Development Fund

Many parents donate to the Development Fund to help the school purchase much needed resources that it otherwise couldn’t afford due to being so poorly funded by the government.

It’s hard to imagine that the school is short of funds when we look at all of its amazing facilities, but the reality is that most of those facilities were funded by parent donations and fundraising – the AstroTurf, tablets/laptops in every year group, the outdoor classroom, the playground equipment, the 21st Century Classroom, the reading books and most recently the science lab were all funded by parents.

Danesfield is one of the lowest funded schools in the whole country - bottom 1% in fact. Funding from the government is just enough to cover staff, buildings and a few basics.  We’re sure you’ve heard that all schools struggle with low funding, and Danesfield is at the bottom extreme of that.

Donations to the Development Fund can by via monthly direct debit. The fund has charity status, and as such donations can be gift-aided, enabling an additional £25 donation for every £100 donated.

Since 2015, this vitally important money has funded:

  • £75,000 - New laptops and tablets
  • £4,095 - Interactive screens for classrooms
  • £16,090 - Refurb of the dining hall
  • £5,857 - Shelving for reading books in classrooms
  • £9,000 - Digital suite
  • £6,313 - Pre-school and outdoor area
  • £23,840 - part-fund the AstroTurf pitch
  • £4,000 - part-fund the 21st Century classroom (£7,000 funded by the PTA)

The fund’s trustees are responsible for allocating the funds to best benefit the children.  The trustees are Victoria Downie, Robert Colley, Mel Stone and Kate Armstrong.

We are extremely grateful to all the parents that contribute to our School Development Fund - without your kind generosity, these projects would simply not be possible.   

If you would like to donate, please click on the following link https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/1348 or alternatively, complete the direct debit form below and return to the school office:  

Danesfield Development Fund DD Form