Furious with new school

[justilou1]

I am in Australia and things are different here.... And I have changed to a whole new system that not even I understand entirely. We moved from the Netherlands back to Australia nearly two years ago, and thought we were going to settle in that town for good. We were happy there. Kids were settled, doing well, etc. Husband lost his job. (Not his fault - just one of those things.) Nothing exciting came up in that town, just part-time work and we were going out arse-end first. Finally something sensible come up, on more than twice the pay, in a much cheaper city, 2000km away. We would have been insane to turn it down. However, finding a school that allowed my daughter to continue learning the same language that she was doing so well in was rather difficult. I found a catholic school that said she could do so, but via distance education. Fine! Locked it in. She started, and I kept emailing them to find out why she wasn't yet enrolled. I kept receiving the good old "You will be hearing from Mrs XXXXXX in the next day or so, with confirmation...." and not hearing from her. It is now week four of an eight week term and I expressed my worry that it would be too late to catch up. Friday afternoon, just before 5, I had an email saying "It is halfway through the semester, and they won't enrol her this in the middle of the semester, so she will have to wait until next year." WTF!!! My smart, hard-working kid is sitting in a room for the "academically challenged" with headphones on, listening to classical music (because that's all that's allowed) doing homework, when she is supposed to be doing that language - OR she could be doing an elective subject like drama. She is effectively two subjects down THAT I'M PAYING FOR! (And she's basically being babysat!!!) Nobody is taking responsibility for this at the school and then they said that they would talk to HER about it???? WTAF????? I feel so guilty!!! Now I am thinking of pulling her out of this school already, and then telling her younger sister who is expecting to start there with all her friends that she isn't going. Can't win, can I??? ARGH!!!!

It's slightly off topic, but did you consider Distance Ed through the state education system of wherever you are living? They have an eclectic mix of courses which can generally be accessed by students who wish to study a subject not available at their own school. Personally, I would have to wonder if a Catholic school actually is really set up to deliver a correspondence type course.

I couldn't work out is your daughter is currently attending a government or non-government school, but I'm surprised that the school didn't suggest distance ed.

Not sure what age your daughter is, and I know the school should have been sorting it out, but it's not too late for your daughter to do a distance learning course, many are self-paced so she can catch up in her own time. Just Google distance learning in whatever language and you should get umpteen choices.

I know it's not ideal, but if your daughter is really keen... Maybe the school would be willing to allow your daughter to study in this "lost" time as a compromise for having messed up?

So they're in a physical school building but do their learning online?

What's the language?

Unfortunately I can’t enrol her, only the school can. (I have tried!!! I have also called the School of Distance Education who have confirmed that the first contact from my daughter’s school was last Friday.) It is a private school. Government schools are less flexible here than in uk. I am going to have to pay for intensive private language tuition (very expensive - as everything is in Australia) on top of school fees, which quite frankly pisses me off, when she is now missing out on the promised language, the elective subject she would be doing if she was picking from the normal subjects, ie drama (which she also loves), and is instead sitting in a class for children who need extra tuition for the “Three R’s” - which she doesn’t. This is a silent class, where they wear headphones and do their homework and don’t interact with each other at all, which is also time wasted for a new kid. She can do her homework at home.

The language is German, btw. Not the same as Dutch, which she speaks, but close enough that she finds it challenging but interesting....

In the tinr she is sat there with headphones on, can she not be using sonething kike rosetta stone?

Not ideal, but she can still use the time to keep the language up and learn more, without it being hugely costly.

Your post is a bit confused but just wanted to say that in the U.K. a state school would most definitely not accommodate tuition in a language that they don’t offer already. I don’t think a private school would either, because they are not really set up for that.

Lots of kids do languages, music, etc outside of school. That might be a better option for you.

I don't know enough about the Australian system to know what the solution is educationally speaking. However, presumably you can insist on your money back for the two subjects that were offered but not provided? You sound like you have a good paper trail of your various attempts to enroll your daughter and that the delay was on the school's part.

