Prep schools in NI - Dept of Education cutting funding!

[TheYearOfTheCat]

For info of any parents with children at prep schools in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Education is proposing to cut the (already small) funding which it contributes per child. They are conducting an equality impact assessment before the final decision is made, but the Minister for Education has indicated that her intention is to cut funding.

The equality impact consultation period closes on 4th March 2010.

The report containing these proposals is here and the site for consultation responses is here

At present, each chid in prep school receives £808 per year of government subsidy, compared to approx £2500 - £3000 per child at state primary.

If funding is cut, not only will it mean an increase in fees, it could also jeopardise some prep schools' continuing viability.

I would urge any parents of children affected by this to contact their MLA and also submit views to the equality impact process.

Do NI preps have charity status like many do in England?

I am curious, that's all! The one thing in what you've written that I think might be challenged is the idea that some preps might not survive. One has to be careful not to propound the idea that somehow an educational establishment is sacrosanct and that its closure is tantamount to child abuse! I appreciate that you haven't said this but this argument generally doesn't wash in these forums!

Ampere,
No, preps do not have charity status here.

I think the closure of preps would be a great shame, they are currently very successful and achieve excellent academic results. Moving children during their schooling, and away from established friendships, environments etc is bound to be disruptive to children (maybe not tantamount to child abuse though )

One of the reasons I send my DD to prep, is that no state primary offers single sex schooling, which is what I want for my DC. The other reason is that the area I live in operates a system whereby all children move school at age 7 to a massive school with an intake of 250 children per year. I didn't want to disrupt my DC's schooling by moving them, and I think the size of school is too big for children that age.

For any prep mums, here is Regent House Prep's blogsite re funding cuts.

rhsprepfunding.blogspot.com/

For any prep mums, here is Regent House Prep's blogsite re funding cuts.

rhsprepfunding.blogspot.com/

Julie,
Great link. Glad to know I am not the only one on MN!

It seems that Regents House is being very proactive about this. The sample letter is terrific.

One of the other issues which wasn't commented on in the DENI report is the fact that prep schools are the only type of primary education which offer single sex education (not applicable to RHS, but quite a few of them are). I was going to add this to my letters under the grounds of respecting the philosophical beliefs of the parents.

Any other NI prep parents here?

Don't really have much sympathy with you paying increased fees.

I know they are making a mess of the transfer system, but in the main, the schools in NI are of a very good quality.

Not according to the permanent secretary of the Dept of Education. I was listening to him at a conference last week. He says our system has gone down the pan, having once been the envy of the UK, with 46% of children leaving school with less than 5 GCSEs. According to him, Latvia has a better education system.