Things are even worse that I suspected!

setmefree2

Thrifty in 13 years I have never been asked to donate a penny to my children's schools. Maybe it's just a rubbish head?

abaxas

setmefree2 wrote: »

Thrifty in 13 years I have never been asked to donate a penny to my children's schools. Maybe it's just a rubbish head?

Could be 'bent' head too. Lots of those about.

silvercar

Schools in "areas of deprivation", measured by the number of children entitled to free school meals, get extra funds to boost them. As do schools with low attainment levels. Schools that are seen as doing well get less money and so are more likely to need to go cap in hand to the parents.

My elder son's school used to ask for £40 a term per child to "help it maintain its excellent standards". I think most parents paid as we really were getting a very good education for little cost. I remember the letter saying they understood if not everyone could afford it and that anyone entitled to free school meals should let the school know as that increased their funding.

My younger son's school expects those studying art to supply a certain amount of equipment and those doing geography to GCSE are told that there is a geography trip and, whilst not compulsary, it forms an essential part of their coursework.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

SingleSue wrote: »

All children at the school are expected to also have storage devices for homework and access to a pc.

I don't have an issue with that. Can't expect the school to provide those for kids to use at home.

lemonjelly

thrifty, didn't most schools also run summer fayres, or christmas bazars & stuf to raise funds. Are the school doing these & writing to parents in addition? Seems to me schools have always been doing some sort of fundraising stuff through the years.

ses6jwg

I wonder what the head is earning and whether they have opted to take a pay cut before resorting to this?

No?

Didn't think so.

horsechestnut

When I was at school, I always had a pencil-case complete with pens, pencils etc.
When my daughter went to school it was the same.
Now my grandson also has to take his own writing materials plus the memory stick.:rotfl:
Perhaps the request is to help out the children who forget their own things or just cannot afford them.

I have just retired from teaching at a college of F.E. and I always kept a supply of writing materials (at my own expense) as some students' parents just didn't provide them (usually because they couldn't afford them). The students were required to supply their own; most had attractive pencil cases and contents, so my supply stopped the few asking to "borrow" their friend's pens and the ensuing embarrassment if their friends refused.

wigglebeena

OP is probably actually contributing to the Head's flash new Beemer and expense account lunches.

Really2

thriftybabe wrote: »

TBH I did not think it was due to mismanagement of funds. I thought it was due to the lack of funds! Crikey it makes me feel sick that my kids are going to a school like that. Not sure what to do.

TBH I supply to education and I have not seen any cuts to budgets. Most have been frozen or being nominally increased (inflation).

The ones cutting are private schools as they have seen people cut back so revenues to some have them have dropped steeply.

But seen as they are asking for help now they have blown their budget. They get budgets April to April so it does sound like mis-management to me.

pingu2209

I am forever being asked from teachers in each of my children's classes for money for various 'weeks' - science week, art week, healthy eating week etc. It isn't a lot, about £3.50 per child normally. I often forget.

One day I was dropping off my middle boy to reception and the teacher asked if I had recieved the form for one of the 'weeks'. Embarrassed, I quickly put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a £10. The teacher was so excited and commented to the teaching assistant, oh great that pays for the ingredients for todays cooking.

Apparently, the teacher buys the ingredients out of her own pocket!