Independent School Cancellation fee - Auto registration?

[kenzo002]

My son attended nursery in the independent school. He is 4 years old, so he will be going to recention, so I decided to let him attend a state infant school near my house.

I thought nursery school ad pre-prep school in the independent school is different name of course, I though it won't be automatically registered if I don't pay tuition.

Today, I got phone call from the school and I told that myson won't be back to the independent pre-prep school but will go to state school near house. Then, I was told that I need to pay GBP 3,300 which is Autumn term fee.

I couldn't understand that Nursery to Pre-prep school is autometically registered and I need to pay full term fee?

Would there be way I could pay minimum cancellaton fee?

What does the contract you signed when he joined the nursery say? Assuming that you haven't signed any school paperwork then if the nursery contract doesn't expressly mention it then surely you don't need to pay them anything.

It will be clearly stated in the terms and conditions you signed when you accepted his place that a full term's notice is required of him leaving the school. In the event of no notice a fee is levied (because there is a place that needs to be filled).

How are the school supposed to know he is leaving if you do not inform them?

This is standard across England with fee-paying schools. Even private day nurseries require you to give them notice, or they will charge you fees.

Why didn't you tell them before? He's registered with the school. It's not unreasonable for them to assume he'd continue if no notice was given.

Yes it's pretty standard that when you join the nursery you have joined 'the nursery year group of that school' with the expectation that the child will progress through the school . It's normally pretty clear in the contract plus transition days to the next year group before the end of the last summer term . They can't offer a reception place to another child if they are holding a place for your child.

You will have signed up to the nursery department of the preprep school . Therefore the same terms apply , ie a term's notice of leaving or payment in lieu. You can try to contest it but ignorance of the t and c won't get you far. In practice your Ds has a place which has been denied to someone else, they can and will chase for the financial loss.

Alternatively send him to the private school this term , giving notice if there is still time for Spring term, and defer the infant place to January.

Term has started. As notice to quit in December won't have been given on time either, if he goes to that school now it'll mean paying until Easter.

If you didn't give notice to quit, then yes you are bound by the cancellation fees as laid out in the contract you signed.

Did you genuinely not tell them at any point up until now that he wasn't going back? Surely you must have realised that you needed to do more that just not turn up on the first day back?

Check your contract, but as others say, it's very likely that it's a contract that runs until you give a terms notice - completely standard and very hard to argue against, it's a normal contract. In fact, they are within their rights to charge for this and next term, as you haven't given a full terms notice for next term either!
I know it seems harsh but it's a normal element of private school contracts, in order to give them planning time and to deter people intentionally doing what you have done inadvertently - they may struggle to fill that place now as children will all be placed somewhere else and parents reluctant to move now.

In our prep school parents were reminded to notify the school before the beginning of the summer term whether their children would be staying for Reception. Parents who didn't respond were chased during the summer term and reminded that a full term's notice was needed if their children were not staying for Reception. The contracts make clear that you are liable for one full term's notice. Children going to Reception were invited for moving up days in July. Bills for the autumn term were sent out during the summer holidays along with many notices about uniform, schedules etc.

I find it hard to believe that you only just realised that you had to pay - you must have ignored a lot of communications (and bills) over the last few months.

Agree you need to check your contract.

At my children's independent nursery the contract stated that the nursery would automatically assume that children who turned 4 before 31st August would be leaving at the end of the summer term unless informed otherwise. You then had to apply for a place in pre-prep in the normal way.

Presumably this is a pre-prep that goes from 3-7? Did you let them know he wouldn't be coming back? If not, how did you expect them to fill the space?!

My son is at a pre-prep, it is expected that he will continue and I have to give one full term's notice if I want him to leave. That is absolutely bog standard and I expect will be very tightly written in the terms and conditions.

Alternatively send him to the private school this term , giving notice if there is still time for Spring term, and defer the infant place to January.

I'd do this. If you are contractually obliged to pay for it you might as well use the service, and take advantage of the better resources and staff ratios (presumably)

Our nursery wasn't attached to a school but they required us to give notice in May that DS would be leaving at the end of August even though it was bloomin obvious - theoretically any of us could have chosen to keep our offspring in nursery until the legal school-starting age of the term after their 5th birthday.

there have been a few of these emails recently but OP you are the only one who thought that you could simply not turn up and that you wouldn't then be charged.

surely your dc would have done a settling in day for the reception class at the independent? did you not think you should mention at that point that he wasn't coming back?