SECURITY and ETHOS VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS from AUTUMN 2023

On behalf of the Staff, Governors and JCoSS Trust, may I take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to JCoSS. We wish your child every success during their time with us and we are looking forward to working together over the coming years. 

I hope that you enjoyed the recent Welcome to Year 7 Evening and that you are as excited as I am about welcoming your child to JCoSS in September. As I explained at this event we, as a state school, are facing significant financial pressures. Voluntary Contributions to the JCoSS Trust are more important than ever and they are an essential part of the running costs of the school.

Voluntary Contributions pay for the Jewish Ethos and Jewish Education that we provide – both the formal lessons and the huge range of informal activities that students enjoy, from Purim celebrations to our award-winning Interfaith and volunteering activities. They also contribute to the security infrastructure that ensures our students are kept safe whilst at school. 

Your Voluntary Contributions also have many other enormous and critically important benefits which allow us to enhance the education that we provide for your children. The levels of staffing, the resourcing of teaching and learning, the availability of extra-curricular and enrichment activities, the provision of extra classes and revision programmes for exams – all of these things and more are only possible because your Voluntary Contributions provide extra financial support for the school which supplements the money that comes from Government. 

Whatever the amount you decide to contribute, the most convenient way is by Direct Debit. If you choose this method you will be paying less than those who pay termly by cheque. Full details of the contribution rates are below.  Please download and complete this Direct Debit bank mandate and email it to lmorris@jcoss.barnet.sch.uk. Please also complete the Gift Aid form which is on the same document after the direct debit mandate.  If you would prefer to pay by cheque, please enclose the full first term’s payment. Our bank details are available on request.

As the JCoSS Trust is a registered Charity, if you pay tax and complete the Gift Aid form, the school can benefit by receiving additional funds from the Government. Different arrangements may apply depending on the rate of tax you pay – an illustration of the calculations is included below.

As I am sure you are aware, in common with all other Jewish schools, this contribution is voluntary and your child will not be treated differently if you are unable to pay. However, we anticipate and rely upon most parents being able and willing to contribute in full.  We believe there is a strong moral obligation on all to pay – if not the full amount then as much as possible.  We know there are differences in what families can afford, and we are always willing to discuss different amounts in total confidence. Even a partial contribution is enormously helpful in keeping down the headline contribution amount that all are asked for; it also embodies the sense of corporate responsibility for the education and future of the next generation, and models the habit of giving which is such a hallmark of the Jewish community. If you do have any difficulty, then please contact our Voluntary Contribution administrator Laura Morris by email to lmorris@jcoss.barnet.sch.uk, who collects your donations on behalf of the JCoSS Trust. We will of course handle the matter sensitively and confidentially.

We want to ensure that JCoSS continues to thrive and be the wonderful school that it is and we are fully committed to supporting your child to have the very best experience with us. Thank you in advance for your help in allowing us to achieve this – please remember how much we rely on your Voluntary Contributions in helping us to provide an exceptional education at JCoSS.

We are delighted that you have chosen JCoSS and look forward to your child having a successful career at the school.

Yours sincerely

Dr Melanie Lee

Headteacher

Non-tax and standard rate tax payers:

Each child              £160.58 per month for 12 months (Sept 2023 to August 2024 inclusive) = £1,926.96 for the year

OR                           £660 per term = £1,980 for the year. 

No money will be taken from your account until September.

Higher rate tax payers:

If you pay higher rate tax and complete a tax return, you would receive further tax relief on your contribution.  Therefore, in common with other similar organisations, we are asking you to consider making a higher contribution to us, which after tax relief is the same amount we are asking from a standard rate tax payer. No money will be taken from your account until September.

Higher rate tax payer: 40%

Each child £214.17 per month for 12 months (Sept 2023 to August 2024 inclusive) = £2,570.04 for the year (which after further tax relief costs you £1,927).

Higher rate tax payer: 45%

Each child £233.58 per month for 12 months (Sept 2023 to August 2024 inclusive) = £2,802.96 for the year (which after further tax relief costs you £1,927).

Illustration of how the tax relief works, if the Gift Aid form is signed