Need advice re music tuition

In this situation I feel that it is the peri's and parent's responsibility. I would inform the music service that the lessons were not set up by the school and that the parent had not returned a signed slip to you. If you did not inform the music service that this peri was needed, they shouldn't be billing you for it. They should know what you asked them for. If the peri decided to make a private arrangement with a parent then it should be billed privately IMO. Schools have hardly enough money to buy the basics at the moment, so can't be expected to come from the budget. Do what DanZZZen suggests and don't let the teacher off the hook.

you have to nail down that teacher and not allow him to fob you off/avoid you. You need to know how this came about and if the teacher is just going to set something up, contrary to his knowledge of how these things are done and then avoid you when you want to speak to him, him having to bill the mother directly, might be quite a good solution.

We pay £200 per term for individual piano lessons.

As far as I can see this is a private arrangement.

Teacher was not asked to provide this service by school. He was asked and chose to provide it with agreement to do so with the Mum.

The problem lies with him and the music service. School should not have been billed for it. He should have billed, either privately or via the music service, the parent.

AFA I can see the parent didn't want the school lessons - she didn't send the signed letter back. She arranged private lessons with the teacher which just happened to be on school premises.

The TA you are totally out of order, the OP is doing her level best. Ultimately f parents wpon't pay, they won't pay so the OP is trying to at least give some musical opportunities.

It isn't easy being a 1 person department.

Of course the peri teacher will travel for just one lesson, if they are employed by the county music service they will be paid an hourly salary rate regardless plus travel expenses(which does not necessarily correspond to what the school are billed as the county rate to the school includes admin/county bands etc.) It is only if they are self employed that comes into play.

Of course not all county music services employ their teachers, some treat the peri's as self employed.

The peri teacher has been totally out of order arranging this with the parent and the school should refuse to pay. In fact the school could bill the peri for rent of the classroom!

Actually I agree with toddlerama, the peri teacher herself is somewhat at fault her in making this arrangement outside of the normal boundaries.

My sil is a peri music teacher in private school. She has to do all her own invoicing, collecting of monies and timetabling of lessons!

thetasigmamum -how can you accuse the OP of actively discouraging pupils
bitchy and unnecessary comment

I would say in this instance that the parent and the music teacher have a private arrangement. They went outside of the school booking system. Let County know that the school were not involved in arranging this and that the school will not be collecting or distributing the fees. If the teacher wants to make private arrangements, they can arrange the billing too. They shouldn't really be using your premises, but you'll let it slide

In another life, I was a peri teacher and worked on a self employed basis outside of County. I never understood why other teachers wanted to work in that system. I paid a very small rent for my teaching room per day and collected money myself up front for the term at the end of the preceding one. Wasn't the school problem if I wasn't paid (it never happened).

I think if I was the parent in this case I would be surprised that the cost would be doubled purely because he is the only child doing that instrument, esp as he has been doing it for a few yrs previously.
I don't envy you explaining to the parent but she clearly shouldn't have arranged with the teacher.
Saying that the peri teacher could have approached parent first. My dd's music teachers have done this.

I think it's quite clear where your interests lie, from this latest post. Such a shame for the kids at your school who might want to learn instruments. But hey, they can join the glee club. :(

I think first make an appointment to speak to the teacher.

Then see if there is any leeway at all the school can offer here.

I agree with Maktai about actively trying to recruit further children for this instrument.

Then ask the mother in (you said she was nice and may now have got over the shock) and speak to her in person. It always makes a difference. I would try to find some kind of compromise if at all possible because there has obviously been a break-down in communication somewhere or in a couple of places along the line and I am not convinced that the entire blame for this lies firmly at the door of the mother.

Is that at all workable?

A letter to all the teachers re future procedure and a new letter to go out to parents in future stating that the school only offers group tuition with a minimum of two students. Lessons must be arranged in following manner ... Also perhaps that suggestion someone made re billing at the beginning of term so there is no doubt about costs involved might be a good step for dealing with this in future.

These type of mishaps happen but I think the school/teacher have a bit of responsibility here so I would try to find a way to make this manageable for the mother.

Is the boy advanced, what instrument is it?

I'm with Roisin on this.

I also think it is quite sad that the school does not offer individual lessons.

DD1's school ONLY offers individual, at £60, £80 or £120 a term for 15, 20 or 30 minute lessons.

The 15 minute option is particularly useful for children starting out on wind or brass instruments, as more continuous play can be quite tiring to start with.

