What if they don’t refund deposit even when contract requires then to?

[AliceInWonderland2021]

Hi, we gave the school the notice required - before the start of last term of the school year to be out first term of the next one. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, they drag their feet. This school’s loose attitude with momey matters - more a financial institution than an academic one, drove us out in the first place. So happy we left. What next? Do we take them to small claims court? What options open to us. Do we have to take this (practically a financial service) org, that is not regulated FCA!) to court? What a big mistake it was, one we can’t shake off.

My DC's school (a well known public school) took a whole term to refund our deposit when DC left age 18 after many years there.

I chased it three times. And when a cheque eventually arrived, it was payable to me with DC's surname which is not my name. So I had to return the cheque to them for them to issue another.

Are you sure the deposit is returnable? The condition is normally that you need to give notice before the first day of the summer term in order to not be liable to pay the full fees for the autumn term, so if they aren't trying to chase you for payment of a term's fees that would be them complying with that. Refund of the deposit is not usually the same deal though. Sometimes they are non returnable - the whole point of a deposit is to deter people from accepting numerous places and then deciding later, which really mucks up a school's planning, so making a deposit fully returnable does make it kind of useless for that.

Their contract stipulates that it is and they said they would return it once school started. There are some schools that give it back only if you leave at the end of “the deal”, which I think is unfair. Obviously, if it were to avoid oversubsription you describe, one wouldn’t be able to give a term’s notice anyway. That is anyway not thousands of pounds you lose then.
Mine really isn’t a fairness question- I am asking whether anyone knows fca equivalent for schools or I have to proceed with small claims court/ normal court.

@PricklesTheHedgehog

My DC's school (a well known public school) took a whole term to refund our deposit when DC left age 18 after many years there.

I chased it three times. And when a cheque eventually arrived, it was payable to me with DC's surname which is not my name. So I had to return the cheque to them for them to issue another.

Thank you, nothing ever moving smoothly.