To draw your attention to this 'tuition' company's tactics?

[sleepingbunny]

We got one of these letters from school - can't say I was impressed.

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/9018047/The-2700-tuition-hard-sell.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/9018047/The-2700-tuition-hard-sell.html

We had one of these, and it asked for our name and address whether we were interested or not. I sent it back with my name only, and wrote on it 'I do not wish to share my information with this company.'

There's been loads of threads about the Student Support Centre and not many posters have said anything good about it!

Thanks sleepingbunny - This is interesting. We had a letter yesterday.

I only skim read cos I was rushing about with dinner, it but dd said she'd been told we had to return the reply, even if the answer was 'no'.

I did so and thought that was a bit odd; now I wish I'd just binned the thing.

I could see it was just touting for money, but if I'd really thought it through I'd have been more annoyed. I am now. The school should not be wasting time pushing this at us. Doesn't give the impression they have much confidence in their own efforts either

We had one yesterday too, It has unsurprisingly been relocated to the recycling bin.

I'm a teacher and I think it's awful. It makes the school look bad, surely - as if they can't do the job they should be doing.

We once had a whole school meeting and it was an outside finance company trying to sell us their services. I was livid.

I sent a letter to the Head and the school will not be sending back the slips. But I am concerned by how many parents I met in the playground saying they would "definitely send it back as Mrs X (hugely respected Headteacher) was recommending it".

Student Support Centre rate quite a few MN threads - pretty much all of them with parents angry at the school for sending out the leaflets. And a few angry at the hard-sell from the company if you do show the faintest interest.

The school get money for handing out the leaflets - but they have to prove they've done it and not been more efficient by binning them all in one go rather than letting the parents bin them individually.

I thought it was a good thing that schools worked more like the private sector?

I think it's more about an undisclosed marketing relationship and a proforma letter written by someone else. Plus the endorsement of an expensive product that Head has in all probability never seen.

Yes, sorry, I was being grumpy and sarcastic.

Thing is though, as the Telegraph article also pointed out, this government's aim to include the private sector more and more in state education with result in scams like this happening more often.

And I agree with you - I'd be very suspicious.

We had one of these too.

We also had a letter chasing us for not having returned the slip with my details on it.

Why do they need my name and address if I'm not interested in their services

I just refused to return it.

We had one of those last year and DS was also told by school he had to return the slip - which I duly did.
It took months before the company contacted me and I had forgotten all about it by then. I said I would look at their website and they arranged to ring again in 2 weeks- which they did. I told them I wasn't interested and that was the last I heard from them - so no hard sell. Was shocked by the cost though - who pays this sort of money. Surely the schools are saying they aren't doing a good enough job themselves by promoting it!!

sorry. socka (if i may call you that!). I had clearly missed your sarcastic tone in the midst of my own annoyance about this.

No problem. The socka bit is because I can't type. And I totally understand your annoyance.

Yes, I've had these too. They go straight back, with lines through every section and no details filled in.

Guess I'm more concerned about those people who aren't savvy enough to do that. It's getting at vulnerable parents through the weakest chink in their armour - their kids.