Why do we need your support?

We are extremely proud of our school community and of our children's achievements. The success of Larkrise Primary School is a testament to the partnership between home and school and your ongoing support as parents and carers.

You will be aware that the school's success has happened during a period of considerable financial constraint within the education sector. We have worked hard over a number of years to provide excellent educational opportunities for our children at a time when there has been a real-term reduction in spending per pupil over the last five years. The current economic climate, inflation, and the rising cost of energy that we are all experiencing are also putting more pressure on school budgets than ever before.

Our new Voluntary School Donation initiative is an opportunity for parents and carers to support the quality of education through making one-off or regular voluntary contributions to be used directly to provide resources for use in the classroom and the school grounds.

Ideally, we would not like to make such a request, but we also recognise that many parents and carers have expressed an interest in such a scheme. Unlike many schools, Larkrise has no tradition of regular individual donations to support the school. However, as you will have seen from recent media coverage, the financial climate for all schools is becoming increasingly difficult. School funding has not been increased in real terms for over a decade in spite of steadily rising costs, so in real terms, our income has fallen. We ask our parents and carers to consider a regular voluntary contribution to a new school fund to realise our ambitious plans for the school and our children sooner.

How much would we like you to contribute?

There is no obligation or pressure to donate, but if you would like to, your donations will make a real difference to the education of all children at the school.

For example - If you give £10 per month, this would give us £120 per year – with Gift Aid, that is £150! If you give £1 per day, this would give us £365 per year – with Gift Aid, that’s over £450 per year!

How does this work with the support provided by the Parents’ Association Friends of Larkrise?

Friends of Larkrise have provided invaluable support to Larkrise for many years – the photos on their website show you some of the items they have purchased for us (https://friendsoflarkrise.org). The Friends of Larkrise fully endorse this request for individual regular contributions. However, payments will be made directly to the school to preserve donors’ anonymity.

The Chair of the Friends of Larkrise (FOL) says: “FOL fully supports the school in striving to provide high educational standards for our children, in the face of reduced income, by enabling parents/carers to contribute directly via the school fund if they wish. FOL looks forward to continuing to engage with the school, fundraise and organise community events and will support them with realising their exciting Vision.”

What will we spend the funds on?

This funding will be used to provide: 

• New and additional resources for our Inspire Curriculum with an emphasis on English, STEM Subjects and the Arts.
• Development of our resources for Special Educational Needs.
• Redeveloping our school site to enhance our learning environment both inside and outside. In the first instance, we would like to focus on the following areas.

     Year 1 Outdoor Learning Space

     Year 2 Outdoor Learning Space

     SEND Resources

For more information about the work we have already achieved and future development plans, visit our website: https://www.larkriseprimary.org/site-and-resources-development/

We will use these additional funds to have the greatest impact on school resources wherever possible by working alongside the Friends of Larkrise and other community organisations to maximise funding via grant applications.

We will give further information about individual projects throughout the year and report developments in the newsletter.

Should you wish to make a donation, there are a number of ways to do this:

• Via the newly set up Larkrise School Donation - Just Giving Site. You can use this site for a one-off or ongoing monthly donation.
• By cheque payment: cheques should be made out to River Learning Trust - Larkrise Primary School Fund and sent to the school office.

All donations, whether a one-off payment or a monthly contribution, can be gift-aided, which means that the government adds an additional 25% of the value of the donation to the school in tax relief. This applies as long as the donor has paid at least as much in income or capital gains tax in the same tax year as the school will claim back in Gift Aid. We would encourage you to Gift Aid if possible, as the additional 25% makes a significant difference to the school at no extra cost to yourself. All donations will be kept private, and parents' identities will be protected unless you want to leave your name on the Just Giving Site.

I can’t afford to help, but I would still like to support the school. What can I do?

We always welcome volunteers. In the warmer months, we have regular volunteer mornings at weekends where the whole family can join in.

In particular, we would like volunteers in the following areas:

• Reading volunteers.
• Support with our Inspire Curriculum. Are you an author, doctor, engineer, health visitor or other professional, scientist, or car mechanic … the list is endless! Could you offer your expertise to enhance our Inspire Curriculum? See https://www.larkriseprimary.org/topic/curriculum for more information regarding our Inspire Curriculum.
• Are you a landscape gardener or architect, painter, decorator, or builder, or do you have expertise in grant funding applications or digital media/communication? We would love to hear from you in order to support our development.

If you feel you can support the school in any of the areas above, please complete this Google form.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of these requests. If you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact us via the school office.