The 500 Club
Find out more about the 500 club and download an application form here
500 CLUB WINNERS 2008-2009 please see attached
13 January 2009
Dear Parents and Carers
BUILDING WORKS AT ST JAMES’
Over the last few years you will have noticed building works taking place at St James’ to improve the facilities for our students. For example, the new reception area and refurbished all weather pitch and floodlit tennis courts. All maintained schools received an annual grant from the government to fund this type of work. However, voluntary aided schools only receive a grant of 90% towards the cost of these works. For example, we recently installed double glazing; the total cost of the project was £100,000. The government provided £90,000 and we had to find the other £10,000 to pay for the cost of these works. Raising that 10% contribution is becoming increasingly more difficult and unless we do we cannot access government funding. In order to ensure that we do access it and continue to improve the site for the benefit of all our children, we need to be able to rely on a consistent source for the 10% contribution.
Having discussed the situation with the PTA we have come up with the following solution which we sincerely hope you will feel able to support.
500 CLUB At the moment the 500 club funds the cost of our minibus and I know that this has been a massive addition to our resource base in school and has allowed children to have curriculum opportunities during the day which would otherwise have been closed to them. The current membership of the 500 Club is 230 and these 230 members by paying just £4.33 per month are involved in a monthly prize draw with total prizes of £500 per month and in addition contribute fully to the cost of our minibus. If we can increase the 500 Club membership by 230 more members the additional income will allow us to access the £110,000 annual grant. Just think what improvements we can make to the school with this
annual income. Therefore I am urging all our parents if they have not already done so to join our 500 Club and support this initiative.
THE LAUNCH
Attached to this letter, whether you have received it by email or hard copy, you will find a 500 Club membership form. If you feel you can contribute to the school in this way, please complete it, sign it and return it in hard copy to school and we will do the rest.
As an incentive to students, every student who sells just 1 membership will be entered into a prize draw. The more members they can sign up, the more times they will be entered into the draw and therefore increase their chance of winning a prize.
We need your help and support. Remember continuous improvements to the school ensures that we can maintain a high quality service to all our children.
Yours sincerely,
C G Lowry
Headteacher