The Learning Fund
The Learning Fund pays for improvement projects which are vital to enhance our pupils’ school experience, which we couldn’t afford otherwise.
The Learning Fund (previously known as The Governors’ Fund) is money managed by the school governing body. It is independent of the main school budget, which is allocated by the Local Authority. St Michael’s is a Voluntary Aided (VA) Church of England school, administered by the Diocese of London. A VA school has the privilege of setting the ethical tone and directing certain aspects of school life. In return for this privilege, the school governing body commits to paying 10% of the cost of maintaining and improving the school’s buildings and infrastructure. Our children are benefiting from resources which have only been possible because of past generous donations. The Learning Fund relies on the generosity of our parents and carers, and the school would struggle to undertake future improvements without voluntary contributions. The Governors welcome any contribution and are extremely grateful to all parents for their support. Parents have, in the past, asked for guidance, and the Governors suggested a voluntary contribution of £30 per family per month. However, any contribution, no matter how small, will support our pupils and is fully appreciated. Equally, if you feel you can give more, either on a regular basis or as a one-off donation, your financial support would be greatly appreciated. We are keen to stress that contributions are not obligatory. Pupils’ experiences at St Michael’s will be in no way influenced by whether a voluntary contribution has been made by parents or carers. There are various ways to make a donation to the Learning Fund. You can: Please make a Gift Aid declaration Because the Governors’ Fund is a charity, your donations are also eligible for Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer. Gift Aid increases the value of your charitable donations by 25%, because the school can reclaim the basic rate of tax on your gift – at no extra cost to you. We are writing to you with an update on the school’s funding situation, and to ask you to consider donating a regular sum to the school. This is to help the school fully provide for the excellent teaching and learning that we strive to deliver to all our pupils. Government funding cuts over the last 10 years have put significant financial pressure on all state schools. To give you an idea of the funding shortfall, a recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies finds that school spending per pupil in England fell by 9% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2019/20. Although the Government has allocated an extra £7.1 billion for schools in England through to 2022/23, we find that when we account for the expected increases in our outgoings, for example increased teacher pay, premises costs and other statutory expenses, school spending per pupil in 2022/23 will be no higher in real terms than in 2009/10. We have of course continued to manage the funding shortfall prudently. We have made savings wherever we can without reverting to redundancies which so many schools have had to consider. We have also been very successful at generating additional income from letting out our wonderful school site. Governors, school leaders and staff are determined to make sure that the impact of less funding will make no difference to the outstanding quality of education your children receive at St Michael’s, or to the care of our pupils. However, budgets remain acutely stretched. The extended partial closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recovery plans that all schools are now implementing, have created immense additional challenges. As a result of the lockdown measures our income from lettings has been drastically reduced, at a time when our premises, cleaning and IT costs have significantly increased. The remit of the Governors’ Fund, as set out by the Charity Commission, is to maintain and improve the fabric of the school buildings and grounds. This takes the pressure off the school budget, which can then be focused on our running costs such as staffing and learning resources. Because of generous contributions from parents in the past, the Governors’ Fund has been able to contribute to the cost of climbing frames in each playground, interior decoration, external lighting, improved Wi-Fi and interactive TV screens in every classroom. Currently, the Governors’ Fund is financing the refurbishment of the school library and we have plans for future developments of the school’s facilities for your children. There are various ways to make a donation to the Governors’ Fund. You can: Please make a Gift Aid declaration Because the Governors’ Fund is a charity, your donations are also eligible for Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer. Gift Aid increases the value of your charitable donations by 25%, because the school can reclaim the basic rate of tax on your gift – at no extra cost to you. Please download a Gift Aid Form here. You can download the Standing Order form here, if this is easier for you. Thank you for your continuing support. Yours Sincerely, Geraldine Gallagher, Headteacher Cordelia Brown, Chair of GovernorsWhat is the Learning Fund?
Why do we need a fund?
How are the funds used?
The school is committed to providing a high standard of education. The funds are used to refurbish, maintain and improve the school’s facilities in order to create the best possible learning environment for our children. In the past, the Learning Fund has paid for new interactive whiteboards, external lighting, contributed to the total cost of the climbing frames in every playground and WiFi improvements. More recently the Fund has provided 180 Chromebooks for remote and digital learning, improvements to the school library and part funded the running track.What can I do to help?
How much should I give?
Please contribute if you can:
Please read on…
Governors’ Fund 2020-21Please contribute if you can:
