Teachers buying own resources

[MrsHathaway]

Sorry for the thread title.

I'm sure that around this time last year there was a loooooooooong thread in Primary Education asking teachers what resources they buy for their classes out of their own money (i.e. when the budget runs out or they can't face justifying the cost), off the back of which some parents bought resources and sent them in to school for the new academic year.

Only I can't for the life of me find it. I've used every search term I can think of in Advanced Search and nothing. Can anyone else remember?

For what it's worth, this is the list I exported of all the materials teachers said they had bought for their classes. They also mentioned that by about June they're running out of photocopier paper, handwriting pens and pencils.

antibacterial gel and wipes
board rubbers
books
blu-tack
card blanks
coloured paper
colouring pens
costume material
cotton wool
counters
cushions and blankets, old curtains
dice
drawing pins
glue sticks
hair bobbles and clips
laminating pouches
marking stamps
mounting paper
paper clips
pencil crayons
san pro
sellotape
spare PE kit / uniform
stickers
sticky labels
tissue paper
tissues
underwear
washing lines and pegs

My local one is in Milton Keynes and is called The Scrap Store but I know some of the others around the country have not quite so obvious names! They’re also not in a shopping centre - again they’re all different but the MK one is in a local light industrial/business park.

Try this website to find more:
www.scrapstoresuk.org/

I remember speaking to a longstanding history teacher (secondary) and she said she always knew when the Tories were in power as she always ended up buying her own resources. I actually got my job under a Labour government initiative for improving literacy in KS3. How much longer are people going to accept paying tax and council tax for ever diminishing services? Sorry, it makes my blood boil.

As long as teachers (and well meaning parents) keep buying resources. Just stop!

Just stop!

Er, no. If I don't buy them, no one will, so I'd rather carry on, if it's all the same to you.

If I just stop buying resources then my class won't have the things I need in order to teach them. This will make my job more difficult.

It's hard, isn't It, because as much as you can campaign for better school funding (my MP knows my name, put it that way), there are in the meantime actual children in actual schools which are actually currently underfunded. So it's no wonder we feel obliged to fill the gap even though we know that permits the powers that be to drag their heels.

See also fundraising for hospitals, food banks, etc.

Multiple times a day, copying off the board? That doesn't allow for differentiation between groups, or make allowances for SEND, and it's a waste of time they could be spending on the actual activity.

It's not a waste of time. It's a very valuable skill and the more they do it, the quicker they will get. Obviously the few SEND children in each class could have it differentiated but the majority should be learning how to copy accurately.

Schools waste loads of money and resources. They should not be subsidised by staff or parents; the headteacher should manage their funds properly.

dividers to go in folders,
shaving foam (for writing in)
wetwipes
Nappy bags to send soiled underwear home in
socks
cups for children that have forgotten water bottles
stick on velcro
flour
playdough
sand

staples - I'm not allowed to blu-tack displays on anymore, yes this is a sore point because where I used to reuse backing paper I now have to replace it each display because of staple marks, which is a waste of paper and time

And yes, glue, glue is always appreciated.

Ed Psychs too - I have spent £100s on resources!