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Parental generosity benefits independent schools

Posted on 29th July 2008

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Private schools are benefiting from parent's generosity, both with their time and money, it has been reported.

According to the Daily Telegraph, independent Blackheath High School received £10,000 from its parent teacher association's (PTA) fundraising activities, while parents raised £13,000 to restore the swimming pool at fee-paying Prior's Field School in Godalming.

It spoke to Annette Wiles from the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA), who revealed that the average PTA makes around £4,500 a year, adding that this can rise to as much as £20,000.

Lisa Laws, head of Blackheath High, told the newspaper that without the help of parents it would not be able to run trips for younger pupils, while in other institutions mums and dads help with everything from reading to sports days.

Lorna Duggleby, head of private school Bromley High, acknowledged that "teenagers may not want to see their parents here all the time".

However, she added: "It does reinforce the bond between home and school … there's no doubt that volunteering is hugely mutually beneficial for the parents, for the children and for the school."

School governor Derek Davey recently told the BBC that parental involvement has found to be a significantly more important factor in determining a child's academic success than their social or economic status.
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