| What is it? |
The building and maintenance fund is
a charity registered with the Charity Commission (No.311897). Its
principal purpose is to collect voluntary contributions from parents in
order to make grants to the school to enable it to improve and maintain
the fabric of the school.
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| Why do we need it? |
As St Nicholas is a Voluntary Aided
School it receives less financial support than
other schools controlled by Surrey County Council and, contrary to
popular belief, the school does not receive any financial support from
the church. While the County provides a very limited budget for building
maintenance costs, the school is responsible for 10% of the costs of providing, extending, improving,
repairing and maintaining all capital items such as the school
buildings, the playgrounds and associated drainage, plant, fixtures and
fittings etc and for 100% of all those costs below £2,000.
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| Where does the
money come from? |
|
To meet these very necessary costs, we
ask parents to make a voluntary contribution each year to the school's
Building and Maintenance Fund. The trustees currently recommend a
donation of £72 per child per year. Occasionally, some parents give
more than this and we are grateful for their generosity. Others are not
always able to pay this much and we are equally grateful for smaller
contributions. The value to the school of most contributions can be
increased by participation in the Gift Aid scheme (see below).
|
| Are contributions to the Fund mandatory? |
No, it is a genuinely voluntary
contribution. However, we hope parents will contribute, because the
continued improvement and maintenance of the facilities depends heavily on the fund.
|
| How can it be paid? |
Contributions can be sent to the
school in cash or by cheque (made payable to St Nicholas Building and
Maintenance Fund) or can be made using a Bank Standing Order which we
prefer. Contributions can be made as a single amount or by instalments.
Bank Standing Order forms are available from the school office.
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| When is it paid? |
The school typically invites
contributions at the beginning of each school year. (The invitation is,
formally, from the Trustees of the Fund, usually three of the Governors). Parents
are sent a letter detailing the suggested contribution, method of
payment, and Gift Aid information. The School Office will generally
answer any questions.
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| Can
it be treated as Gift Aid? |
The Gift Aid scheme increases the
value of a donation. Funds given as 'Gift Aid' allow a charitable
organisation - including the St Nicholas School Building and
Maintenance Fund - to claim back from the Government some of the tax
already paid by the donor. All that is necessary is that the donor
complete a declaration that states that the donation should be treated
as Gift Aid. This declaration is always included on the Fund's payment
request form as a simple tick-box; please remember to tick the box!
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| The Fund's annual
report and accounts |
The Fund's annual report and accounts are required to be filed with the Charities Commission annually.
A summary of the latest accounts is available for viewing on the Charities Commission website. Once on the Commission website, the full accounts can be viewed by clicking on "View Accounts" in the left margin.
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