When DD started violin in YR7 there were enough pupils learning for the teacher to attend almost a whole day. Now there is only her and one other pupil left, so he is only at the school for an hour. One downside of this is that DD misses part of same school lesson each week.

Not sure it would help the pupil in question much if other children took up the instrument - would the school be able to group them together with a beginner now?

I think - given the letter sent out - then you need to somehow find the extra £70 for this bill on this occasion.

I know what a huge headache it is to arrange peri lessons in school and to administer them. I hope you manage to improve the uptake of lessons in your school.

At our school the bills are sent out at the beginning of each term and are due immediately: that might be a good place to start. I think offering the option of individual lessons (for £70 per term or whatever) in your letters would be a good thing.

Do you have any musical groups or bands or choirs in school? At our school all students having instrumental lessons have to agree to join and regularly attend at least one of the extra-curric music groups - one relevant to their instrument. Our lessons are £75 per term for 10 individual lessons (25 mins).

Cat64 The teacher in question appears to be completely prepared to travel to the school for one child. And has done so all term. Presumably because he recognizes that his lessons are valued and valuable. And presumably because he doesn't want to leave a pupil who is apparently keen and has been learning for some time just flapping in the wind, abandoned. Which is apparently what the school feels should happen.

I don't necessarily expect head teachers or finance officers to recognize then importance of music tuition. I do however expect someone with the job title 'head of performing arts' to recognize it and to do everything to facilitate the take up of music lessons within the school rather than to actively discourage them. As a parent with several children learning a variety of instruments (and as someone with several peri teachers as close friends) I wouldn't be prepared to commit my child to the uncertainty that is apparently the norm in this particular school.

Regarding the issue of the fees if a letter was sent stating a particular sum then that is the contract. It's not the mother that doesn't have a leg to stand on it's the school, unless the letter clearly stated lessons cost x per term, and are charged at x per pupil for a group lesson of y pupils.

Either way the upshot is likely to be that a school with poor uptake of instrumental lessons will have one fewer pupil learning next term. Which is desperately sad and not something I would be proud of.

The OP asked for the opinion of parents with children who learn instruments at school. I'm a parent with kids who learn instruments at school, and that's my opinion.

Oof. I have to say that from the letter you describe sending out, I would not necessarily understand that only having 1 child would double the cost - the explicit link between the bit about '£XX per hour' and 'we must have at least two students' seems to be missing. I'm sure it seems like it must be obvious but possibly not to me and maybe not to her - she asked the teacher, could you carry on teaching my son - the teacher said yes and missed the opportunity to check what her cost assumptions were, perhaps because the teacher doesn't normally deal with the money?

I do think she hasn't got a leg to stand on from a procedure point of view but I really feel for her. Is there any way at all that the school could carry the cost for now and charge her in instalments perhaps, maybe £10 a term or something? £70 unexpected is a hell of a lot all of a sudden. And could you do some active outreach trying to get hold of someone else to learn the instrument next term, if she/her son is still interested? That way at least you are doing some things for her?

Thyetasigna - I think thayt is unfair. Schools have limited budhets and can not subsidise lessons to the extent they used to be able to.

I assume that is there wasn't sufficient take up then the parent could offer to pay the one to one fee however a peri may not be able to travel for just one student anyway.

Dh is a peri and my children have peri lessons at school so I come at it from both sides.

It seems to me that the peri is at fault he or she must know that they cannot arrange private lessons with a student in music servicve directed time. You as HOD givem him the timetable and only you can authorise the lessons.

Presumably you hadn't booked this peri so surely the school isn't liable for the cost from the music service.

DD's school piano teacher called me last week to arrange some private lessons over the holiday. However they are held at his home as part of his private practice and are totally outside the scope of the school.

I'm not surprised that the take-up is low at your school given the poor commitment from the school in providing music lessons. How could you possibly justify withdrawing lessons on a particular instrument from a child who is keen and who has been having them in previous years when the existing teacher is still ready willing and able to give the lessons? With the uncertainty that must bring to those pupils who are keen no wonder few want to put themselves at the mercy of the school.

On the issue of the amount charged, if the school - you - sent a letter quoting a specified figure then that is your contract with the parent. You can't make her pay more now.

I'm appalled that someone who is head of performing arts at a secondary school could be so disinterested in the provision of instrumental lessons though. And so lacking in understanding at how the system you have described would naturally drive away most people with any real interest in pursuing music tuition properly.

Have looked again and it is £62/term for group of up to 4 and £175/term for individual lessons. It makes it very clear how much it costs.