school 'demanding' voluntary contribution, income sub £16,000

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Once you can get a relatively complete list of all mandatory/voluntary contributions for the next school year, allow for 1 sponsorship event, 1 Christmas fete, 1 Summer fete, one PTA fundraising per term and a few more odd bits, work out the percentage of your income it represents and find the equivalent amount of a Headteacher's salary.

Then tell him what it would cost him to hand over that %.

emsywoo123

tiamai_d wrote: »

Oh right, where do we get these 'licences to rant like a demented banshee's' from? I'd rather like one too.

Sadly, no such licences exist, or I would have a stockpile :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Spendless

gingin wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_177032

This is the article I read. Slightly out of date because it was produced under Liebour's rule. It would be nice if free swimming could be rolled out throughout the country but given that the majority of budget cuts are going to be on public spending, I can't see it being top of the Tory-Dem list.

Edited to add, apologies, I do seem to have read it wrongly, it was for over 60's rather than youngsters but it confirms that 200 local authorities provide free swimming for under 16's.

ahh right. Though that is different to what I thought you'd looked up. I was thinking of all the schools in England (as I'm not sure about funding for other parts of u.K) how many areas provide free swimming lessons during school time for the amount of time the National Cirriculum says kids should have?

I wasn't giving much thought to the free swimming for 16's that takes place in many areas (not in school time), but you've reminded me to take mine soon ....maybe before June's budget. :eek::D;)

onlyroz

I was asked to give £1.50 so that my son could have cooking lessons at school (the money was to pay for ingredients). I have no idea whether this was voluntary or not - didn't cross my mind, and I just paid up. Should I have objected to paying this on the grounds that the lessons take place during school time?

shellsuit

onlyroz wrote: »

I was asked to give £1.50 so that my son could have cooking lessons at school (the money was to pay for ingredients). I have no idea whether this was voluntary or not - didn't cross my mind, and I just paid up. Should I have objected to paying this on the grounds that the lessons take place during school time?

I'd rather pay an amount than have to shop for the ingredients, I wish more schools would do it that way!

peachyprice

onlyroz wrote: »

I was asked to give £1.50 so that my son could have cooking lessons at school (the money was to pay for ingredients). I have no idea whether this was voluntary or not - didn't cross my mind, and I just paid up. Should I have objected to paying this on the grounds that the lessons take place during school time?

Would you have objected if they'd asked you for £34 for ingredients?

mrcow

peachyprice wrote: »

Would you have objected if they'd asked you for £34 for ingredients?

Depends on whether it's value for money.

£34 for 8 swimming lessons plus transport isn't bad.

£34 for the ingredients for cheese and potato pie........I'd want to know if they were buying a cow and making the cheese themselves.

poppy-glos

on the free swimming in council pools front, the pools in my area of gloucestershire (cotswolds) have decided free swimming is only for the over 65's. However, the pool just over the border into Wiltshire allows free swimming for under 16's and over 65's, and we have registered there for free swimming and then when dd and i swim there the cost is just for me and not for both of us. Saves a couple of pounds when we go for a sunday swim ;-)
i did not matter we were Gloucestershire residents luckily.. (just read the gov.direct link above - it states that if the scheme is not in place in your area then other areas offering it must off it to non residents too.. good ho!)

galvanizersbaby

peachyprice wrote: »

Would you have objected if they'd asked you for £34 for ingredients?

If it were me I'd certainly have questioned what they were cooking!

My DS is in Year 2 at the moment but I'm pretty sure in Year 3 they have swimming lessons - I was expecting to be asked to pay for them but would have no idea how much?

DD has a school trip to a local place of interest next week for her topic on houses - there is no charge for admission but it is costing £15 a child and when this was queried by one of the parents it turns out it is the cost of the coach that we are being asked to pay for.

To be honest I think at our school we are quite lucky in that we don't get asked for contributions/sponsors etc........yet!

onlyroz

peachyprice wrote: »

Would you have objected if they'd asked you for £34 for ingredients?

Probably (unless he came home with lobster, or something, for us all to eat for dinner). But £34 for a 10 week cooking course would probably be OK, and I'd certainly pay that much for a swimming course.

Another example - I was asked to pay around £12 at Christmas so that my son could go to see "Snow White on Ice". The cost included coach travel and a packed lunch - and I thought it was a bargain. I think that we were told that the payment was voluntary - but we'd have to use some sort of school hardship fund if we wanted the school to pay, and I guess we'd have had to justify why we couldn't afford it.