Benefits of fundraising to school management

Some schools are concerned that any time given to a fundraising campaign distracts them from their real purpose. Yet a study shows that the two activities are not mutually exclusive

Schools that actively look for additional funding sources are more likely to use school resources effectively and will achieve higher levels of pupil attainment.

The (then) DfES report identified key attributes that characterise successful schools.

Common currency
A common characteristic shared by effective schools is their determination to manage their resources and apply them more effectively when compared to other schools with similar budgets and profiles.

An adviser to the report, Darren Pigg, told delegates at a conference in 2006, Raising the Financial Performance of Schools, that although the study happened to be of secondary schools, the conclusions would apply to primary schools as well: “There appears to be a clear correlation between those schools that fundraise and in their effectiveness as schools. It isn’t just about the better facilities and resources that the activity brings to the school, it is more about the drive and motivation within the school. The new facilities and resources help to create a sense of pride for pupils. Fundraising brings the school together, from headteacher to the staff to the pupils, parents and community. This sense of common purpose directly impacts on how resources are used and, most importantly, on pupils’ attainments."

What makes the best?
The first conclusion drawn by the report’s author, Alan Dodd of Hedra plc, was that the schools showed a range of different approaches to creating an effective school.

However, he was able to draw out the characteristics that made these schools so effective, which included:

• a proactiveness to seeking additional funding sources and using this funding to improve the school;
• a strong, positive ethos founded on the principle that a school is a place to learn and achieve;
• very strong leadership, personalised in the headteacher, but extending throughout the senior leadership team;
• focused use of the student performance data to set attainment targets;
• strong emphasis on the recruitment, retention and development of high quality staff;
• dissemination of a culture of accountability for performance to all staff;
• a willingness to make significant additional inputs of time and effort in order to offer students the best possible chance of success;
• a strong commitment to the use of and investment in ICT;
• development of the curriculum to reflect the needs of students; and
• an inclusiveness of approach which offers every child the opportunity to achieve their potential.

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