How much is your voluntary contribution?

[hibbledibble]

If your child goes to religious/voluntarily aided school how much do you pay a year in voluntary contribution? Do you pay the full amount suggested?

Our RC primary school asks for £1 a week and states it goes towards baking and play dough and things like that. it is kept on the classroom and the teacher has never asked for it. I only found out about it at Easter when they put a thank you notice up. We do have a high proportion of pupil premium children so many parents may not be able to afford it which is probably why it is not enforced or chased up.

Old school asked for £30 per year per child for building repairs etc. Plus "voluntary" contributions for trips/swimming etc. My impression was that few paid as the catchment was quite deprived and turnover of children was high.

A state boarding school nearby used to charge £1000 a term for day pupils, but this included wrap around care, all meals and a packed menu of activities (except for horse riding - that was extra). I would be wondering what you would be getting for your four-figure sum a year!

Dd2 goes to a Catholic primary. Not heard any mention of this..

Four figures?
I pay about £100 per school (secondary) per year IIRC, and there's a max. amount per family.

I think maybe it is time that many more parents just said no. The legal position is that schools can ask for voluntary donations for school trips etc but they should not be asking for funds for TAs, for school books etc. All that says is that the school is not using its funding correctly. Not arguing that funding is not tight and the difference in funding across different LAs is a very emotive issue. But schools need to get their act together and cut their cloth accordingly.
As a Chair of Governors there is absolutely not reason that schools are short of things like books etc, that just says the school has to high a wages bill, that is they have too many staff.

£300 a term at my sons school that he's due to start in September. I wish I had bloody known before putting it down as a choice and being given it!

Perhaps you should name and shame them?
Pathetic- the catholic church is one of the richest organisations in the world.

Never been asked at any of the 3 primary schools my DS went to (one CoE, one Catholic and one 'non specific faith').

We are asked to pay £25 pa at the secondary school he now attends - and after years of being involved in PTAs I am more than happy to pay up ).

£10 a year here - per family. Roman Catholic VA primary.
I lost the letter and forgot to pay. Hope I'm not on some sort of list!

The CofE VA school I work at doesn't ask for a voluntary contribution beyond any for school trips or transport costs for swimming sessions.

£20 a term but all trips, swimming etc are on top of this.
After Easter we paid the £20 then had to pay £15 for a school trip and £30 for swimming the week after.
Felt sorry for the parents who had twins in ds's class. It's a lot of money to find!

4 figures per child is the norm in Jewish schools. It pays for security, which is high in all schools primaries usually have at least 2 security guards at the start and end if the day and at least 1 at all other times and it pays for the religious education and the additional staff this involves which in a 2 class primary will be up to about 10 members of staff. It also pays for the resources such as books, religious related activities, outside groups coming in. None of these are provided by government funding. Therefore, the voluntary contribution isn't that voluntary although they can't force you to pay it. If those who can pay it don't then the religious education is compromised. The class teachers don't teach the religious side at all. They would far prefer that you go to the school and tell them that you can pay, say, £10 a month than you not pay at all.

I am at a four figure amount!

£5 per family although I gather very few pay. If everyone paid they could probably cut it to £3. It's a Voluntary Aided church school.

If those who can pay it don't then the religious education is compromised.

Surely, that is for the religious body to fund? Why else are they in the business of running a school, other than to indoctrinate children? I hardly think they're doing it for altruistic reasons.

I know the OP asked about religious/voluntarily aided schools but are parents with children in other state funded schools asked to make regular voluntary contributions?

mrz Yes - we are asked for (from memory) £30 per family per year, at a standard community primary. It covers the extras like ingredients for cooking when it's done in class and stuff like that, I think. I trust the school not to waste money, so I didn't look that carefully.

We pay separately for trips, workshops etc but the one time I forgot to pay I wasn't chased, so I think it is truly voluntary.

We are asked for £30-50 a month at a C of E school. We contribute £50 each month for each child. We also give money for extras like cooking and school trips. My understanding is that it is a Church School and so most costs of education are met by the government, but some cost are not covered. I don't see why the diocese should pay so it really comes down to parents.

It is clearly voluntary and if families can't afford it then they shouldn't give. It goes to a governors fund and I suspect that the head and staff have no idea who contributes.

When it was set up by the church 150 years ago people gave generously so it has a lovely big piece of land and some lovely old buildings. If people continue to be generous then it will continue to have wonderful facilities.

Yes ours is a state primary. £60 a year.

I have never heard of this before!

My dc go to a state cofe school and we pay for trips but not just for school in general!

Surely you can't lose a place at an offered school for not making a 'voluntary' payment? Wouldn't that be discriminatory and illegal?!

C of E primary my DC attend not asked for this but it's a voluntary controlled school not VA.

The VA C of E I went to as a child and some family go to now doesn't ask for anything like this either.

Just trips and special events and swimming lessons.

However 20 years ago my bog standard state secondary asked for £25 per child per term. My mother would send us in with a much begrudged £1 or 2 so we handed something in.

Yes, our outstanding primary (no religious connection, just a standard LEA school) asks for IIRC £50ish per family per year. I don't pay it. They chase twice then give up.

the school I mention asked for £50 a year, but the form showed how you could pay a DD monthly at the same amount.

so effectively £600 a year?!