Fed up of forking out for school stuff?

[emc]

Hi

I'm looking to talk to parents of (secondary school) children who get stressed about having to fork out for school extras - school trips (e.g. ones abroad so pretty pricey), expensive after school clubs, uniform having to be bought from specific shops etc. It's for a report out tomorrow which says that schools should be providing some of these things for free (or partially free) Please PM for more info. thanks

[kristymac1]

Would love to know the author(s) of this report.

Mostly school trips and after school clubs are not part of the curriculum are they? So why should schools have to pay? Children in homes on lower incomes are usually subsidised/paid for, personally I would rather our schools spent their (not excessive) budgets on good teachers who can provide good academic and creative opportunities within the school day.....

[etta166]

I think emc works for a commercial TV company, but I could be wrong.

[Primula]

I think that schools should be about far more than providing academic opportunities. They should also be about broadening pupils horizons through giving their students access to experiences beyond that they would normally get. This may be trips locally, nationally and internationally or maybe through access to extra curricular lessons in areas not covered by the main curriculum. I also think that these opportunities should be inclusive and not just for this who can afford them.

[Sol]

Do you mean private/independent schools? if a child attends a private/independent school you are suppose to have money to pay all the extras. My children attend state education and I am quite happy to pay for any clubs, sport, music, art, trips that provide them with a comprehensive/all round education. These activities are not compulsory and are always the parent choice. State school do help children who want to do clubs but cannot afford them.

[EDmummy]

Bit of a middle class discussion here. I met a mother recently who didn't receive any benefits so didn't get free school meals yet both parents are on very low wages and feeding their kids is a struggle, let alone paying for the odd after school club etc. I firmly believe that this is a major issue for many parents but maybe not ED Forum readers.