What is your private boarding school offering post half term? Year 13 (

[likely]

Just that really... Wondering what other schools are doing as mine seems to be 'optional' after half term with me already having paid a full terms fees...

Our school is just offer a pre uni course for the first 2 weeks which was optional. My daughter may not go to uni, certainly doesn't know what she wants to do, yet nothing else is offered. They've been allowed to just opt out but aren't allowed to remain at school if they aren't doing the pre uni course!

I'm really struggling with paying fees after this year - we've had to borrow money just to get her to finish line. This just sounds just so wrong!!

Isn’t this what you accept if your child is at private school. DS is Y11 at private school. He finishes a couple of days after half term. Think his school are offering a few days preparation for 6th form/A-levels which are optional but that is it.

It’s always been like that. Summer term sixth form feels like a swizz, but they’ve usually monopolised the staff in the run up to exams so it balances out.

I had no idea this was how it would be... Other schools i know of are keeping kids until the end of term and are doing lots of extended activities and sports.

What would you like the school to offer? It might be worth putting a suggestion to the Head; I used to teach in the private sector and the Head was very keen on customer service.

I see your point regarding fees! But from a teacher perspective, it's really hard to motivate even the nicest most studious children after their exams are done and they're ready for the holidays. Even the biggest private schools do their business on reasonably tight budgets and couldn't afford to discount the U6 for the final term.

(The DoS at one place I worked always argued parents paid for the course rather than a number of weeks.)

Not round here. The children are home after the exams finish and we are all really looking forward to it. They want jobs for the summer and are hoping to get in early.

They're forcing the UVI to stay for activities?? I don't believe it.

My eldest is in U6th at a boarding school (although she doesn’t board anymore) and finishes her 17 hours of “they’re assessments, not exams, but done under exam conditions” a week before half term. She can stay at school if she wants to, but there is nothing organised for them to do -not even sports ☹️
She obviously would prefer to mooch around at home in a tracksuit with the dog 🐶 than mooch around school in ‘business dress’ whilst ‘setting an example’ to the younger year groups.
We love having her at home, so not a problem per se, although restrictions mean we can’t do as much as we’d hoped.

We’re going to use the time for driving lessons (cancelled last year) and teaching her how to cook and budget her money. She’s hoping to find a p/t job too.
However, I was shocked that the school just cuts them off like this. When I was U6th at boarding school (mid 80s) there was the option to go home after exams, but the school also ran cookery courses, sex Ed (mainly contraceptive advice), budgeting etc. and also had an extensive sports programme and outreach programme (visiting elderly people, listening to young children read etc.) to keep us occupied.
Not sure why this doesn’t happen anymore, although obviously Covid would have stopped all of this in 2020/21.
Tbh teacher and students are so exhausted that we’re pleased for the rest -although yr10 sister is deeply unimpressed 😆

Tons. It's optional, but loads are returning for the last three weeks.

What's happening? Gold DofE practise and real expedition, lots of sport, Uni prep, dance/drama/music exams that were postponed, arts week, opportunities to volunteer, opportunities for them to celebrate together.

But irrespective of this, I don't have an issue with fees as it's always made clear that it's evened out over the year(s) they are at school. If we only paid what it actually cost, each term would be wildly different but it would still add up to the same. A level teaching actually "costs" the most so a funny fact is if you just joined in the sixth form, to some extent you are subsidised by the year 9s paying the same fees... it's just how it is at every school.

Sounds as though your dd could do with some careers guidance if she hasn't made up her mind what she wants to do when she finishes school yet.

@Sunbelievable

Tons. It's optional, but loads are returning for the last three weeks.

What's happening? Gold DofE practise and real expedition, lots of sport, Uni prep, dance/drama/music exams that were postponed, arts week, opportunities to volunteer, opportunities for them to celebrate together.

But irrespective of this, I don't have an issue with fees as it's always made clear that it's evened out over the year(s) they are at school. If we only paid what it actually cost, each term would be wildly different but it would still add up to the same. A level teaching actually "costs" the most so a funny fact is if you just joined in the sixth form, to some extent you are subsidised by the year 9s paying the same fees... it's just how it is at every school.

Some schools have s "direct into sixth form" levy to counter this subsidising issue

At boarding school in the 90s we def stayed on after half term and exams were over. It was more relaxed but there were plans for us, and we had to stick around till the end of term.

@00100001 oooh, interesting. I hadn't come across that. Just re checked our own and a few other big name boarding schools, and can't find it on their fees info though, so presume it's very few? I've never heard of it.

I'm really happy with the full programme our school are doing, so I have no complaints, but I wouldn't anyway as I understand it's spread out.

After the last 15 months of stress and unusual circumstances, it seems a really fitting end that school have arranged, and I understand almost all the students will be there. So pleased DD can finish her DofE and things like that.

I think they are usually done after exams. Schools are always empty after half term. The last terms fees are basically a donation and a thanks very much for getting them over the line.

I guess it could be differnt this year as they have been off so long.

[quote Sunbelievable]@00100001 oooh, interesting. I hadn't come across that. Just re checked our own and a few other big name boarding schools, and can't find it on their fees info though, so presume it's very few? I've never heard of it.

I'm really happy with the full programme our school are doing, so I have no complaints, but I wouldn't anyway as I understand it's spread out.

After the last 15 months of stress and unusual circumstances, it seems a really fitting end that school have arranged, and I understand almost all the students will be there. So pleased DD can finish her DofE and things like that. [/quote]
some schools call it a surcharge.

For example: www.greshams.com/admissions/fees/

"Pupils joining the Senior School in the Sixth Form have an additional £640 supplement charged to each term’s fees. The higher fee for the Sixth Form entrants reflects the higher cost of post-16 education. For those joining the School at Year 9 the differential costs are averaged out over a five-year period."