State primary school and voluntary contribution

[MRSMYM]

How to simply avoid schools from paying voluntary contribution as per school people are paying more what they are asking trying to pressurise parents .. I know it’s not obligatory but why it’s there and what to say

Sorry about typ errors

Are you a parent? Schools are asking parents to contribute financially because so many primary and secondary school’s budget have been cut to absolute bare bones. They don’t as for parents contribution to buy luxury items, but essentials.

If you can’t contribute financially even a bit every month, ask for a meeting with teacher and explain in simple terms that you are not in a position to make financial contributions at present but could you volunteer some time to help with, I don’t know, doing the school’s garden/volunteer in the school?

If you are a parent and this the PTA asking for contributions, you can easily do the same and contribute time instead. I am sure there are hundreds of parents who are not in a good place financially and simply can’t give money. I hope you are ok.

My DD attends an outstanding London state primary, which is large and comparatively well off. But they still put out an announcement last week stating that they are now unable to afford to pay for supply teachers if someone is off sick. This is the extent of government cuts.

Our reception class asks for a voluntary contribution of £5 per term, to buy craft supplies etc. As far as I know they don't chase these contributions. Whenever there is a fundraising occasion, they always ask for children to bring 'a coin' and there are collection buckets at the school gates. This is so people who can't afford to give much or anything are not exposed. They need the money but won't force parents in hardship to give it.

In primary we had no fixed contribution but our PTA collected around £15k a year which was all put back into the school to pay for things the budget wouldn't allow. It is a disgrace that the government is cutting at the level they do. No fixed amount made it easier for parents to contribute as lots find it easier paying £1 for a cupcake now and then or £5 for a mother's day gift than £50 year or term.

DD is now in secondary and we have a fixed amount per family per school year and still the head had to tell that the MAT is thinking of shortening Friday to 1/2 day as costs are getting higher and higher. We will see how it goes.

'Good' primary school in London.
We pay £5 each half a term for miscellaneous supplies.
We pay for trips. Often asked to donate items for raffles, often asked to attend fundraisers where they charge entry etc...
parents supply tissues, books and art stuff. Seems normal.

Schools are under real pressure on finances but they also need to understand that this applies to everybody. Every household is seeing price increases in food, energy etc.
Schools need to accept that they have to cut their expenditure to match the income from government and they need to make the hard decisions on staffing costs rather than be asking parents to pay for things at school.

Hmmm yes I am a parent and now after reading all comments I guess voluntary is becoming a norm now, contribution here is above 50 and all extras like clubs, trips ,pta events, raffles ,charity fund raising Etc .. we are not on benefits but finding it really hard managing with all these ..

Queen BB it’s a good idea , will ask school for any voluntary work or help ...

Admission - the funds DD's school PTA raised were:

new laptops (well refurbished ones)
playground equipment and sport equipment
visits from groups teaching various things not covered in lessons or were teacher are lacking knowledge
supplementing school trips
refurbishing library
general equipment supplement
new lunch tables/benches
buying musical instruments

What of these do you think schools should cut? Not all parents have time and money to do trips to museums etc with their children. Not all have access to computer and ICT is a topic in the curriculum. Not all have access to books or are interested in going to libraries.

Ofsted insists on having lots of lovely things on offer in school but nobody gives the schools the money to pay for it. Most school run on the absolute minimum on staff or have NQT because they are cheaper. Nothing against NQT, DD had a lovely one for two years.

I would prefer paying a bit and having DD receive an education which is not tempered with overcrowded classrooms and boring teaching because schools can't afford anything.

I come from a country where parents paid for books/workbooks, art supply and every pen/pencil I needed from day 1. Now think how much these alone cost an average primary school.

Admission my school IS cutting staffing costs. How lovely for the children with additional needs that there will be fewer teaching assistants!

Is it the building fund voluntary contribution or general cost contribution?

Building fund is for faith school where they are obliged to stump up cam until (is it 10% or 20% of any work / building work that is needed in school. Don't have the funds raised? Work won't get done.

it is essential, sadly.

reluctantbrit,
There is a very large difference between the school accepting the generous donations by the PTA, which pay for items that used to be the add-ons and are now becoming more the needy and the school going out specifically looking to get voluntary donations from parents which is allowing the school to get away with not making the necessary cuts. Look at what has been said today by the DfE which is that school funding for 2020- 2021 will be tight. Schools need to take heed and start to make arrangements now rather than assume that 2020-21 will be the year when there is more funding.

Admission what happens when there are no staff left to cut?

From your list, I am aware our PTA made contributions to all of those when mine were at school 20 years ago! If you have not helped out for these items in the past, lucky you! My LA has one of the lowest AWPU sums. We have never had money for “extras” for years. Many schools don’t have 30 in a class, don’t look at staffing costs and don’t benchmark their expenditure. They should do all of this.

“We have not had money for extras for years” it should read. Apologies for poor English above.

I don’t mind paying a reasonable contribution and also don’t mind subsidising people who can’t afford it but I’d object to subsidising tight people who just can’t be arsed paying.

DS’s Primary School used to ask for voluntary contributions when the DC had the compulsory swimming lessons. We had to pay towards the coach to get to the pool. It was £2 per lesson. Some parents refused to pay. The ones who didn’t pay weren’t the ones on lowest income, they would usually scrape together the money. The parents who didn’t pay, saw the word voluntary and didn’t pay, and were loud and proud about it! Little realising that the school would have to cut costs in other areas, like books, to ensure swimming lessons happened.

Unfortunately, if the trip is part of the curriculum it must be delivered to all and parents will only be asked to pay for the transport. Some parents are always difficult about paying for anything. They can even make a non compulsory trip be cancelled for everyone if the school cannot make up the shortfall. That’s for enrichment trips but I agree it’s annoying!

Schools have been very slow to pool resources to save money. Many rural schools should be working with the school in the neighbouring village, but they don’t. I have huge sympathy with the financial plight of some schools but many hsve been used to very high staffing levels that other schools can only dream about. There has been a rebalancing if funds and some of that was overdue.

Admission - DD’s Primary made the decision not to ask for a termly/annual contribution which would come to the same amount or even less than the PTA funds. They preferred not asking parents for a fixed amount but think it is easier for some parents to pay towards PTA events with a couple of quid every month or so where parents also have the choice not to participate or send the child like disco, summer fair, circus etc.

Our secondary PTA struggles now as obviously no parents are there for pick up and not all have money with them for cake sale or similar. evening events like quiz night are not attended that well, parents are less connected to the school. So the school makes up with an annual contribution.

In the end the problem is the same, somehow schools need the funds forthings I think a school should not have to beg for.

You will get no argument from me that school funding is moving towards a crisis point and that every school could do with more funding. Unfortunately my experience is also that there are far too many schools where the finances of the school are not as well controlled as they could be, so the crisis may not be too long coming for some schools.