Funding In Fs

[Guest]

Hi,

I am anNQT in a part-time nursery attached to a church of England voluntary assisted school. Money is scarce in the school as we have just had a new nursery built. As a matter of interest can I ask how your FS budgets and nursery fund/school fund is allocated and if you get a set amount each term. I am finding myself having to pay out for a lot of little extras myself through lack of finances-is this the norm and part of being a teacher?

Thanks

Lorraine

[Shiny]

Hi Lolli

 

We are a preschool so probably work differently than you. I will tell you how our resource budget works.

 

We are allocated a fixed amount for consumables in June for the new term. This is for all craft stuff, sand etc.

 

As a charity we fund raise throughout the year. Unless it is ear marked for a 'big project' this is spent soon after the event so the children can get the best use out of it.

 

At the end of every term it is worked out how much excess we have and this is used termly. We have a wish list that is consulted whenever we have money to spend.

 

We also have a set amount of petty cash per week for cleaning stuff, snack, every day bits and pieces.

 

The committee are strong believers of using the funding money we get each year for those children to benefit from. Don't know if this helps.

 

Money is always tight, but if resources are needed for the children's learning and development the funding money should be used.

[catma]

when you say attached do you mean you are a nursery class as part of the school (i'm guessing this is the case as you are an NQT) or a private provider "attached" to the school but operating separately?

 

If maintained the way budgets work will be different for everyone and will depend on the overall school balance sheet often. If as you say the school budget is tight then staffing costs will be the priority (which can be quite a high % depending on the length of service of the staff and no of support staff etc) followed by basic requirements of the whole school (books paper etc etc). individual class "allowances" would generally come pretty low on the priority list.

 

It may be a case of having to make do with what you've got, or finding out if other budgets can be used to buy things, e.g the art coordinator may have budget or literacy for example.

 

Teachers have always bought things they want to use, but from a whole school perspective this can be short sighted as those things always go with the teacher thus exacerbating any provision problem if the teacher is buying a lot!

 

I would

1) audit what you have thoroughly - find out what is provided through general stock purchase e.g. sand, paint, paper

2) look around the school for things you may not have found yet or realised are there (as an NQT this can take a while!) talk to coordinators about provision they make for the FS

3) work out what might be ESSENTIAL in the short/medium term that cannot be found already and then approach coords/HT/your NQT mentor to discuss (it's the new financial year soon so is a good time

4) keep a wish list as you go along so that you can have ideas to hand should money become available

5) look for free/cheap stuff e.g. sparklebox that can be made up, ask parents, scavenge (those bread crates!) and work on the cheap.

 

You'll never stop buying stuff for your class but you do have to keep it under control!!

Cx

[Alison]

our budget is worked out similar to shiny as we are a preschool

 

I think Catma has the best tip SCAVENGE! thats basically how alot of groups get anything check what resources the school have got there may be some left overs hiding at the back of a cupboard

 

if your part of the school then maybe the check what the PTA raising fund for and if they can help raising funds for items off your wish list

 

junk modelling and a collage bits box can be added to will all kinds of left overs and scraps donated by parents

[catma]

just remembered - not sure how legal it wasin a maintained setting but we asked parent's to contribute to what we called "nursery fund" which was a small contribution (abouit 50p a week) which we used to buy cooking ingredients (we cooked weekly) and anyother necessary "specials" which we reported back to parents through our newsletter so theyhad an account of where the money went.

Cx