Voluntary contributions to Tiffins

Eleven Plus (11+) in Surrey (Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth)

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hermanmunster
Posts: 12821
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

Tamilbuck2 wrote:my son got in tiffin and I will not pay money.
Why should I pay all that money?
Supposed to be a free school. It cost over that to get train from Hounslow.
My son will spend over hour on travelling to school and over another hour getting home.
He won't have time to sing music in choir. He must do homework.
Why do all the extra?

Let the teachers leave. There will always be more who want work at tiffins.

I want my son to be doctor. He needs exams top grade. Walking up and down mountain will stop him getting grades.
Dear Tamilbuck2

Lots of doctors like walking up and down mountains. Keeps them sane. :? Maybe I should walk up and down a few more?
Hope your son wants to be a doctor because if it is just you that wants him to be one then he will be very unhappy.

Herman -
Boy and Girl at Tiffin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:53 pm

Post by Boy and Girl at Tiffin »

I think Tamilbuck has a point though.
I am contibuting £1 a day at Tiffin. On top of that I shell out for extra maths lessons.

If there was less focus on the extra-curricular and more on the academic then
I wouldn't need to pay any voluntary contributions.


You would still lose the committed teachers so I can't see any way out of this circle.

It's a moot point though, my son will be going to Esher college for his 6th form studies, as are quite a lot of his friends. He reckons about 40 are planning to leave after Yr 11.
vas
Posts: 106
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:28 am
Location: Middlesex

Post by vas »

I have read this thread with great interest eventhough I live miles away; reason being I brought my son for the entrance exam. Seemed a lovely school with very confident boys who still had a sense of humour as opposed to the ones from QE who were a bit stiff. My SIL has been paying £60/month to QE from 2004 and her son is yr 11. I was told by her that eventhough many parents pay the money at the outset, some stop their SOs after a while. She also said that some children are picked on more than others in a group fight and there could be some correlation between payment and this. (might be speculation)

I know this contribution might seem a lot to some but I doubt the school expects you to increase it in line with inflation.

I know many parents were willing to pay large sums of money on tutoring to just get a place at Tiffins, so why not pay a fraction of it to the school on an ongoing basis? Perhaps the quality of teachers wouldn't warrant additional tutoring in that case.

Tamilbuck2 is expecting too much for nothing and I doubt she had her purse strings so tight for 11+ preparation to get Tiffins!
allegra
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:03 pm

Post by allegra »

Boy and Girl at Tiffin - could I ask you why you are shelling out for extra maths?
melinda
Posts: 226
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: surrey

Post by melinda »

Tamilbuck
Sorry to say this but you don't seem to care much for the school your son has got into? Either that or I am reading your messages wrong, always possible on this forum!
You only care that your son gets top grades and doesn't involve himself in the extra curriculum?
I think being involved in sport and clubs is all part of the school day and it helps towards a much more rounded education, not just top grades.
He'd learn teamwork, leadership skills etc etc in sports and maybe enjoy it!
Obviously you care about your son, but please care about the school, good teachers leave and really good teachers give more than high grades to a school's reputation.

Instead of not paying at all, why not make a contribution which you feel is adequate and what you can afford. I don't agree with the high price, but I would give something.
abitstressed
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:18 pm

Post by abitstressed »

Gosh - reading all this makes me feel a bit better about my son's position on the waiting list (need another 50 or so to drop out - highly unlikely). At least he's going to a school that is local, has masses of extra curricular activities, is free and also has one of the best Added Value's in the country. Tiffin's apparently had hardly any Added Value last year. And our comp has re-introduced the triple science GCSE's (ie. seperate Bio, chem and Phys) as opposed to the dumbed down double science which is apprently being encouraged at Tiffins.

And such a large drop out rate in the sixth form. This surprises me, as universities are primarily looking at A Level/IB grades for admissions, not GCSE's. Are Tiffin not delivering, or is there a perceived prejudice against Tiffin alumni by admissions tutors?

I am sad that my son won't be joining your kids in September, as I would have liked him to have been in a good peer group and to be stretched. However it's not the disaster it seemed a month ago.

Good luck to all on the waiting list.
Bexley Mum 2
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Maybe I'm missing something here but I don't see the connection between voluntary contributions and good teachers leaving the school. Teachers' salaries and any overtime must surely be paid for from the school budget. Voluntary contributions are, as I understand it to pay for things like transporting students to events; financing clubs, school productions etc etc.

Melinda's comments are spot on and I would imagine most parents would want their children to get involved in extra-curricular activities so they turn into well-rounded individuals. Academic qualifications alone won't usually get you very far without the very important qualities that being involved in school life brings. But maybe Tiffins is just trying to do too much? Maybe teachers are leaving because they can't cope with the level of commitment they're expected to give to extra-curricular activities?
Tracy
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Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

For all those of you who have got your children into Tiffins, well done, I'm sure they will all do well.

But pleased do not allow yourselves to be put into a position of paying for something which you either do not agree with or cannot afford.

These voluntary costs are exactly that VOLUNTARY and cannot be enforced. If you wish to contribute something then do so but let it be your decision alone.

The school has really underestimated the strength of the parents' feelings. I have been heavily involved with PTAs over many years and if the school/PTA can't do something which the vast majority can afford then you don't do it.

Yes, there's a whole list of things that are not paid for by the Government and many of them probably should be. If the extra funds are not received then a lot of these extras will be cut back or cut out. Teaching staff that are genuinely required will not disappear.

Everyone has to live according to their budget and it would appear that the school/PA has lost sight of this. There are probably parents out there in real hardship and having make painful decisions about feeding/clothing their kids yet feel bullied into 'donating' this ridiculous sum.

If 50% of parents are already refusing to pay it suggests to me that only 50% agree with the policy. And there's a lot of people who don't. If I was on this PA committee/school staff I would be most concerned. It would tell me to change my policies immediately.
Life time of learning
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:52 pm

Post by Life time of learning »

Do you think there would be as many people applying for a place at Tiffin if they knew the school would ask for £500 a year?


Better than £4000 a term for a very similar experience perhaps?
ani
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:53 am

Post by ani »

Tiffin boys parent - As a single parent I can't afford to make any contibutions to the school - I don't feel that my son is at a disadvantage.
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