Sacred Heart is a voluntary-aided school. This means that while most of our income is derived from local Government funds, as a Catholic school, we must contribute 10% of the cost for major improvements and for the maintenance of our school buildings. To fund this 10% cost, all families are kindly asked to make a voluntary contribution of £100 per year.

The School Building Fund is administered during the school year. This means that each October all parents will receive a letter explaining what the School Building Fund is and kindly asking for voluntary contributions for that school year. In February, we send a second letter, again making parents aware of why we have a School Building Fund and how that money has been spent or will be spent on planned improvement and maintenance projects.

Along with these letters, we will also send parents a Guidance Note to inform you of how you can make your voluntary contribution and the benefits to the School of completing a Gift Aid Declaration.

The Guidance Note will explain how voluntary contributions can be made by direct debit (either in a one-off payment, quarterly or monthly), by cheque or cash payment. Unfortunately we are not able to accept on-line payments directly to the School for this contribution. The Guidance Note will also ask you if you are willing to complete a Gift Aid Declaration which enables the School to reclaim the Income Tax which you have already paid on this contribution. This provides an added bonus to the school and can add considerably to the income of the School Building Fund – an extra 28p extra for every £1 contributed by parents.

Parents can choose to ‘Gift Aid’ their contributions at any time and once the forms have been completed it means that any future contributions you make to Sacred Heart will increase its Building Fund. The signing of a Gift Aid Declaration Form means that any contributions given since April 2000 can be used to help the school.

School bank details in a Bank Instruction Order and Gift Aid Declaration forms are available on request at the School Office.

Please note that every voluntary contribution with be acknowledged with a receipt and a compliment slip.

Many thanks.

• [09] School Building Fund Letter Nov 2023
• Gift Aid Declaration

What is the School Building Fund?

Introduction

The Diocese of Westminster Schools’ Building Fund was set up in 1988 to help support capital projects and maintenance works within Catholic Schools.

Examples of projects include:

• Re-roofing and redecoration
• New windows
• Extensions
• New classrooms
• Provision of nursery facilities

Nearly all schools have benefited from this scheme. Although grants have been received from the Department for Education, none of these works would have been possible without the valuable contribution made by parents.The Diocesan Schools’ Building Fund has become the established method through which School Governors meet the liabilities which they incur, in particular, by having to meet 10% of the cost of building and maintenance works.

How has the money raised by Sacred Heart parents been spent?

The Sacred Heart Building Fund was first opened in April 1985. The money raised in previous years has been spent on paying for the ‘buildings insurance’ each year. More recently it has been used for:

• New windows
• External redecoration
• Entry phone system, and
• Reception area / school office
• Refurbishment of Year 6 toilet facilities (2012)
• Refurbishment of school hall (2013)
• Re-decoration of all classroom (2013/14)
• New Early Years Centre incorporating Nursery and Reception Classes (2015)
• New kitchen facilities (2015)

How does the Fund operate?

The Diocese undertakes responsibility for managing projects, paying bills and recovering grants. Schools are expected to raise 10% of the costs and the vehicle for this is the School Building Fund. Parents are asked to contribute £100 per family. Each year a letter will be issued to all parents asking for their contribution to the school building fund.

The money collected is deposited in Sacred Heart’s individual bank account within the Diocesan Schools’ Building Fund. When building and maintenance costs (outside the normal budgetary expenditure) are incurred, the balance in the Schools’ Building Fund account is used to meet the governors’ liability.

When there are insufficient funds available in the account Sacred Heart may apply to the Fund for a loan to cover the shortfall. Such loans are granted free of interest and normally for periods up to a maximum of five years.

The Gift Aid Scheme

We have suggested that parents contribute £100 per family per year to the School Building Fund. By Gift Aiding these donations, taxpayers enable the school to reclaim the Income Tax which they have already paid on this contribution. This provides an added bonus to Sacred Heart School and can add considerably to the income of the Building Fund.

If you have an income (wage, salary, pension or investment income) on which you pay UK Income Tax, you can boost the donations you are currently making to Sacred Heart School by 28% without giving extra.

For example:

Annual Contribution	Additional Tax Refund	Total to Sacred Heart
£100	£28.00	£128

This works out at 28 pence for each £1 you contribute providing the present tax rates remain unchanged.

What of the future?

With the continued support and generosity of the parents, the Diocese intends to continue with their substantial Building and Maintenance programmes and thus ensuring improved facilities for the children at Sacred Heart School and all schools in the Diocese of Westminster.