Schools 'depending on parents' direct debits'

Almost one in five parents in the UK are being
asked to set up payments to their schools, as
head teachers warn of budget shortages, says a
survey from a teachers' union.
The NASUWT survey claims some parents are
asked for £400 or more per year.
Schools in England have been warning of cash
shortages and the union says schools are now
depending on parents.
But the Department for Education says "no parent
is required to make a contribution".
Teachers' unions are holding their conferences
over the Easter bank holiday weekend, with
funding one of the biggest causes of concern.
Direct debits
The National Union of Teachers, meeting in
Cardiff, will hear on Saturday from teachers and
parents groups warning about the impact of cash
shortages.
The NASUWT survey, to be presented at the
union's Manchester conference, claims that
schools are relying on parents' ability to pay
extra.
Based on almost 4,000 responses, the survey
says that 18% of parents have been asked to sign
up for direct debits or standing orders to make
payments to their children's school, typically of
about £50 per year.
But more than one in 20 parents with children in
state schools were paying £400 or above.
A further 13% of parents had been asked to make
donations to the school in cash or cheques.
There were other financial costs for parents, such
as providing a laptop or other computer
equipment for homework as well as extra lessons
such as learning an instrument.
"We have not allowed them to do music at
school as they need to provide their own
instruments," said a parent, quoted in the survey.
Over a quarter of parents said their child had
been unable to take part in a trip or excursion
because of the cost.
"Ski trip was £600. French trip £450. These are
for less than a week. They are beyond my funds,"
a parent told the survey.
And almost a quarter said that their school
choices had been influenced by concerns about
potential extra costs from some schools.
The union's leader Chris Keates said that "access
to education must not be based on parents'
ability to pay".
Record funding
This week the Sutton Trust education charity
warned of widening staff cuts because of financial
pressures on schools.
The Public Accounts Committee has said that the
need to cut £3bn from school spending is a
threat to standards.
A lobby of Parliament over funding, with other
unions and campaigners, has been announced for
early June.
Kevin Courtney, NUT general secretary, said he
wanted the government to invest substantial
sums in schools in the next Budget.
"We want to draw attention to the fact that in the
2015 Conservative manifesto, there is a promise
to parents that the money that follows their
children into schools will be protected," he said.
"In half of the schools in the country the money
following your child into schools has been
dramatically cut in cash terms, and in the other
half it's been cut in real terms."
A Department for Education spokeswoman said:
"No parent is required to make a contribution to
their child's education, the rules are clear on this
and no policies have been introduced by this
government to allow schools to charge parents.
"School funding is at its highest level on record at
almost £41 billion in 2017-18 - and that is set to
rise, as pupil numbers rise over the next two
years, to £42 billion by 2019-20.
"We recognise schools are facing cost pressures
and will continue to provide support to help them
use their funding in cost effective ways."