'parental contribution'

[Anon7722930]

So I've just received the welcome pack for my child for the primary school she's starting in September (reception) and there is a 'parental contribution' of nearly £2,000 a year per child! I've never even heard of this for a supposed free state school!
Is this a normal thing? We live in the north west

We got asked for £50 per family at my dc’s first school (fairly affluent Cambridge area) and nothing at their later schools after we moved.

We had £1 a week in reception and than a one off £30.00 at the start of high school. It has got to be a mistake for a state school. Ask the finance team to clarify.

I’d assume a typo too OP.
Schools asking for a parental contribution is quite common but I’ve never heard it being that much.

Our school asks for £10 per half term towards snack and cooking. It’s a voluntary contribution that can be paid online if you can afford it.

£2k a year is ridiculous. 30 kids per class that’s £60k per class. If you are an infant school that’s 3 form entry that’s £180k per year group - £540k in total.

I know budgets are tight but what does that money they want buy?

Obviously they aren’t expecting that amount in total but even if outbid a school of 270 pupils just 10 parents contributed that’s £20k.

Although wondering if someone forgot a decimal and meant £20.00 a year 👀

Yes, if the letter is correct I would complain. Follow the school complaints policy.

If it is an LA maintained school, also let the LA know. I would raise this with my local councillor too, ready for overview and scrutiny of LA.

If it is an academy trust it will be the DfE as the LA are no longer accountable.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complain-about-an-academy/complain-about-an-academy

If it is an academy, check out the financial statements online, which they have to publish. How many senior MAT staff do they have, how many earn more than £100,000 and how much does the CEO earn?
Our local trust, are sending begging letters asking parents to buy and donate one story book each, whilst the CEO earns £250,000 per year. Disgraceful

State schools aren’t allowed to charge for curriculum activities. If this is a religious school - for example a Jewish school
where the children are all receiving instruction in Hebrew - then there would be a parental contribution for that teaching.

But £2000 is a lot. This is very odd.

I suspect this is spot on. There's absolutely no way a school is asking for 2 grand per parent. It will be a simple error that's easily solved.

That’s crazy! Does is say what is included for that?!

no it's an exact figure down to single pounds (it's a random number) they've even included a comma so can't have been incorrectly inputted unfortunately

That’s mad.

I quite often moan that if I could pay a yearly subscription to school and be entered into every raffle/cover all non uniform days/random things I would as I can’t keep up with the admin but more like £100 a year 😂

Wow! Can you post a picture of the letter I find this so staggeringly hard to comprehend. If a state school was asking parents for 2 grands worth of contributions from each parent a newspaper would have jumped on such a story. I've work in hundred of schools and have never come across such a request. I can't even begin to imagine how they worded it.

Hahahahaha! Nice try school! Mine - in an expensive city ask for £15. We give £20 per child

@Gabibbe this article is old but the rules around this still stand: amongst other things it cannot be phrased as compulsory. www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34129659.amp

The amounts quoted in that research are also vastly less

This has got to be a hilariously unfortunate and awkward typo. It cannot be real.

I feel a follow up is needed OP.

The official guidance ‘Charging for school activities’ includes guidance on requesting voluntary contributions. Schools can ask but there is absolutely no obligation to contribute and no child can be excluded from activities because their parents are unable or unwilling to pay.

Please call them tomorrow OP and see what they say. There must have been some miscommunication somewhere along the line.

What is the exact wording? I agree that that amount is outrageous and am wondering if maybe you’ve misread something? Particularly since it is a random amount that is close to but not exactly £2K. Perhaps that amount is what was raised last year?

Do you live in affluent area? I’ve never heard of this but we live in quite a deprived area. We are asked for contributions for school trips , donations for events and we pay for after school clubs but it’s no more than £50 a year.

One of the PTAs at a local grammar encourages regular monthly giving. You can see from the sign up form the amounts most commonly donated. I would add that houses surrounding the school go for millions and parents are clearly happy to shell out as they are saving on private fees.

https://www.beaconsfieldhigh.school/_site/data/files/support/donations/FINAL_ALL_YRS_RG_Form_2021.pdf

My kids primary school asks for voluntary contributions. They have to be voluntary - and state school cannot make you pay them. Personally I feel extremely uncomfortable about it.

Wtf? I have never heard of this before. That is outrageous and extremely unreasonable. Who would even be able to afford that, especially if they have more than 1 child! Must be a typo or something.

My kids' school asks for trip contributions once a year (average is about £15) and random £1/50p throughout the year for non uniform days or whatever.

Nah, that can’t be right. It must be £20 that someone’s typed in wrong. Have you phoned the school to check?

This is the school I know of. It's not just security fees or for Hebrew lessons as the school themselves acknowledge.
It asked for £3000 this academic year for one stream in the school (the more religious/observant part)

The main school asked for £1800
https://www.kdhs.org.uk/uploads/1/3/5/4/13549444/2024-25_welcome_pack_ms.pdf

We are a Jewish family although don't send our children here as we're not religious. I still think it's absolutely outrageous to charge this amount

Bloody heck 1800 a year and you still have to pay for a locker!

Also I did a quick calculation. The school currently according the Government records has 773 pupils. At £1800 a year per pupil that's a whooping £1,391,400!!!