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Camden New Journal - by SARA NEWMAN
Published: 22 November 2007

Estate agents’ deals with schools come under fire

ESTATE agents have been told to stop linking up with schools to advertise their services.
Kevin Courtney, National Union of Teachers’ representative for Camden, has condemned the practice of placing estate agents’ boards advertising events such as school fairs outside parents’ homes.
He said he could not speak for his members, but added: “It seems a shame that schools are not funded well enough by the government that they feel they have to go down this road.”
Mr Courtney fears sponsorship could escalate and challenge the publicly-funded status of state schools. “Advertising shouldn’t feature in schools and schools shouldn’t feature in advertising,” he added.
Alan Seymour, head at Gospel Oak School, said that only events such as school fairs and an annual international evening benefited from the extra cash generated by deals with estate agencies.
He said: “We get a steel band, visiting artists and musicians and we use BRW’s [Buchanan Rae and Wilson] money to do it.” He added that it would be “inappropriate” to use the money for “core provision”.
Paul Buchanan, director of Buchanan Rae and Wilson, said his company also sponsors events at Acland Burghley School and Brookfield School. Approached by the Parents Teachers Association at Brookfield School, his agency paid £50 for each board displayed by parents to advertise school events.
He said: “It’s a good way of schools raising money for doing very little. And it’s a way for us to give something back. One or two parents were a little annoyed that the schools were raising funds in this way but it seems to me the money needs to be raised.”
Conservative schools chief Councillor Andrew Mennear said: “I fully support businesses making contributions to local schools [but] they could do this without putting boards up in the neighbourhood.”

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