I am going to be having a meeting with all of the people involved and the head (Very fluffy email responses from her) tomorrow and my husband is coming too. (Probably to stop me getting shrieky). I have emailed copies of the email trail with the unfulfilled promises and requested contact details for the school board members. (This prompted the meeting tomorrow. What a shock....not.) The excuses provided for not contacting the school of distance education in a timely manner were crap. None were provided for not contacting me. None have been provided for the unilateral decision to waste my kid's time and my money by putting her into a class where she does sweet F.A. and is miserable and is crying all night. Had she been doing German as promised, this would be fine. She isn't, and nothing else suitable was suggested. She is wasting a term. Meanwhile, I guess she looks great in the hat.

YANBU

I'm surprised they'd want to piss off a fee paying parent of two, would make me question what else they're doing badly

Good luck for tomorrow, let us know how you get on

Thanks Mumsnetters. I’m glad my husband is coming too. I’m going nowhere in increasingly smaller circles with this lot, to the point where I’m already researching different schools. I don’t want to do that to the girls if I can avoid it.

Sorry, I misread your post, so ignore me. I thought that the local Catholic school was actually providing your language course on an external basis. I was surprised that they would do so, but know that they can be flexible eg a friend's daughter at a Catholic school was able to do her HSC over an extended period as she was training for the Olympics. At the time, this was not common for schools to allow this, and you had to seek an external place to study part time.

The state in which I live will only allow distance ed courses to be started at the beginning of the school. Obviously, this varies from state to state, but if it is the same in your state, then the school should have known that your daughter definitely couldn't start at the beginning of the fourth term.

In Australia here with children in Catholic school system.

PP are likely correct in saying that you can't start a subject in the second part of a semester/ near the end of the year. She'd be rolling straight into exams at this time of the year.

Which state are you in? It might be an idea to check the Catholic schools education policy for your state - there is a code of practice for the Diocese and responsibility to students that they must adhere to.

It makes no sense that she isn't able to join an elective but it may depend on which Year she is in, and what stage the class is at with the subject? Drama will likely have already done their final performances though so I can't see an issue with her joining in now.

Tip for dealing with school. Be "that" noisy parent, but be really polite about it. Anger won't work. Just keep calling, emailing etc. Don't bang on with the "I'm paying for this " argument, it has no legs - they will not care about that. Focus on your daughter missing out on learning - this will be more effective.

The point is that this is what they promised me when we were choosing schools. I spoke to the School of Distance Education myself and they hadn’t been called by anyone from the Catholic school until last Friday. The Catholic school is totally minimizing their responsibility for dropping the ball by not calling at the beginning of the term. It would have been easy for her to transfer into this course from interstate. (They told me it wouldn’t have been a problem had it been done in the first week). I am pissed off that I have had to repeatedly chase them and been blown off. They were happy for her to sit a test to apply for a position in next year’s course completely unprepared. The fact that it would have reflected upon them didn’t matter to them is weird. I am worried. I have resolved this myself by finding out the selection criteria and demanding that they request resources for this test. (Duh....) She will be preparing for the test instead of vegetating during this “dummy” class.
Sigh........

Btw - I am unfailingly polite when complaining. I know they hate it. I practically give them diabetes.

Thanks @CommanderDaisy!!!

They have also agreed that their failure to contact me re-elective subjects for next year is unacceptable also. She is now enrolled in drama for next year, so that’s one weight off her shoulders. We just have to assume she will be capable of passing the test for the external German and juggling the situation next year. I think she’ll be fine.
I have a feeling I am going to have to be riding them for info though.

justilou1 ride away, and take a whip!

I have a son with a learning disability. I am onto our school constantly re communication to teachers/special provisions etc. I have had to provide information, get him out of the special ed class ( it's not that kind of disability) that some random stuck him in - all sorts of idiocy.

Unfortunately, paying or not - being a colossal nag - is THE only way you will get what you want. After a while, every time you call, they will jump through multiple hoops- if only to make you go away. Find out the information yourself and beat them with it - in the nicest possible way .

Good luck for you and your daughter.