FEATURE FOCUS: SCHOOL FINANCES
“The charity receives no external funding, is run purely by volunteers who do normal day jobs, and we are proud to be the UK’s most efficient charity, with a minimum of 90% of every donation raised reaching its intended cause, compared to the industry average of just 50% for this sector.
“The second function of the charity is funding- specific, highly targeted interventions for pupils who are disadvantaged in some way. Crucially we rely on the classroom teacher to identify the resources which need funding. We know that the teacher is the person who will often know a child the best, and also that an early, appropriate intervention can prevent a pupil falling behind, never to regain the lost ground or staying on track with their peers. Interventions funded range from specialist IT equipment, pupil support staff and after school care right down to a new pair of school shoes, if that’s what is needed. “The charity was founded in 2013 and demand for our services has grown rapidly since then. Schools are currently in the middle of the Fairer Funding Formula which aims to re-balance funds between schools, but naturally this creates both winners and losers and overall funding has dropped about 8% nationally.
“We see our relationship with schools as a partnership. The school needs to engage and promote their fundraising page to supporters and staff, and in return many schools raise thousands of pounds a year. Each year we also offer small grants to our active schools to help identified disadvantaged children. We remove inactive schools and recycle their fundraising pages for new schools, and it is unfortunately a constant battle to keep some schools engaged. We spend more time on engaging schools than on anything else we do, which is a shame.
“The amount of money a school can raise is limitless. The UK spends more money online than any other country in the world, and most of the major high street brands feature on our website. The average household now spends £5,000 a year online in the UK. School Angel generates approximately 5% from each purchase, so a school could potentially raise £250 from a single
family each year! Realistically we tell schools to expect just £10 from each family but that can still amount to useful extra funding. In addition, as a charity, the donation rates we receive tend to be higher than cash back sites.
“Schools are free to spend the monies they raise on anything which benefits the pupils. Typical projects have included re-stocking libraries, IT equipment, playground refurbishment, PE equipment and school trips.
“We would encourage any school or PTA to look at what the charity offers, but also to think carefully about how much they would use the service. We are not looking to attract hundreds of inactive schools, but we are always delighted to welcome motivated and well-organised schools who see the simplicity of what we offer and then use the site every day.”
www.schoolangel.org.uk
November 2017
www.education-today.co.uk 37
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