Anyone registered for private prep and then decided not to pursue application due to financial pressures?

[alvinandthechipmunks]

Anyone registered for private prep and then decided not to pursue application due to the 'credit crunch'/ financial environment?

Was talking about this with a friend who is now having to adjust expectations - sadly the state schools near her are not a good alternative as poor results. Not sure what we will do yet.
It's not the biggest problem in the world of course I accept.

Just wondering how common this is at the moment.

[AvenaLife]

It's probably going to be very common. She does know that she will still have to give a terms notice if her child was due to start in September, meaning she'll be expected to pay 1 terms fees?

[alvinandthechipmunks]

Really? Actually, I don't think she's accepted a place yet though so hopefully she won't have to (it's for 2009 entry not this Sept) - they hadn't had the assessment day thing yet.

That would be such a nightmare though for anyone who had already accepted a place and eg lost their job to have to pay that when broke (although of course the schools have lost a place they could have filled). You'd think they'd say you could pay half or something.

Just feel a bit sorry for the friend as they had put a lot of energy into looking at their private options and now have to start at square one looking again. Wouldn't be so bad if the local primaries were good.

[SqueakyPop]

Registration is different to accepting a place. Registration means a fee of £50 - £100. Accepting a place means you pay a refundable deposit (£500 - 1000), and being under the 1-term's notice period.

[LadyMuck]

Well it is fairly standard locally for parents to have to pay 2 or 3 lots of registration fees especially where an assessment day is involved. And some parents pay the registration fee to have a back-up if they don't get into their preferred state school. So not unusual at all to pay registrations fee and then not go through with application.

[SqueakyPop]

It's very common in this area to multiply register girls for senior school. When I was working in a prep school, some girls were registered for as many as 6 schools, meaning six lots of assessment days.

It is much simpler for boys

[AvenaLife]

Some will refund the registration fee if you do not go ahead with the place so it's worth asking.

[alvinandthechipmunks]

Ooh I'll remember that too Avena - I registered for 4 schools when ds was tiny as I wanted to keep my options open but it was expensive really at £50 a time! There are two of them I'm not interested in now as I know ds's needs and ours as a family a little more and it feels like such a waste of money!

Will tell her to ask, given her circumstances, whether they can get the registration fee back - good idea.

[gladders]

near us (south London) - none of the registration fees are refundable?

[AvenaLife]

I registered ds at a school near where we live, he wasn't offered a place but they refunded it as there was no need to register him IYSWIM.

It's worthwhile asking. They may say no but it's worth a try.

[dannyb]

We registered and sat DS for a prep school. He got a place but we decided to send him to the local state school, not for financial reasona but for social reasons and it was fine.

[mumoverseas]

Just a thought, but have you looked at state boarding schools? My two eldest kids, now aged 15 & 12 went to a fantastic prep school which although started off quite reasonable (around 1,200 per term) ended up being nearer 4,000 per term). the last two years we've been in the middle east where my husband works and thankfully his company has paid the school fees at the british school there. Middle child (12 year old girl) didn't settle and we wanted her back her before GCSE's etc so we've just got her into a state boarding school. It is full boarding (so useful as I'm back and forth between M East and UK) and fees are just under 4,000 per term as opposed to the other private schools in the area which are around 8,000 per term. Ok, its not quite as good at the 8,000 per term schools but much better than the local state schools. Worth a look!

[Litchick]

Think it is quite common.
People put their names down as alternative if they don't get the state place they want or tey realise they can't afford it when push comes to shove.
Another common scenario is children actually starting the independedt school and then the parents realising it's too much and the kiddies going back into state at 11.

[AMumInScotland]

Up here I've never heard of registration fees being returned - they make it very clear it's non-refundable in the prospectuses.