Schools are struggling to survive: How can you help?

England’s schools are currently facing a financial crisis. In an investigation by The Guardian, it was found that in some schools there isn’t enough funding for essentials such as textbooks and stationery. A school in Manchester was caught in a media frenzy after their headteacher was forced to reduce school hours to just 4.5 days a week due to budget cuts. Indeed, a recent survey by the teachers’ union NASUWT found that educators have resorted to dipping into their own pockets to supply students with vital provisions. Sadly, these are not isolated incidents. Research conducted by the Institute For Fiscal Studies (IFS) concluded that the total school spending per pupil has fallen by 8% between 2017 and 2018, with the country’s sixth form students feeling the biggest cuts outside of universities. Funding to sixth forms has been cut by 20%, while spending per sixth form student is at the lowest it’s been since 2002. Yikes.

These cuts go far deeper than a mere shortage of biros. Budget cuts place enormous amounts of pressure on a system designed to educate and inspire our future generation. When resources are spread too thinly, some students fall victim to the knock-on effects of a lack of proper funding for pupil services. The number of pupils permanently excluded from schools reached its highest point last year in nearly a decade at 40 students a day on average, half of which were pupils with special needs. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, pointed out that the reduced funding has forced schools to let more support staff go who would have originally provided the early intervention care for these children.

So not only is greater pressure being placed on schools to deliver the same services with insufficient resources, but charities are increasingly stepping in to fill this gap, providing support for more disadvantaged pupils and students who need additional support. As an example, Downshall primary school in Ilford, east London, has recently turned to BBC Children In Need to ask for three years worth of funding for pastoral care after budget cuts forced the school to let go its pastoral support staff.    

What can you do?

Funding in schools is causing a range of issues which are impacting students, staff and the whole system overall. Until the government increases its commitment and funding to schools, communities will need to come together to help make ends meet. After all, what can be more important than ensuring that our kids have access to education?  By fundraising for your local schools, you will be helping to give our kids the best possible chance in the future, and levelling the playing field for students who can’t afford to pay their way.

Here at GoodBox, we are in favour of creative, forward-thinking ways to fundraise, so we’ve put together some of our favourite charity fundraising ideas for schools.

School fundraising ideas

Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt

At the end of each school year, why not create keepsakes for each class and sell personalised t-shirts naming each student? Choose an online t-shirt customising service, check each class’s register, and then sell them on to current students, teachers and parents. For younger classes, you can sell tea-towels with miniature self-portraits of the students. All profits go to the school and ensuring classes continue to graduate for years to come!

Follow your sole

Kids outgrow shoes like it’s going out of fashion. Instead of throwing like-new and partially worn shoes away, partner with a shoe drive fundraiser like United Shoe. Set a goal of collecting ‘x’ pairs of shoes, and once you’ve reached your target, contact the shoe drive facilitator to arrange collection. In return, they’ll send you a cheque for the value of the shoes which can then be used for school provisions, the shoes will then be given to those in need.

Clothe your community

Much like their shoes, children often grow out of their clothes in lightening-speed fashion. This can be used to your advantage by organising a second-hand clothes sale for your local school. Parents and families can donate clothes that their own children have outgrown, and then buy donated clothes back at a fraction of the cost of high-street versions. Second-hand clothes shopping not only helps to keep costs down for parents, but also saves perfectly good clothes from being sent to the landfill! Your school can reap the benefit from the funds raised while also helping to give back to the community.

Calling all foodies

Foodie nights at your local school are a great way to bring your community together over delicious food while raising money for your child’s school at the same time. Organise a pizza night by asking local pizzerias if they’ll donate pizzas to your school, then sell the individual slices back to attendees. How about a chilli or curry cook-off? Parents and teachers can make their own best homemade dishes, which can then be brought to your fundraiser evening. Sell tickets to students and families who can come and try the different meals and then vote for a winner. The chef of the first-place dish will receive a prize, while all the attendees will enjoy a great meal (or two) and your local school will generate some extra funds in the process.

Get cooking

Meghan Markle’s best-selling cookbook, Together was published in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and collated recipes of residents of the tower to raise vital funds. Through online sales, the community cookbook raised over £370,000 in just two weeks. Now we can’t all expect to have a Royal join our fundraiser, but there’s certainly inspiration to be found here. Why not collect recipes from your students and their families to make a personalised cookbook which can be sold back to the community. You could even reach out to local chefs, restaurants and businesses to offer recipes and promote the cookbook to their customers.

Piece of cake

Everyone loves cake. Or at least, we do in the GoodBox office. So why not host a bake sale selling homemade sweet-treats cooked by students. To take this time-tested school fundraising idea one step further organise a cake war. No, we don’t mean a food fight. Rather a cake war follows in the footsteps of Great British Bake Off and sets up a competition for the title of the best baker – based on taste, decoration and originality. You could even create two different categories – one for students and one for teachers. After the winner is decided, the cakes can be portioned out and sold as part of a bake sale.

Olympic Games

Follow in the footsteps of the country’s Olympians by hosting your very own Olympic games. Allow students and adults to compete in events such as hockey games, obstacle courses, athletics and football tournaments, rewarding the winners with medals at the end. Raise money by charging small admission fees for participants and spectators to the events. If the weather permits, this could be coupled by associated fundraising ideas such as face painting to make it an all-day event.

Skills clinic

A skills clinic is a specialised session that raises money for your local school while educating students (and adults) on a new hobby or unusual skill. This could be related to a sport, such as impressive ball handling skills, or something more unusual like how to ride a unicycle. It could even cover more creative talents, like pottery, painting or basic coding. The first step is finding an expert who can lead the session. Then you have to promote the event on social media and email to kick off the registration process. All participants will pay a small fee to attend which can then be put to good use by the school.

How GoodBox can help

Here at GoodBox, we help charitable causes have more of an impact. Through innovative digital technologies and forward-thinking, GoodBox has helped charities and non-profits of all sizes optimise their fundraising. We can help you too.

Make the most out of your school fundraising ideas by renting or purchasing one of our contactless donation devices. You’ll be able to collect cashless donations from parents, teachers and supporters alongside collecting spare change to maximise the effectiveness of your school fundraising campaign. Our devices let you transition between causes, so you can raise money for your school one week, and Red Nose Day the next.

To find out more about renting or purchasing our contactless giving devices or for more expert advice on charity fundraising ideas for schools, get in touch with our team today.