The Laleham School Building Maintenance Fund

A message below from the Governing Body.

What is a Voluntary Aided School?

A Voluntary Aided School is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In most cases the foundation or trust owns the buildings. 

What is the Laleham School Building Maintenance Fund, and why does the school need one?

Laleham Church of England Primary School is a Voluntary Aided School. This means the London Diocese (Church of England) (LDBS) owns the school buildings in trust and, contributes to building maintenance costs. The school receives no funding from the Local Authority for the maintenance or refurbishment of any of the school buildings. Being a Voluntary Aided School also affects the way the school is funded and therefore parents are asked to help.

 

The school is legally obliged to have The Governors’ Building Maintenance Fund. The money in the fund is held and managed by the Governing Body and has charitable status, which allows us to reclaim gift aid. 

 

The Governing Body is only too aware that there are many pressing needs on family budgets at the moment, but we hope you are proud of your school and would like it to remain a welcoming and nurturing learning environment. Parent and Carers generosity is crucial if we are to continue to provide the best education and opportunity for our children/Laleham community.  

 

What is the Building Maintenance Fund used for?

Each year the building maintenance fund pays approximately £11,000 into the London Diocesan Maintenance Fund. The payment to the LDBS Fund pays for the schools insurance and enables the school to apply for funding from the LDBS to cover the cost of future maintenance works and new capital projects.

 

If Voluntary Aided schools do not pay into the LDBS scheme, then there will be insufficient money for the Diocese to invest in schools, and therefore the buildings and facilities will suffer and there would be no funding for new projects.

 

The building maintenance fund must pay 10% towards all maintenance and improvement works carried out on school buildings. Therefore, there needs to be enough money to ensure necessary improvements to the school can be made as required, or when we are lucky enough to secure extra funding from other sources. There also needs to be a contingency fund for any unforeseen or emergency maintenance. 

What is the difference between the building maintenance fund and Friends of Laleham School (FoLS) Fund?

The Parents and Carers already contribute generously through FoLS events. FoLS do fantastic work, raising significant funds each year from various sources, (e.g. discos, Summer Fairs, Christmas Fairs, Uniform Sales, the Circus), which massively enhances the learning environment and experiences for our children, but the Governors' Fund is completely separate to the work that FoLS do.

 

Whilst FoLS makes generous contributions for improvement projects and additional learning resources, they are not responsible for key maintenance works.

 

Even if FoLS donates to a maintenance project, the Governing Body is still legally required to make a 10% contribution to the funding. Without the building maintenance fund contribution, these projects cannot go ahead even if funding is secured from other sources.  

What happens if there are not enough contributions?

If we do not receive enough parent/carer contributions, the annual payment for buildings insurance, maintenance costs, and the contribution to the London Diocesan Board of Education will have to come from the main school budget, which means less money to spend on things such as learning resources and staff training. 

What has the building maintenance fund been used for recently?

In recent years contributions from the building maintenance fund has gone towards…

 

• Repairs to main entrance automated doors

The repairs to the main entrance cost in excess of £2,000. 

 

• Rebuilding the Reception and Year 1 Classrooms.

The refurbishment of the Reception and Year 1 classrooms in 2019 was a resounding success, enhancing the learning environment with vibrant colours, a fabulous outdoor area and interactive learning aids. This transformation has fostered an engaging atmosphere, promoting creativity and motivation in our EYFS pupils. 

 

• Constructing the new Year 2 classrooms.

In 2019 our fabulous Year 2 building was constructed. The new building has created a bright, modern and enhanced learning space. The new classrooms have enriched the educational environment, inspiring our young pupils to thrive. 

 

• Refurbishment of the Year 4 Squirrel’s & Badger’s Classrooms.

In 2023, our Year 4's Squirrel’s and Badger’s’ classrooms were refurbished. This included the classroom being given a fresh coat of paint. Carpets and lighting were also replaced to create a more comfortable working environment for our children. 

 

• New door on the art hut (aka the Willow Building).

One of the ongoing maintenance projects across the school has included repairs to the Art Hut (aka the Willow Building). The Art Hut is a fantastic resource which enables our children to develop their creativity and a great space for our after-school clubs. To ensure the building is safe and warm the door was replaced.  

Do the Governors look for sources of alternate funding?

As a school we always explore sources for alternative funding, but because Laleham School is a Voluntary Aided School the Governing Body is legally obliged to make a 10% contribution towards any maintenance project undertaken.  

How much should you contribute and how to pay?

To ensure we have enough funds each year, we have suggested donation amounts of:

• £8 per month (£96 a year) if you have one child at the school.
• £11 per month (£132 a year) if you have two children at the school, and
• £13 per month (£156 a year) if you have more than two children at the school. 

We know that for some families, this will be too much, therefore any donations smaller than the ‘suggested amount’ will be gratefully received and can be paid via the Arbor shop. We also know that some families may want to donate more, and if you wish to donate more, these donations will be very welcome.   

 

There are several ways you can donate.  Please choose the payment method that works best for you:

 

Arbor Shop	Annual payments can be made by logging onto the Arbor and making a payment via the Arbor shop: £96 a year  - if you have one child at the school £132 a year - if you have two children at the school £156 a year - if you have more than two children at the school   Adhoc payments can be paid £10.00 throughout the year for those families where the suggested donation is too much.
Monthly Standing Order	Please arrange this by logging into your internet banking to set up a regular payment using your child's surname as a payment reference:   The Laleham School Foundation - Governors' Fund Barclays Bank 71 High Street, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 4PS   Sort Code: 20-81–11 Account Number: 70545848
One-off bank transfer	The Laleham School Foundation - Governors' Fund Barclays Bank 71 High Street, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 4PS   Sort Code: 20-81–11 Account Number: 70545848
Cheque	Please make cheques payable to The Laleham School Foundation - Governors' Fund this can be delivered to the school office.

  

Whatever way you wish to pay, if you are a UK tax-payer then please fill in a gift-aid declaration below, as this enables us to claim extra funds at no extra cost to you. If you are a higher-rate tax-payer, you can claim tax relief on charitable donations. You may also be able to donate pre-tax using payroll giving schemes or through salary or bonus sacrifice. 

Can we claim Gift Aid?

The Fund has charitable status, therefore we can claim back tax from the Government on all gifts from UK taxpayers, increasing the value of your contribution at no cost to yourself 

Please complete the Gift Aid declaration here  

We can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate at no extra cost to you. Also, if you are a higher-rate tax-payer, you can claim tax relief on charitable donations.

 

 

Thank you for your continued support!

 

The Governing Body