Do your school ask for money, voluntary or otherwise

[Hervana]

Just canvassing opinions.

Our school never ask us for money and I'm kind of wondering why? Schools across the borough ask for money from parents and of course have a lot more resources as a result! I've been asked for £6 since September for a class activity.

I do realise I should be grateful, especially in these hard times, but sometimes I just wonder if the school is missing a trick

Yes I understand not all parents can afford to make voluntary donations but some can and would.

What are your thoughts on voluntary donations? And do you donate to your school/are you asked to donate to your school?

Should say

Yes I understand not all parents can afford to make voluntary donations but some can and would (if only they were asked)

Yes, I would be interested in any responses too. Our school is a church aided school and asks for voluntary regular contributions (discretionary and confidential) and I would be happy to give. But I don't know the 'going rate' so am shy of donating.

Only for off site visits (and then not always)

One local school here (church aided) requests donations per term. £10 a term it is but I'm going to check that.

Sorry should have said-they will request ££ for off site visits but we haven't had many yet (DS in R)

I do realise one day I may regret suggesting to the school that they request donations but The school is on its knees in terms of funding and I just don't get why they're scared of asking/offending parents

We are asked for £10 per month per child plus regular fundraising stuff. Not for off site visits though. We aren't in the UK though and the way our school is funded is odd. It's RC school and being constantly asked for money is just a feature of Catholic life IMHO! We give what we can afford/ feel is appropriate.

You see that's what I think our school should be doing-not compulsory but a set figure for a voluntary donation, if you've got it to give they should accept it!

They're very conscious that people don't have a lot right now and feel
That it may offend some-I don't see how if it's voluntary!

It seems as though, generally, CofE /RC schools are happier to request money (although not in our case-c of e school!)

only for ofsite activities - we do have a fairly active PTA and raise a fair bit that way - happy to do things to help with that
I wouldn't be happy about being asked for a regular donation to the school though

I pay for trips
I would not be happy to be asked to make a regular contribution. I contribute through income tax and dislike stealth privatisation

Hervana at our school the contribution for trips is 'voluntary' but I have seen parents hounded and embarrassed to pay up when they really can't afford it

We rarely ask for money, except the odd charity collection. Never for trips (except residential)

40 a year, voluntary, plus about 2 for trips. I would happily give much more but only if it was v v optional.

Our school seem to ask for money all the time.

So I have DD in yr2 and DS in Reception.

For each I have to pay £2 per term towards cooking, £17 per year towards end of year trip, £4 per year for 1 farm trip, £3 a year towards egg hatching, Supply blown eggs and glass jars. They normally do one or two extra trips which we pay in the region of £5 each for and the school try to do the normal kids have made this so cough up and buy it. like potato print wrapping paper and tags at Christmas £3 each, cards at christmas £5 per pack. This year its Jubilee mugs and poetry books! £15 a book!!!!

So yes our school asks and I have a feeling there is more than I've listed but we still have half a term to go and haven't had a money request form for about 6 weeks.

Thank you for your thoughts it's good to hear the other side-good point about stealth privatisation which is what it is I guess

Our PTA is very active

They certainly wouldn't hound people for contributions afaik

Just very frustrating that we are on our knees for funding-all
schools are aren't they-they can't even continue to do weekly cooking in class anymore-which is the only thing I've contributed to so far-as they've run out of money. If they perhaps ask for another donation perhaps they could continue?

Meanwhile we only dream of having a designated home exonomics area like the school 400 yards up the road do

I would say we live in a fairly affluent area but take on a lot of out of borough children

Another good pOint about having more than One child too

could you run a lunchtime/after school cookery club? Costs would not be huge and interested parties could contribute in fact a colleague and I do this

We have been asked for surprisingly little - £10 for a trip at Christmas, 3 x £1.50 for non uniform days, £1-2 for disco at Christmas. I think that's it (since September, Reception)

But they did change the uniform 6 weeks into the new term

by interested parties I meant volunteers etc, not that the children pay to attend.

That's a very good idea-thank you-and in actual fact we had a govenors meeting recently which is where this Q stemmed from and breakfast clubs/after school activities was a question I didn't have time to ask

Will have a ponder

Very deprived area, around 50% free school meals BTW so they would struggle to get much more I suspect.

£30 a year school fund, £1 forn regular childrens drawing/art/modeling competitons. raffle tickets school fayre, non uniform this is split with cafod and sports relief or children in need though, schooltrips, disco etc always looking for cash, great school so dont mind.

Actually we have had a couple of discos and I didn't include those as they were requested by PTA and I kind of look at them as an after school thing as they don't have to attend them

New uniform six weeks into new term no wonder you are still bitter terrible management!

I guess it's because our parents are so mixed-prob 50% local (affluent area) 50% out of borough, I just think the 50% who live locally may well be prepared to, and could afford to, give more. If only they were asked!

As I said other local schools do

Ok well we don;t have much in the way of actual ovens so we make things like pizza (to cook at home) fruit salad etc - teach weighing mixing rolling dough etc costs are minimal and some of our dc don't get much chance to do this at home
in a more affluent area maybe children get more baking opps (but then some parents may be time poor, so not always so ) - art club? could be done cheaply - writers club - Drama? many things depend on time rather money - construction? I also run a recorders club with a couple of spare recorders and a couple of books, children bring their own, is v inclusive
there are other ways you can add value than by asking for regular donations. Time is valuable too

sorry thread is moving fast
hervana is there a divide in your school? you keep mentioning the in/out of borough as if there's the 'in' club and the 'others'

Really good ideas ninah and exactly what I was looking for when I started this thread. Going to properly consider those ideas thank you

No divide as such but we are certainly the local 'poor' school. Most locals don't want to attend-they like the look of the shiny HE facilities down the road-and not many put our school down as first choice but that seems to be changing a little.

No divide as such-none that I'm aware of anyway-but no denying that our mix is made up of locals that didn't get their first choice and children from other boroughs, may be less affluent

Having said that this is the thing I love most about the school-the mix-something that cannot be taught in any classroom, I don't think, and a true reflecrion of real life IMO