Daughter’s school

Thank you all very much for your kind words. DD works so hard to give her children the best education possible and to make sure they stay safe. I just wish the government saw the work that Heads to every single day and their battles with ever decreasing funding. Those poor children need an education if they have any chance to make it in life.

WOODMOUSE49 Most schools are now running at a deficit. Some have cut support staff to the minimum, some were doing shorter weeks. It's a direct result of there being more children in schools and the government not increasing the money accordingly. Effectively they have cut the funding per head.
neu.org.uk/press-releases/school-cuts-updated-funding-figures
Schools in better areas raise money from the parents of course.

I'm sure your lovely D has looked into what funding is available especially the Pupil Premium Money.

In December 2016, the Department for Education (DfE) announced plans for a newNational Funding Formulafor schools in England. Some schools lost out with this but others did gain.

The schools that were likely to benefit the most from the National Funding Formula are:
- Schools where pupils have low prior attainment
- Schools where pupils live in areas with higher than average levels of deprivation
- Schools in areas where local authority funding is currently low
- Small rural schools.

As a chair of Gov at that time, I remember researching into what impact it would have on our school which was in a socially deprived area and it looked like we would loose out. I know that Inner London schools did loose out as historically they were seen as deprived, and so attracted more money.
Deprivation (so it was reported by DfE) has fallen in recent years and the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ has narrowed.

We were constantly having fund raising events and I managed to get a £12,000 grant for playground equipment and a shelter for our parents.

This divide has to stop !

This just shouldn't be !

I know many teachers who have to give children breakfast because the parents can't afford to.

Why is this happening in these areas of deprivation ?

Wow! You must be so proud of your daughter.

Very well done to your daughter frenchie it's obviously an on going struggle for her.
You must be very proud of what she is achieving against the odds.

I absolutely take my hat off to people like your daughter

frenchie what a great job your DD is doing. It's one that a lot of people shy away from. It isn't right that she should have to run a school with a deficit budget or that she should have to rely on charitable handouts to get the things she needs. How can we possibly have any degree of equality when poor children are treated so badly? I hope her good luck continues into the future, but I wish she could be given proper funding and support so she didn't have to depend on charity.

That's lovely frenchie and your daughter must be feeling emotional.
Many independent schools are reaching out to poorer state schools with offers of equipment and facilities.
It is lovely to see but these private schools also have to be careful their fee paying parents don't resent their money going out to other establishments. A difficult balance to achieve. Some poor schools will alwsys be poor due to their very nature or demographics. Your daughter is doing a grand job.