has an academy sponsor forced on them by the DfE. But they still can't force the rest to convert 'voluntarily' to cover up such an unfortunate thing happening.

There is a primary school in Hounslow which has just converted voluntarily. It was a governing body decision, not imposed by the LA or DfE - the school will form part of a cluster of feeder schools around a secondary academy, as part of an 'umbrella trust'/federation. That would only work in Richmond for primary schools that have an obvious local secondary to partner with that has a compatible admissions policy/ethos/curriculum/teaching style (not all do, and that's the reason why the link policy broke down and why some parents would choose Turing Hose over the Kunsskapskolan schools). Or there could be a federation of borough primaries sharing best practice. But you could end up Richmond/Twickenham clusters or religious divide which would be a shame.

Heathclif - I'd imagine the PTA events at the Old Vicarage are more about social networking than raising money for mending the toilets so there is probably no shortage of volunteers!

I can't imagine many of the primaries in LB Richmond will be forced to become academies because they are failing in their targets, although I suppose some of them may fail to support/improve the results of children on FSM as well as they should. I would have thought that the pressure would come from threats that they will have a lot less money if they insist on sticking with a local authority that doesn't want them but will keep interfering and sticking in bulge classes that they haven't got room for if they don't become independent of it. Isn't this partly why the secondaries switched? I am unclear what LB Richmond is going to do when it reaches the point where it has insufficient secondary school places but can't force any secondary school to take a bulge? Perhaps surplus children will be bussed to places elsewhere in the South East or further afield with spare capacity if there are any!

Lottie Nope, from what I gather Friend's money has been used to refurbish the toilets, or should I say loos. Similar grouches of why can't they write a check, it is just parent tax etc. and difficulties getting parents to volunteer. I am not sure how far private school stereotypes apply in LBRUT since so many parents are not buyers by preference but because they felt they had no choice, lots of working parents too, given the demands of house prices and fees.

LProsser no school or borough is immune. Not even Richmond. The DfE will impose a sponsor if a school is rated grade 4. This London school went from Outstanding to Inadequate (not special measures) after one inspection because data was not available during the visit and some inconsistency was observed in teaching.

Even Ofsted inspectors are concerned by forced academisation. In this situation the best support an LA could offer is to find an acceptable sponsor and for the school to convert before it is forced or face uncertainty and exodus of staff.

Heathclif - I am imagining Jerry Hall as the typical parent of the Old Vicarage as it's next door to her house practically! I would imagine that if you pay fees and are working you feel particularly grouchy about having to spend your free time raising more money for the school. I don't hear much about how this is handled at private schools. Most of the parents I know with children in private sector have taken them out of the state sector because they weren't coping due to dyslexia or similar but they are already pretty rich people because they can afford to live here and to do that so extra cost not material!

Lottie If you wanted to race Mick or Ruby Wax or Jennifer Saunders or Richard E Grant in the parents race you would have been looking at Ibstock and it is rumoured that there is a Beckham at The Harrodian but my experience of private schools has been of a mix of parents who could easily afford it and those that were making sacrifices, no celebs, bar the odd journalist name.

Parents' race?!

" I would imagine that if you pay fees and are working you feel particularly grouchy about having to spend your free time raising more money for the school."

My closest private school uses their PTA to raise money for charity, not for the school itself. Just assumed that was typical.

muminlondon Some of the parents train for months for the mothers egg and spoon and the father's three legged race.......

I can imagine Victoria Beckham or Amanda Holden in their Sweaty Betty gear but surely the journos prefer a good quiz night?

mum they spend months swotting for that as well!

You are rather confirming my suspicions that the main point of private school PTAs is to socialise and celebrity spot rather than fundraise for essentials which is probably very pleasant. I hear Keeley Hawes and Matthew McFadyen are popular to be seen with at Newland House. There is a lot of socialising and drinking in the state sector too, but only the odd very minor D-list celebrity: possibly beefing up the celebrity parent intake (new admissions' category?)would be a better way forward for fund-raising than the stress of summer fairs and Christmas bazaars!?

Lottie I think I was more making the point that certain private schools do seem to attract celebs, and also very competitive parents! However I don't know any parents who signed up to any schools for the celebrity count, Vineyard and St Mary's have to my knowledge had their share too. I'd much rather socialise with Jane Horrocks than McHawes from what I have heard. After all you can see any of our resident celebs in the street anyway if you are that fussed, I am quite relieved Nick Frost seems to be busy with work at the moment as he is always sat outside the cafes round the corner and looks very tetchy if you make eye contact, and I keep thinking I know him from somewhere but can't remember where, so politely smile just in case it would be rude not to!

I do know plenty of private school parents who really do find the rounds of fetes and quiz nights a chore, and they do have problems with volunteering. You are right of course that they shouldn't need to fundraise for basics but I think it is all part of a "PTA" mould that schools find it hard to break out of, it is what PTAs do. That picnic plus cheque in lieu of having to be dutiful and worthy would I am sure be just as welcome in private schools as state, meets the schools need for cash and the parents and children's for socialising .. And then leave the fund raising as a community event for charity, giving the kids and parents a chance to be creative, and learn genuine philanthropy.

LProsser -sorry, I know it's not the thread topic but I noticed another FOI disclosure on academies.

The government has spent £8.7 million on academy brokers in the last three years (i.e. finding sponsors for 510 academies). None of this has actually gone to schools or teaching.

That equates to a lot of fairy cakes. I'd bake them for a standalone academy, if that's how it ended up. Not one in a corporate chain.

This story puts a different spin on it www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jul/12/school-fairs-parent-teacher-associations. Thriving PTAs becoming more businesslike in their fundraising, several examples from the London burbs. I'm not sure I recognise what they describe as the norm, apart from the Estate Agent sponsorship.

Thanks Heathclif - I think this shows the whole range of what is going on locally and the comments at the end are wide-ranging - from the school where the fete had to be cancelled due to lazy parents to the French approach where every need is (currently) met from taxation!

On primaries being forced to become academies, interesting development to see Sutton council (LibDem) supporting parents' wishes for a different sponsor from one the DfE wishes to impose on Camden school, i.e. Harris. The Guardian had previously reported that Harris was trying to demand money for uniform orders before the consultation on academy status had even ended.