Children moving to new schools due to VAT changes

[Popcorntv]

Hi all,

Clumsy title! I wanted to start a tread for those whose children are moving schools because independent education is no longer an option. The change hasn’t forced our hand quite yet but has reopened the conversation on school - DH never wanted DCs to go private as he had a miserable time at this very prestigious boys’ school - but I won out originally…

i can find lots of chats on here and FB about people threatening to leave but very little for people who really are making the change!

Now we are trying to move both DCs. We are in London. DC2 should get a place for Y6 in our local primary (started there - wish we’d never moved them!). DC1 is going into Y9 and finding a place is a bit of a dark art. No info at the moment due to schools managing the admissions and being on holiday. Local chat suggests it may be very difficult to find her a place…!

No, we got refusal to assess at end of May. They backed down in October. Draft issued in December.

6 1/2 months.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow that is exactly what I said. I said you got a refusal to assess in May, the LA conceded in October and a draft was issued in December.

As explained to you previously, EHCP timescales are from initial EHCNA request to finalised EHCP, which in your case was more than 6 months.

It was 6 months to me. I don’t need some patronising random on the internet telling me how long it took.

6 months from refusal to having it in my hand.

Anyone can say they got something in X amount of time if they conveniently ignore the beginning and end of the process.

You are ignoring the weeks after the draft was issued but before the EHCP was finalised. You are also ignoring the time between the EHCNA request being made and the LA refusing to assess.

You may want to believe it took 6 months, but it didn’t. It isn’t patronising to point out the timescales are from the initial EHCNA request to finalised EHCP.

Why are you so invested in telling someone you don’t know about how it works?

Ive been through it, I know how it works.

Parents who are pursuing EHCPs need accurate information. The system is difficult enough for some parents to navigate without being told incorrect information. So, I will always point out incorrect information.

Someone who understands how it works wouldn’t think they got an EHCP in 6 months when they are ignoring the beginning and end of the process.

We now have confirmation that DC2 has a place in our local outstanding primary school. Feel very lucky!

That’s great news for you @Popcorntv . Have you decided what to do about your daughter yet ?

Thank you! We have applied for her to go to a couple of local schools where she has friends through her football club and primary school, but are expecting further rejections. Likely therefore she will stay put. We are very lucky that this is still an option for us as it may not be for other families, I know.

I met up with some friends yesterday as part of an MBA alumni event so all highly educated senior people. A lot of us have children in the age 8-10 age bracket and all of us are looking at state now and not private for secondary school. It's a really interesting shift as 2 years ago these people would have been completely against state.

This is brilliant, I hope Starmer will realise before soon what he has done

This is brilliant, I hope Starmer will realise before soon what he has done

Why do you think he will care ?

Specialist school placements are expensive to be fair. My DD’s yearly placement is about £48k

I had coffee yesterday with a teacher at DSs school who has become a friend, not least because her DS is good friends with mine and in the same class. First half week back and she teaches Years 10 and above only. She said there are gaps in most of her classes at all year levels. One here, two there, a family missing somewhere else because people who were already on the margins have gone, even though the VAT has not been implemented yet. Our school said 2 weeks ago they would waive the term's notice for leaving so there are children on the class list who have gone. The school expects more will leave at the end of this term as the fees start in january. I have no idea where these children have gone- it seems too late for them to have suddenly found places elsewhere in state, so perhaps the parents pre-emptively applied for state places while keeping the children on the books at the independent. I don't know, I am just guessing. I know nothing beyond what I was told. Thing is- this is GSCE and A levels years, where things are pretty critical and parents are making those decisions at the tricky educational years.

Our school is very much a small independent. With some very wealthy parents of course, but mainly middle class professionals, and alot with grandparents paying the fees or at least contributing.

She said the school did not expect the exodus, such as it is, to be so immediate. I'll be really interested to read the stats when they come out.

I am a cynical soul and I believe the Labour party brought this in for January rather than next academic year (as they promised) because it makes it harder for people to move mid-year and they can say 'See, negligible impact on private school numbers'.

I agree with you

Could you move your year 6 child and leave your year 9 child in private until Gcse's are finished?

Why do you assume he would think it a bad thing?

He probably won't, but as has been said ad infinitum- this policy is unlikely to raise the funds that the Labour party say it will. I don't believe for a second that even they believe it will do what they say it will. It's an ideological policy, not a fiscally robust policy.

If people shift out of the sector into state then no extra funding and that list of what he wants to pay for gets further out of reach

Because it’s a flagship policy that he has promised will pay for fixing…well…everything. If enough kids are moved, the policy will
actually cost the public purse money, cause massive strain on schools in high private areas, and Labour will have to scramble to find funds for the ‘6500 new teachers’ plus have egg on their face.

Has he promised anything with the money? I assumed it was more of an ideological policy, although I think any money raised should be ringfenced for education.

My SEND DS has been through hell in state school and is now schooled at home with an EOTAS package. Reading this thread kind of makes me feel relieved and lucky that we have currently reached that safe place, which is not a feeling that I have really experienced before.

For those of you trying to figure all this out - good luck and I hope you find happy and safe places for your kids' schooling.

Thank you FindingOut. And I can imagine how hard won your safe place is. Hope it’s working out well for your DC.

@lavenderlou yes. He linked it directly with state school funding projects when first announce. Of course, he’s in government now, so you should expect him to water that down and, when it doesn’t create the promised funds, say that of course he me er said that…