school charging for extra-curricular clubs?

[shongololo]

got a message from school today...from next term they will be charging for extra curricular clubs. £20 per term for years 4,5,6 and £10 per term for year 3s (less clubs available.) These are not professional clubs, like chelsea-run football. These are the standard clubs like recorder and netball, rugby and sewing. Run by staff. Note says its because of cuts to budgets, clubs will make up the shortfall. Staff will not be paid, money will be used for school budget.

Anyone ever heard of another school doing this? Is it even legal?

If you dont want to pay then why not round up a whole group of parents to run the clubs for free.

Teachers have so much paperwork to do after school, and I cant blame them if they want to be paid to run school activities after hours.

School budgets are always limited and the they have to prioritise where the money is spent.

If you went to an after school activity at a different place other than school, (sports hall or club) would you not expect to pay?

So why should an event at school be free?

I am confused why you should be upset that you have to pay?

We won't get the £20, it just means that those of us that buy materials for a club will have the opportunity to get some cash refunded on production of a receipt.

And quite right to. Teachers fork out so much of their own money for the kids, and parents still complain.

I think anything that schools can do like this is a good idea - they are going to get less money when the new budgets are set for April 2011 and will need every penny they can get to ensure our children don't lose out.

All the clubs as dc's school have a charge both during and after school time. I wouldn't expect them to be free and I do appreciate the extra work involved for the teachers.

Its £35-45 a term at my DD's school. I think that's pretty bad - but that's how it is.

WOW. That's great value.

Sorry -- I'm always doing this. Read the op and responded to that.

Still, yes don't understand why people expect free after school clubs unless sports team training or choir practice or representing school at something else sort of thing.

Of course one ought to pay!

My goodness you don't know how lucky you are. I can't believe there was ever such a thing as a free after school club in a state school. It's not like teachers don't have enough to do.

've been in schools that have run free clubs for over 20 years, last year was the first time we charged.

Clubs are generally viewed by parents as an extra hour of childcare, and for that reason, there should be a realistic charge.

We have no free clubs at dd's state primary. They are all run by external people and cost between £4 and £6 per session. I would not have expected any to be free.

I guess is a knee jerk reaction from my part. We've been at the school over 7 years, so a new charging structure is a bit of a shock, as it came out of the blue.

My kids do sport - not crafty clubs. DS plays for the 1st team for rugby, and is team captain for swimming. I guess my thinking was that there are no additional costs to these sports - the equipment come from Sainsburys vouchers, staff time as been given and will continue to be given FOC. I can understand charging for cooking, art, sewing, where there are a great deal of consumables.

One thing that does concern me, however, is the impact on certain groups in the area. The school catchment is extremely wealthy (in the top 1% in the country) but also includes a large traveller community and an area of significant deprivation (ranked 40% in indices of deprivation). For people in these communities, £20 is two weeks much needed child benefit. So the poorer kids, whose parents cannot afford eg swimming lessons and private footie clubs now miss out on sport based on inability to pay.

Surely schools should be offering sport opportunities to all, regardless of ability to pay?

Im gong to have to it on the fence I think - I get that the school needs to raise funds, but I also think that sport is a great leveller and that ever child should have the opportunity to try out a new sport.

At our school we pay for externally run clubs, approx £40 per term. Teacher run clubs are free but we pay for materials or bring our own materials. Children on free school meals access Govt funding to pay for the external clubs.

I think a charge is more than fair. Equipment and consumables need replacing (our vouchers from tescos/sainburys etc) buy a few things but not enough to kit out a club etc) and teachers stay over to run them with the odd extra volunteer.

Its nice when things are free but budgets are tighter than ever and extras should be paid for just like you would pay for them anywhere else.

Those on low incomes get CB and CTC etc so £2 a week is affordable for all - schools are usually open to split payments. If they truly cant pay then they could offer their time instead and run the club as a volunteer.

My friend's son, who gets free school meals, also gets a free after school club, not sure what the scheme is called, but maybe this would be available to your school?

We pay £20 a term for ours - some are externally run and some internally. I think that's good value.

Two clubs are run by the teachers at DC's school. These are held at lunchtime and are free. The rest are run by outside organisations and cost on average £80-£95 per term.

£80-95??? Blimey that's expensive.

Followed this thread and suggested charging to HT today. Said we could run it on an egalitarian system - she could have a football for her club, and we could have 20 new music stands. Not the most successful negotiation! Think we're still going to be free!

I think it's fair enough. If school budgets are going to be slashed, we have to accept that money has got to come from somewhere, or else certain activities will be cut. I wouldn't object to contributing to something like this at all - in fact, I think it's bloody good value and it's good of the teachers to give up their time for nothing.

Having said that, I would hope that there would be some provision for children whose families can't afford to pay.

Funding is going to be cut for schools in April, they are supposed to be getting the same level of funding per pupil that they get this year, providing that the government play fair and do hand over all the grant funding that was available last year. That therefore is in reality a 4 to 5 % cut, out of which they will have to pay increases in teachers and non-teaching staff. That really means less staff in the school.
Schools will therefore be looking for any possible funding that is out there and parents will have to pay for more. But the schools also have to play fair, there are rules to abide by. So I think the OP should ask the school for their charging policy and see what it says about clubs being run by teachers.

I am amazed to hear that there are extra-curricular clubs which are free! After all, the answer is in the title - they're not part of the curriculum for which the school receives its (reducing) funding. £10-20 a term sounds like a bargain to me.

I'm also amazed by the implication in some posts that teachers ought to be giving their time for free. (And no, I'm not a teacher).

This money is not going to pay teachers though is it, it will pay for materials. I think most teachers would give up their time for free.