Read the press release with the initial results from our member's survey on funding.
A survey of members carried out by Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC), the independent voice for parents, shows an average £10 per schoolchild is being injected into the system each year by PTAs and Parent Councils, equating to more than £6.5m of additional funding from parents*.
“In fact,” said Eileen Prior, executive director of SPTC, “there was a substantial variation in sums raised, with some schools contributing more than £100 per child and 8% raising more than £50. The difference between primary and secondary schools is stark, with the former raising on average £14.87 per head and the latter £2.41.
“Perhaps more interesting is the way in which that money is being spent, with activities and outings topping the list (20.48%), closely followed by computers and electronic goods (17.66%). Traditionally parent fundraising has provided funding for the extras in schools – things like special outings and events – but it can be drawn from these figures that parents are often footing the bill for equipment that could be considered core.”
Other key facts and figures from the survey:
An estimated £800,000 is expected to be raised by survey participants this year
- 97% of PTAs and Parent Councils organise fundraising activities
- The three top areas for spending by PTAs and Parent Councils are: activities & outings, computers & electronic goods and outdoor play equipment
- A total of 265 responses were received by SPTC, from schools in all but one local authority area. This represents 15.6% of SPTC’s membership. **
The survey also asked members for feedback on school budgets to identify both total and percentage cuts being experienced this year.
Commenting on this element of the survey, Eileen Prior said:
“The responses we received demonstrated clearly that parents are unsure how to access accurate information about school budgets, as well as demonstrating that there is confusion about what element of the budget is devolved. Many respondents said they knew there were cuts but didn’t know how much. In all, the picture that emerged from the survey was unclear and gave us no firm steer about what is happening on the ground: we feel that very fact is sufficient to ring alarm bells about the level of real parental involvement and participation at school level.”
*based on estimated 665,000 state school pupils in 2009
** to Friday 18 February 2010
A FULL REPORT OF THE SURVEY RESULTS WILL BE ON OUR WEBSITE SHORTLY
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