Concerned about the change in curriculum/culture in independent schools

[clarafarraday]

My son has attended an independent school for some time now. Recently I have noticed a change in focus to accommodate new international students. The rumours are that financial contributions are having an impact on decisions being made at the top. I chose to send my son to this school because of its prestigious reputation and I was hopeful that they would help him to excel and achieve his full potential. I’ve tried to speak with the school’s bursar but I am not getting anywhere. I feel that focus is shifting and special measures are being introduced for these international students which is wrong because we all pay our fees.

Relieved to see I have not lost all powers of comprehension. Sometimes I worry that I'm speaking an entirely different language ...

(That was in response to uriahheep's clarification.)

Gruach, I'm relieved to see I was comprehensible the first time..

Talkin, why not? Others from that estate also did, they were not the only ones. There was a notorious la school ( no such thing as academies at that time) otherwise at that point locally, so for a parent wanting the best for their kids there can't have been much in the way if local choice. That has now changed, that school has now become good to outstanding and there are several other good local schools.

I don't take issue with transparency - the reverse- but you do need to protect the child's identity, just as we do with kids getting individual help with pupil Premium funding.

Sorry, when I said we, I meant at the school where I'm a governor. We don't want to say to whom we gave given uniform grants, for example, or whom we've helped send on school trips.

Uriahheep
As I said up thread,

schools that have charity status should be required to publicise the number of kids in receipt of FSM / PP : same as fully state funded schools.

they should also be required to publicises the proportion of discounted pupils who are new to the fee paying sector.

neither piece of information will identify any child if they truly have a decent bursary/scholarship system

if they want exemption from such reporting, they should admit that they are businesses and pay tax and publish their accounts at Companies House rather than the CC

The Bursary might not be fair at all where family of 1 parent working having luxury of mom staying at home have slightly less income than a family of both parents working and appear to be able to afford it. A simple maths of saying after the fees paid(one with bursary and one in full) the net income left over of the two family is the same then its unfair for the family of both parents working. I dont understand how it work to be honest.

If one parent is healthy and just choose not to work then there must be a way to adjust to other family where both parents have to work very hard even have a second/weekend job.

I have heard a story of my colleague who his private education was paid by his grand mother who wakes up at 4am every morning to carry 50kg of fresh fishes to the fish market. He was very intelligent and had an offer from a popular London boarding and the whole family worked really for him to be able to go to this school. He then had a company scholarship to study maths in Oxford the join our firm at EM trading desk and became very young managing director and sponsor for some funds to support children who have similar of his back ground. So if you think all foreign children who go to private/boarding from oversea come from wealthy family where money is easily earned, it might not be true. Many times its opposite then the children is motivated to do well to show their appreciation to their family and commit to work hard.

More familiar stories of many of my friends who came from our country who won some international recognised medals in maths/sports/musics/science then had an offer from schools all around the world for A level studying then easily had a scholarship for their university.

I was only half good but I did work hard. Many times now I asked myself how to motivate my children to tell them how lucky they are having all these books around them, all activities then parents around them that they dont gave to travel to a far away home for a better education. Yet, there will be a time I will tell them so but till now there hasnt been a need yet. We are both working leaving the house from 6am and "lucky" to get home at 7pm. I find my children are independent and appreciate what they have more. They understand why we have to work and understand that they have to "work" too. Well, that might be our thinking from a "working class" someone who doesnt have wealthy grand parents/relatives to give any support

Uriah I expect the parents who receive uniform grants at your school deserve them. That's the difference here.

As Talk1n rightly says, independent schools should be transparent about the numbers and amounts of bursaries and whether they are going to "first time buyers" or to the downwardly mobile nouveau pauvre.

Granola, why are you assuming that those in receipt of bursaries from the independent school don't deserve them?

Seems a touch harsh. I think the three egs I've given are highly deserving! Those parents get more choice. Even more of course because the local schools have improved so much.

It results in a pretty socially mixed school, which personally I think is better than it being an enclave for the super rich ( but perhaps you disagree).

And I've given egs of how the school goes about trying to ensure that the people who get bursaries are not playing the system and the school handing out money to the reasonably well off and rich. All credit to them in my view. But again perhaps you disagree.

Uriah Of course some parents in receipt of bursaries deserve them but transparency is required if we are to be convinced that all do.

While fees rise so fast so does the pool of the potentially needy. Keep fees down and fairness across the board is easier to achieve.

Pupil Premium would be a useless measure for independent schools as the figures would be hugely skewed by all the Armed Forces children (who may have a high %age of their fees via CEA).

FSM doesn't exist for independent schools either, so the %age would have to be 0.

And I think it's the wrong way to go anyhow to look at anything other than being relatively poor, rather than trying to assess what an 'acceptable' sort of poor is. Because people self select whether they're going to apply in the first place. So broadening participation is more about outreach, and I do agree that some schools are vastly better at that than others.

Of course some parents in receipt of bursaries deserve them but transparency is required if we are to be convinced that all do.

we?

Who is this we?

You have stated above that your own DD has boarded. What is your problem with other children having the same opportunity?

You don't want rich natives there.

You don't want rich foreigners there.

You don't want poor people unless they undergo public humiliation first.

As I said before: FFS.

"We" are the public whose benefit independent schools are supposed to serve if they are to remain charities.

I would like to see social and cultural diversity in schools. It is being lost in my DC's schools and in many others.

The middle class professionals ought to be able to pay their own way without resorting to bursaries. Schools need to look at their costs and make more effort to keep fees down. They used to do so and could do so again.

Meditrina
^FSM doesn't exist for independent schools either, so the %age would have to be 0.
^
How come?
State funded kids in private schools get FSM and all that .... it comes with their funding packages.

And the number of Armed Forces kids on funded boarding is plummeting as they finally tighten up the rules