To want to challenge the head teacher of our DS primary school for promoting "The Student Support Centre"

[Tak3n]

We got letter back the other day saying that they need an urgent response to see if we are interested in this company...

a quick Google shows hundreds of very very unhappy customers, which includes high pressure sales, up to £7000 in fees, no way to cancel after 14 days, confusing teaching with in many accounts were contradictory to what the school was teaching...

The list goes on, I am disgusted that we received these letters, whilst the letter did say the school does not promote this company, in my eyes you are guilty by association, and it is obvious the kickbacks are large, but parents should have an absolute trust in their school..

My partner thinks I am daft to speak to the head and should just ignore the letter.

This really something that should have been researched fully before the school sent a letter home. I would put your concerns to the school and ask them to look into this.

I did this last year with a Young Writers competition and the school sent out an apology.

Hi Tak, your post first made me think of "The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too". A while back I got a leaflet re Student Support Centre from my DD's former school. I was tempted to send away for other details, but didn't as we were re-locating, plus I thought it sounded like a con. I think you're right to challenge head teacher, it sounds like a cop-out, have the teachers run out of resources from Teachers TV or TES? Incidently DD's former primary school has now turned itself into Academy status, although most of the Secondary schools where we lived previously have changed to Academy status, however pupil's grade targets have not improved. Meanwhile I await a flaming from the MN teachers clan....

Our Secondary School sends these same letters home, and demands a reply.

We got conned into buying this for DD1 about 15 years ago. It cost us £3000 and of course was never used. To be fair the work was easy to follow. But it needed a huge amount of commitment from dh, myself and dd which we just didn't have. The price was completely over the top and unjustified.

Several years later we got the letter home from Ds school. I approached the HT and told her I thought the company were shite. She privately completely agreed with me but said that the SSC pay the schools to send the letters out. So I just ignore and bin. I don't mind if our school is getting something for it. However I would never advise anyone to buy from them.

We actually donated all our videos and workbooks to the school.

simbo It's the replies that earn the schools money.

The school get money for sending out the letters - and it require replies from parents so that the company know that the school office didn't just quietly tip the whole lot into the recycling while banking the cheque.

Write to the school and complain that it diminishes respect for them that they would take money from such a dodgy source. But I don't know how much effect it will have - schools always want more funding, and I suspect this particular deal probably pays quite well, and is possibly slightly less awful than things sponsored by unhealthy food manufacturers, for example.