The Costs Of A Free Education

Last night saw us at Vee's high school's annual prizegiving. To be honest we were dreading it because the last time we were at one, the then headmaster droned on for almost an hour about nothing in particular before the actual prizegiving. However, this time we were happy to see that the new headmaster was only going to speak for a few minutes before handing over presenting duties to the head girl and deputy head girl (the head boy, who has now left school, was working!) and that there would be a few short pieces by pupils at different stages in their high school education on their experiences. It was really refreshing to see it done this way but sadly the microphone and acoustics were dreadful and I missed most of what was said. It was also good to see that the school hall was packed out with parents, relatives and friends of the pupils. The first musical interlude was a piece entitled "Blues Band" and anyone who has ever heard a high school orchestra will be able to guess that it was heavy on the brass section and played with gusto but having said that it was pleasant enough. A senior pupil also played an accomplished piano solo. Then it was onto the actual prizegiving. This was divided into year groups and further into subject awards and those for "general excellence", which was what Vee was to receive. It was sad to see that, obviously down to school budgets, unlike in previous years where the pupils were given a chit to take to a bookshop to choose a book, this year they were only given laminated certificates. I think it was a shame that they have been forced to do this, as I still have the books I received when I was at high school with their bookplates. Lack of funding or fundraising is a big issue at school - next week Vee is off with her friends to a fairground as a reward trip for good attendance for which we had to cough up £8! At this time of year, there is also talk of the prom (with all respect to any US readers, I mourn the demise of the school dance or disco and the rise of these more showy affairs). Vee will have the first of two senior school proms next year and she said that this year it cost around £40 a head. This does not include the cost of a dress, shoes, hair etc. In this current nationwide economic downturn, where mostly everyone (unless you are a well known TV comedian with a good accountant!) is struggling financially, it seems ridiculous to me for schools to encourage this kind of spending and for firms to make their money from it. As a family on a low income, it worries me that next year Vee might not be able to fully participate along with her classmates because I cannot see us being able to afford a new dress or a night out. And I have told her in no uncerain terms that a limo is out of the question - if she wants to ride in style, she can hitch a lift on the back of the motorbike. While typing this, I had Vee on the phone to tell me that there is nothing available for her lunch, apart from a hard baked potato. Again, due to our family circumstances, we are given free school meals for Vee and anyone who has been following the story of Martha Payne and her "Never Seconds" blog will be aware of the shocking state of school meal provision here in Scotland. As a vegetarian, Vee's choice is limited - her meals seem always to be macaroni cheese, a baked potato with cheese, a cheese sandwich or pizza. This is not the first time she has had nothing or very little for lunch. She called me and I told her to ask to speak to whoever was in charge of the school meals and say she wanted a lunch, which she was reluctant to do, being at that age where she is still shy of speaking out. At the same time I called the school, to be told rather unhelpfully that the school isn't responsible for the provision of school meals but that food is provided by what is called a firm contracted by the education department of the council, which I knew already but still thought that school should have some kind of role in this. The person answering my call seemed unwilling to help but I pressed her and she assured me a depute head teacher would go and help Vee get some food. She was unable to give me a contact number for the company but I found it online and have a left a message so am waiting for them to get back to me. It has concerned me for some time the lack of choice in school meals provision especially for vegetarians. Again, being on a low income, this free meals provision is supposed to help us but I find myself considering going back to giving Vee a packed lunch to ensure she gets something filling and nutritious, as we live too far from the school for her to come home. Anyway, back to the awards ceremony and the additional costs. Another example is school ties - Vee's school requires all pupils to wear a school uniform including a tie. Now, instead of having one tie throughout, there are 3 changes of style and colour. When Vee started at high school, her primary school had a tradition where all pupils were given a new tie. This tie was worn in first and second year. Then in 3rd year, it changes to a different tie. At the time, Vee had a friend who was moving up and she gave Vee her tie. And this year, as she moved into the senior school, it was yet another tie, which had to be purchased from the school for £5. And to top it all next year, it's another tie and another £5. Again, to me this is excessive. The awards evening concluded with the school orchestra and choir (of which Vee is a member) singing "Highland Cathedral". As we made our way out, her pastoral care teacher congratulated us on the award, given for "General Excellence" as opposed to for a specific subject. She explained that this meant all of Vee's teachers had nominated her for this and that she had come 2nd in a lot of her classes. That is good to know, although I did tell Vee last night that, nice as they are, we don't need certificates to know how great she is. On a final note, on the second last day of term (the school closes on Wednesday next for the summer) they have a carnival to raise funds for a partner school in Malawi. As much as I applaud this, again it costs each pupil £3 for a wristband plus additional costs for some activities. Therefore, for this and a trip we have had to shell out £11 at least, which to be honest we can hardly afford, and it worries me that there must be many families, especially those with more than one child at the school, who are having to say no and deprive the child of the experience and stigma of taking part. What happens to them, those who have had perfect attendance but cannot afford the "reward" trip"? Or those who want to take part in the fundraising day for Malawi but for whom charity must beging at home? And those who want to celebrate the end of a senior school year or going on to work, college or university but cannot afford a new dress or suit, a dinner/ dance or a fancy limo? For a country with a free education system, these additional costs are getting out of hand. I remember going to school back in the 1970s with some kids who looked undernourished and for whom their school was their only square meal of the day. I also remember going to school in hand-me-down clothes and the indignity of having to go up and get my free dinner ticket after those having a school lunch but were paying got theirs. I think schools need to take a long, hard look at themselves and recognise that,as nice as they are, things like proms and trips cost money that a lot of us don't have.