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Education

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Original poster

Private schools - flexi schooling

21 replies

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 20:40

Is this ever heard of?

OP posts:

Ladymuck · 17/02/2015 20:53

A few schools do something like this for their elite sportsmen/musicians.

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 20:56

Can you be elite at 7 ??

OP posts:

EdithWeston · 17/02/2015 20:59

You'll need to ask the schools you might be interested in sending your DC to.

Or just try Summerhill.

claraschu · 17/02/2015 20:59

Forest Farm school near Oxford will do flexi-schooling-

CharlesRyder · 17/02/2015 20:59

As long as you were prepared to pay full fees I would have thought any independent school needing bums on seats would entertain you.

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:05

Why full fees?? I think everyone I know who sends their DC indep doesn't pay full fees......in this area anyway!

OP posts:

CharlesRyder · 17/02/2015 21:08

Fair enough, go for part fees. If you don't ask you don't get.

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:16

Summer hill ??

OP posts:

balletgirlmum · 17/02/2015 21:23

I know very very few people with a scholarship or bursary at prep age, there are a few more at Seniors.

Have you any particular reason for wanting flexi schooling?

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:26

Most schools here are so desperate for pupils it's the norm to discuss fees.

OP posts:

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:27

I think I could offer a great deal 1:1, extra support in the basics as well as nurturing wider interests. Whilst at the same time, better able to fund an indep option

OP posts:

Ladymuck · 17/02/2015 21:38

Well in that case you can talk to your local schools, though I'd be wary of those who have too many empty spaces. Most run waiting lists where I am. I guess you'd need to think about the degree of disruption to the rest of the class, and how much time you will need.

stealthsquiggle · 17/02/2015 21:43

Really? Where are you where all the independent schools are negotiating on fees? Given that schools are not exactly highly profitable at the best of times, I would imagine that not all of those schools will be in existence for very long if what you say is true.

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:50

Well that's the strange thing! All 4 have been around for at least 30 years,

OP posts:

stealthsquiggle · 17/02/2015 21:54

Not with empty places and negotiable fees, they haven't. Margins in private schools simply would not support that. At best, they would be suffering from serious underinvestment now, making them (even) less worth the money now.

Original poster

Jaffacakesareyummy · 17/02/2015 21:57

They have good facilities, numbers are down though, similar levels of scholarships etc......I don't understand it

OP posts:

Ladymuck · 17/02/2015 22:17

If you don't understand how they're managing to stay afloat then I'd steer clear. You can look at the accounts online either at the Charity Commission if it is a charitable trust, or at Companies House if a limited company.

It is perfectly acceptable to ask the heads how many pupils they need to breakeven, and how many they currently have. I wouldn't touch a prep if the head didn't know those numbers.

titchy · 18/02/2015 08:10

Why would you teach your child at home the very things you'd be paying a school to provide?

CharlesRyder · 18/02/2015 10:20

So is the bottom line that you want to make independent school affordable by buying part time?

If I were a prep school Head I would be wary of setting this as a precedent as I would think I was opening myself up to families wanting to buy one or two days a week as a sort of tutoring service on top of state school.

It's a totally different scenario, but I have actually taught several classes in which there were part time children. It has never worked well. It makes getting and keeping the class settled into a rhythm and working as a team much harder. It is also hard socially for the part time child as they are constantly having to re-establish themselves into friendship groups when they have missed what happened in break time the day before etc. However much pre-teaching/ re-capping you do for the child you still end up making references to things in lessons that happened when they were not there which makes it difficult for them to feel part of the group.

happygardening · 18/02/2015 12:53

I seem to recall a child at DS1's first prep school doing this but the child was physically very tiny he was a prem, mother was completely neurotic quite anxious and perhaps most importantly they already had three DC's at the school. I think she used those nursery vouchers in the beginning and then did pay the full whack because it was her choice to do it. By half way through year 1 she was given an ultimatum full time or leave he was just missing out on too many things.

sailorsgal · 18/02/2015 19:16

We have families who take a whole term out. its a grand per term to hold your place. I did think about taking ds to India for a term which would have been very educational and
warm

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