School charging for Art Work

[backg]

My child's school has decided to charge if parents want to take the kids artwork home (I am assuming they mean things they make(felt puppets etc) not just drawings.

The kids can participate in all art activities, but will only be allowed to take the items home if parents have paid... otherwise I guess they will throw them away??

Has anyone heard of anything like this??

No, I haven't. It's not exactly what you'd call inclusive is it? Lower income family children are effectively going to be penalised, and penalised in a very public way, for being from a lower income family. If the school doesn't have the financial resources to be making felt puppets then they should be doing activities which they can afford.

If I were you I would be asking the Head about how this fits in with their Inclusion Policy. And if not happy I would be asking for a meeting with the Chair of Governors.

Not at primary but we have to pay at secondary, the money goes towards the costs of the materials and I'm happy to pay as luckily I can afford to.

Although I haven't asked I'm sure the school would make sure that in cases of genuine hardship the payment would be waived.

Whether we like it or not school budgets are under as much pressure as everything else at the moment I don't think its necessarily wrong of schools to ask those who can afford to contribute to do so.

Thanks all. The school says that it is due to budgeting pressure etc. Aren't we all feeling the same pressures?
All I can see happening (with me in any case) is that I will pay for my child's art, but will not have the money to participate in some other school fundraiser....

I'm not sure the Governors have thought this through very well.

I have heard of it yes, they charge just a little to raise funds, worked well at my friends school when hers did it

Backg - you, and all other parents only have a finite amount of money to donate to the school so it doesn't matter if it's classed as for art work or a different fundraiser. The school isn't any worse off but maybe there are some parents who can afford to do both so those parents end up giving more and the school overall benefits.

I think that you are being very sensible - if you have £10 to give you can only give it once.

I'd be surprised if the Governors have had any involvement in this, ime they don't get involved in the day to day running of the school.

Let's hope you get some lovely art work

I don't like the sound of this, for the reasons described above and because I think it is wrong for a school to harness "pester power".

If the artwork is made in a lesson, then the materials have been consumed anyhow.

We had an after school art club which did make a small charge for materials, as that was in addition to those used in curriculum lessons. I don't have a problem with that (school also had a small discretionary fund to help pupils who might not be able to join in that, or other clubs with costs, for financial reasons).

If additional funds are really needed, is it something the PTA could support from general fundraising?