School - Money for this and that

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

retro_bluebell wrote: »

at the end of the day if I was on benefit I wouldn't even be asked for money....I'm sure someone will come along and tell me Ive got it all wrong!

Hermia wrote: »

I work with kids and some of the families are so poor that I cannot believe they would be forced to hand over cash.

In the 13 years since DD1 started school, there have only been two occasions where there has been any allowance made for financial circumstances.

One was last year when DD2's Headteacher offered to pay half the residential course trip when I politely pointed out that the cost represented the same proportion of my income that a £2,500 bill would a newly qualified Headteacher on the first point of the pay scale. Three weeks later, he told me in the playground (grinning) that if I wanted him to verify my passport application (so I didn't have problems getting admission to Uni exams like last summer), he wanted a tenner put back into the school fund! I like this Headteacher's style.

The other time was when, 11 weeks before she left, DD1's High School decided that the uniform was being changed and, as a prefect, she had to wear a special nylon jumper costing £37.50. :eek:

To be fair, it wasn't really making an allowance - after I dealt with the stroppy woman from the school telling me that if I didn't pay it, they would refuse to hand over her exam results (I told them that she wasn't a prefect any more then, so they would therefore have to pay for a member of staff to break up fights with cutlery used as weapons in the dinner queue from now on), they decided to write the cost off.

DD2 told all her friends in the same situation. So nobody paid for the things in the end.

Even this week, DD2 has been chased for a contribution towards silly hats on Sport Relief day - she didn't wear one, she was too busy actually raising money in the supermarket with her class to take part in the stupid hat day - and one for a visiting group whose appearance is part of their essential topic work. As well as having to buy the stuff for the costume she has to wear tomorrow. And pay for the school disco. And for another trip. And the leavers party at the end of next term. And a ton of other things.

I pay the vast majority of them - but I just wanted to say that the parents on benefits certainly don't get things for free, whatever the management team say. And considering that every child entitled to free school meals results in additional payments made to the school, they're actually bringing money in.

Indie_Kid

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

The other time was when, 11 weeks before she left, DD1's High School decided that the uniform was being changed and, as a prefect, she had to wear a special nylon jumper costing £37.50. :eek:

This is ridiculous. Why could they not just change the uniform at the start of the school year? Would make more sense.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Would have done, wouldn't it? But as usual, it was another new head thinking it would be a great idea. Another new head on silly money as a troubleshooter - her usual answer to anyone mentioning bad behaviour in the area was 'Well, you chose to live there' - it's a council estate that NOBODY would ever choose to live in. She also spent thousands on a new fence to prevent pupils from hopping out. So the lads graffiting the wall weren't from 'her' school. Mobile phone footage showing them bouncing over in front of the security camera was not welcomed.

The real world is a very different place.

clairehi

Really interesting thread.
Ive recently got involved in our school PTA, after a few years of observing from the sidelines.
What occurs to me from this thread is that all requests for money or help that come home from school are competing with each other. Parents are asked to contribute to fundraising for the school, and for other good causes, but I wonder if any schools keep a running total of how much they have asked for in any one year or if they try and keep a balance between the two?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

And have they ever actually sat down and considered the impact of 600 parents seeing a brightly coloured piece of paper and immediately responding 'Now how much do they want?' rather than 'How can we help?'.

Until the old [STRIKE]Queen Bee [/STRIKE]Parent Governor got declared bankrupt, every other event was punctuated by a demand for a 'Good bottle of wine per child, or full size bottles of decent spirits where there is a large number of children'.

Perhaps someone pointed out that teaching children that alcohol was the normal currency is somewhat strange, or someone reminded them of the position muslim families were in with such demands.

In any case, it doesn't endear the causes to me.

kelloggs36

It would be interesting to see what events the children would get to experience without any fundraising - just relying on what the Government decide the schools budget should be. I can guarantee that it would be so much less. This is half the problem - parents complain about having to pay this extra money but they also complain that they pay too much tax - either way you would end up paying. Schools often can't afford basic equipment because of the bums on seats way of funding, so the smaller the school the less money they get. Coaches are actually an absolute fortune - a full sized one is often in excess of £400 which has to come from somewhere - usually parents and then topped up by PTA funds or school budget, so that something else (pencils - don't laugh my old school have an embargo on buying any stationery) has to be sacrificed. You don't want to know the amount of money that teachers spend using their own money on stuff to enhance lessons - often basic stuff.

retro_bluebell

I dont think anyone has a problem paying to help the school- I dont mind the fun days etc that go towards the school. I object to all the charity days and pounds for this and that that help the head boost their own ego as there is a clear competition here between schools on who can raise the most money for charity.....I wouldnt call that moaning quite, why should I be blackmailed into paying into a charity I dont believe in, and if I dont why should my kids be singled out? Thats the main thing I object to. and I know and appreciate how much teachers have to spend on their own equipment my MIL teaches reception and she buys the majority of things herself.

sneezyboots

paulofessex wrote: »

Reminds me actually while l write this, we haven't had any feedback from the school in respect of what equipment they have gained from all the supermarket vouchers parents have passed to them over the years.

This is a joke right. You want to keep tabs on what is bought through school vouchers? The vouchers sent in by everybody? If you are that bothered don't send them in! I think someone has too much time on their hands. Not to mention the time you are taking away from a teacher being productive to go and find the catalogue, last order and copy it all just for you.

mountainofdebt

Like many other posters I can remember is the annual charity week and that took place at secondary school level - at junior school level I can't remember much taking place although I do seem to remember having a book of phootgraphs of young children to sell - though I can't remember what that particular charity was !

I think part of the problem is that charities are now big business and as such have high profile events - think of all the publicity that goes into children in need, comic relief and sports relief for example. It wouldn't surprise me if charities even had some sort of school liaision officer.

Also I suspect that the heads take part, not to raise their own profile but don't wish to appear to the one that won't take part - after all someone has to organise things, count the money and bank it etc and this all takes time.

jellyhead

Broken_hearted wrote: »

Today my son took 6p for sports relief as that was all I had, my bills are paid why should the school make me feel bad`.

That's fine - every penny helps :T

My inlaws said they would sponsor my youngest £5 so that's all I put in Not a penny of my own. I've bought a book from the catalogue though, and a strawberry plant from the flower people. And the photos. We had school dinner with the kids too, and I paid £10 for 4 of us to join my son for lunch, and had forgotten to budget the £2 for my son's lunch (he doesn't have school dinners normally) so that was the £2 I had been planning to sponsor him.

The fiver is enough anyhow, for one child.