School launches online fundraising campaign
THE head teacher of a Govanhill primary school where none of the pupils are indigenous Scots has launched an online crowdfunding campaign for new playground and classroom equipment.
Glasgow’s Annette Street primary, at which 181 of the school’s 222 students come from Romania or Slovakia, and the rest are believed to be of South Asian origin, has launched the Play to Grow fundraising drive after working with students from the Strathclyde Business School (SBS).
Head teacher Shirley Taylor said the school suffered because most parents at the primary do not speak enough English, or have the financial wherewithal to engage in the kind of traditional PTA-type money-raising activities which provide additional resources in many schools.
Speaking on a Youtube video to launch the campaign, she said: “As a result of such fun- draising activities most schools can provide opportunities and equipment to complement the curriculum.
“As you can imagine, the parents and the children in my school just don’t have the linguistic or financial capacity to do this.”
On the video, Mrs Taylor describes the history of persecution faced by Roma people and says the majority of pupils at her school arrive with little or no experience of education and unable to speak English – the language in which all classes are taught. On top of that, they may be hungry because there was no money to buy breakfast or tired because they have had interrupted sleep from having to share a bed with three other siblings,” she said.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The diversity and many cultures in our classrooms across the city make Glasgow the wonderful city that we have become known for.
“Our children and young people can all learn from each other.”