Shh we wont tell anyone (school)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Valli wrote: »

I'm interested to know how they are 'justifying' this. Swimming lessons are part of the school curriculum (I think each child is entitled to 3 terms swimming) and are not 'educational visits' and voluntary contributions shouldn't be asked for...

On the subject of the voluntary contributions to essential parts of the curriculum.....

DD brought a permission slip home last week, I think, where it is a compulsory trip for their PSHEEEEEEEEEEEEE lessons.

Everything said the cost of the trip was x, every mention was this trip is compulsory and the cost was x.

Until you got to the actual permission slip bit that they would tear off and keep as evidence it wasn't being charged for illegally. There you had the 'I give permission for......Form.....I enclose a cheque/cash.....'

and, right down the bottom in 8 point courier on a dark red background, was a practically invisible bit saying 'the trip cost of xxx is a voluntary contribution. If parents do not make this payment, this essential activity could be cancelled'.


I always cross straight through the 'I enclose bit' and circle the 'voluntary' with a marker pen.

DD was horrified the first couple of times, as she thought she would get into trouble, as the teachers had said anyone not paying for these trips would get detention (and obviously would be humiliated in class :cool:), but once she realised even the grumpiest teacher would look at the slip and see I'd highlighted the voluntary bit, they would put the slip with the others and not say a word, she then told all her friends to tell their parents as well.

jollymummy

I work in school and we sent all parents a letter home about the same subject. It is a letter that was sent to us by the local authority, so not underhand.

We have quite a few children who are entitled to FSM, some take it up, some don't.

I'd always recommend that people do , so the option is there if they need it.

Also, the only people that know about it is me - school admin officer, the local authority and the family concerned.

SUESMITH_2

sassyblue wrote: »

If they're only claiming for the ones who are having school meals fine, but if they're claiming for other ones who aren't then it's fraud and l don't agree (and l have a 5 year old in school).

I know school budgets are too low but everyone is struggling so they should budget accordingly. I doubt even if they were claiming money they shouldn't that the school would stop asking the parents to contribute for everything they do. My little one starts swimming soon and even though it's funded they're still asking for contributions every week. I also help with fundraising for the school!

If there's any spare money l'd rather it went to the NHS for more nursing staff.

as others have said, you don't have to have the meals, its actually got nothing to do with providing dinners its an indicator of deprivation. we get extra money in the school budget to spend.

as a school you also get more money for service children as well

msb5262

Some excellent explanations here ^ - Svenena has nailed it.
To all the people who are querying the extra money for schools based on how many children are entitled to FSM, properly known as the pupil premium and set at over £600 per child in the coming financial year, I'd just like to share one piece of information...
...the single most reliable predictor of a child's reading ability in primary school is parental income.
Children who come from poorer homes need more money spent on them at school to try to close this gap. As a teacher I know that an important part of my job is to try to make sure that FSM children make progress, because statistically they make less progress than the other children.
HTH
MsB

sassyblue

spicyprawn wrote: »

Hi guys and gals , just wanted to share this text I got from the school.

If you think you may be entitled to free school meals even if you do not want them please tell the school office so the school can get more money. We will not share this with anyone else.


What you you think?

Spicy

So if it's all above board, why the secrecy?? *sighing emoticon*

jellyhead

sassyblue wrote: »

So if it's all above board, why the secrecy?? *sighing emoticon*

Because the children might not want it to be shouted from the rooftops!

JC9297

sassyblue wrote: »

So if it's all above board, why the secrecy?? *sighing emoticon*

I think it is about discretion rather than secrecy, most people don't want everyone knowing their income.

daska

sassyblue wrote: »

So if it's all above board, why the secrecy?? *sighing emoticon*

Would you like to be the child that has to go into the dinner hall first and therefore be labelled as 'poor' - not kidding that's what DS2's school was doing as recently as 2 years ago. Just because people are on their uppers it doesn't mean they want it made known to everybody. Or do poor people not have the right to privacy?

Zziggi

daska wrote: »

KS2 - Swimming activities and water safety must be chosen as one of the areas of activity unless pupils have completed the full Key Stage 2 teaching requirements in relation to swimming activities and water safety during Key Stage 1. Pupils should be able to swim unaided more than a distance of at least 25 metres. Advice and guidance for teachers and others to support the planning and teaching of swimming is available on the Department's website.

BUT, as I understand it the norm is 3 half terms of swimming. If your child is swimming all year round that might require a contribution but it should be optional because it is a curriculum requirement.

My child's school, only this week, sent a letter home saying our council provides only 8x 1 hour swimming lessons. So there having 8 hours tuition only (KS2). They have not received any in KS1.

Zziggi

We have had a similar letter home and termly texts letting all parents know about the FSM. Strange though how the school never advertised this fact BEFORE it got extra funding based on the FSM status of a child.

My kids get FSM. I am neither embarrassed by it nor do I advertise it. However what does annoy me is how the school trip letters always state "the cost of this trip is £xxx" and no mention of the "voluntary" aspect (is that even legal?) and the "no child can be excluded on the basis of ability to pay" aspect. On one particular trip I signed the consent form and for the first time, did not send in any money with the form. My DD was humiliated in front of the class on several days by her class teacher about this matter. Suffice to say after this I incident i dug my heels in and categorically refused to pay for any trips. When I was asked by the class teacher why I dont contribute anymore (is that even legal?) I told her that since they now get extra money to support kids on FSM, then maybe they should redirect some of that cash to pay for the school trips for my DD. The school didn't like that and said parents should pay for the trips. (PS. In principle,I do agree that parents should pay for trips, however the situation is not always as simple as that and humiliating a child, just made me dig my heels in and after questioning the legality of the class teacher approaching me in public (trying to humiliate me too?) to ask why I didn't pay, we have never had the problem again)

Does anyone know if this extra funding schools get due to kids with FSM status is actually ring-fenced?