Schools admission criteria......

[LookingforMaryPoppins]

So, my youngest has her heart set on the same grammar school as her sister. She has worked hard and successfully passed the 11 plus. Really proud off her, she is dyslexic so no mean feat.... having just checked the admission criteria, having a sibling at the school makes no difference. Passing the 11 plus is the first criteria followed by children in care, pupil premium and then distance - she is bottom of the pile. If she doesn't get a place, which with that criteria is likely., the option is a sink failing school..... how is that fair?

To be fair the non grammar schools around us are pretty good as well

No, that’s not true. I’m 40 and went to a nice private day school for a hell of a lot less money than they’re charging these days even accounting for inflation.

private school fees have vastly outstripped inflation and now with the VAT it’s the nail in the coffin for many hard working families.

Nope.

My kids were at private school until recently. We aren't Uber rich but the vat increase alongside cost of living pushed us over the edge and we had to withdraw them. As did several other parents. Sad and difficult decision.

Average school fees are £24k. That is more than many earn and only the rich could afford that for one child let alone 2 or 3. 20% of that is only £4800. If you can afford £24k £4880 is peanuts. So blaming not being able to afford private education on VAT is ludicrous.

Not ludicrous, just honest. Our fees were not £24k but were only affordable by making sacrifices others may not make (cars, holidays, size of house etc). And adding 20% on to it was just too much for us, we couldn't cut further to accommodate it.

That’s hysterical. Only the rich would think £24k can be found by having a smaller car and no holiday. Not.got.a.clue!

Indeed.

It is true that anyone paying school fees prior to VAT being added was rich.

It is not true that adding 4-5k a year, especially for those with multiple children, is a negligible amount for all fee payers . The fees will rise 5-10% pa from this higher base too. With 7 years of this in prospect, I do think more (still well-off!) people will move from “yeah, we can make that work” to “no, too much of a stretch”

What area is that? Our school said the local council doesn't allow them to support.

My brother and I both got in with a bursary (I didn't end up going as didn't like idea of girls only), my brothers school fees after scholarships were maybe 4k per year. However, with the VAT, that would have then been more than doubled - as the bursary was for a fixed amount discount. Affording 4k was one thing (my mum upped her min wage hours to cover it) , affording 10k would have been far beyond their ability to pay

What on earth is a normal family, so disadvantaged children should just know their place and not try to better themselves. I work in a school in a deprived area we have just over 1000 students 200 are PP and about 20 in care. So about 40 in each year such a small portion and then if you factor in they actually need parents/carers who value education and want them to take the 11+ that will be an even smaller amount.
You are coming across and entitled and condescending.

In London when she was in y5 there and medway where we moved for y6

It’s unusual - in our town other criteria ‘ looked after’ etc come first THEN sibling before distance. Though you still have to be in catchment.

What exactly do you mean by ‘hardworking families’?

About 8% of grammar school pupils nationally are on pupil premium. So if your daughter's school has double that, it's 16% meaning 84% of places are not. Have you looked up the furthest distances for pupils admitted in the last few years in the same category as your daughter will be in? Why are you so adamant that she won't get a place?