Advice on bursary and sibling fees

[rainzen]

Hello,

I’m seeking advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation regarding bursaries and siblings.

Our eldest child is currently in Year 8 and receives a substantial bursary of 70%. We also have a younger child attending the same school’s preschool, and they are due to start Reception in September.

We’ve applied to local schools, but unfortunately, our catchment school has a poor Ofsted rating. Ideally, we’d love for our youngest to remain at the same school as their sibling. However, we’re aware that bursaries are only offered from Year 7 onwards, so we would need to fund the prep school fees ourselves.

I’m planning to return to work once our youngest starts school, which will give us an additional income. Our hope is to use that income to cover the prep school fees for our youngest while maintaining the current bursary arrangement for our eldest.

My concern is whether the bursar would take this into account or if they would expect us to allocate the additional income towards reducing the bursary for our eldest.

I’ve read posts here about families with multiple children receiving bursaries, but I understand that might only apply to senior school.

Have others navigated a similar situation? Is it feasible to fund one child in prep while still receiving a bursary for another in senior school? Alternatively, would homeschooling the youngest until our eldest leaves school and then transitioning them to private be a better option?

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

To be honest unless homeschooling is something you're passionate about and really want to embark on, I think your youngest would be better off in the school you don't want with you doing some additional tutoring at the end of the day.

@rainzen
List your preferred school as your #1 choice on your form. And then fill the rest of the form up with the schools nearest you which you might accept if you decided against HS. Tbh You don't need to decide to HS until just before term starts - ie you can wait out the WL and try to get to know the school you are offered and then swerve it if you really have to....

If you don't get a place at your preferred school you can ask to be wait listed for it.

You can ask for confirmation of where you are on the waiting list and you can keep in touch for regular updates.

You could accept a place at one of your other choices whilst remaining on the waitlist for #1. And you could still choose to HS in September and remain on the WL for your first choice.

Worth asking locally how much movement there is generally between offer day and end of reception. This might indicate to you whether it is worth waiting. If you are going to end up NOT at your first choice anyway, you might as well face up to that now rather than wait it out and end up sending your child to the lesser preferred option anyway...... as I guess you would like your child to be in school by Y1?

This happened to us and in the August we were offered a place at the school we wanted.

The irony of course is that in hindsight the other school actually would have been better for our child as they were more child focused and more understanding of sensory differences ....

A few years later we moved that child to a private school as state school did not work for them. (Too much noise, too many pupils, too overwhelming and not meeting their potential as a result; smaller classes have definitely been of benefit to this child).

Our 2nd child attended alternative provision for Reception (extension of nursery) and, when pressure of fees became too much, we moved them to state school for Y1, which went pretty well.

Hopefully #1 is being set up to meet their potential for GCSEs and will be able to join a state 6th form. Fingers crossed. And then I hope we can afford to give #2 the opportunity to attend private school if they wish for it. Or we will use the money in some other way to benefit them. It's a few years away so still time for us to consider our options.

Obvs I'm hoping for all the scholarships and bursaries to make it easier but we don't have any yet so may be pie in the Sky.

"Yes, I think realistically that is what we will do. May I ask, if you know what happens come April if we don't get a place at the school we'd have applied for?"

Btw HS a 4yo is quite a different thing to HS an 11yo. So for those "flabbergasted" at it being a choice.... of course it is a valid choice for some parents who are privileged enough to be able to have the time and commitment to spending it with their child.

And there are plenty of HS groups in many parts of the U.K. to support parents with this choice and to provide opportunities for meeting up and hanging out.

In some countries attending formal school is not even a thing until kids are 6 or 7. So HS in the UK for reception, or even Y1, does not need to be vilified. It can be a very good option for some families.

@roses2 that is because I have a child who is under school age.

Thank you! That is helpful.

I have applied for three schools now. Two are so close and it's annoying that we are about 100m outside of the catchment! The other is nearer to my eldest school for ease.

I'd be happy for youngest to attend any of the three I have put down. And then wait for eldest to leave school and then move youngest across to private.

I see the huge benefit private has had on my eldest. It's gutting really that second won't get that in the early years but hopeful they can move when eldest leaves and finances are better.

What if that changes once he is school age. Are you expected to work then?

@LIZS you are correct. They expect both parents to work if all children are of school age.

So HS in the UK for reception, or even Y1, does not need to be vilified. It can be a very good option for some families.

I hope @incognitomummy you don’t think I was vilifying HS. I really wasn’t. But equally, I hope you would agree that it is best if it is a positive choice rather than a fallback option not very much related to the first choice,

I wouldn’t worry too much about being outside catchment – as a rule places are decided on distance so being close (even if not in catchment) may well be enough. As others say, it’s worth checking on your LA website to see if you would have got a place in recent years (tho this ofc is no guarantee).

Are there three spaces on your form? if there are more, it’s advisable to use them all. Have you listed your catchment school? If not, again, that is advisable.

Agreed Clary.

This isn’t factually correct and sour grapes perhaps.

This is true my DS snd DD both attended schools outside of catchment and also outside our LEA and was when boom birth rates. So don’t give up hope OP.