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Primary education

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Original poster

private school-can you get funding????

29 replies

crazygal · 16/11/2011 20:58

hi everyone,
my ds is 7,and due to move to middle school next september,
he has had many problems at 1st school with behaviour,and has recently been diagnosed with mild adhd,he is not statemented.
we have to decide by jan which middle school he should go to,the one in our area is next to his school now,and i feel he needs a clean break,with new children,teachers and over all people who dont know him,or of him!!(hes a bad boy name in his school)
we would love to send him to a private school,
but,can we get funding??we both work and are on an average wage,but an extra £2500 a term going out would kill us,however we could get by if there was some form of help,
anyone any info at all?

OP posts:
cansu · 16/11/2011 21:17

I think that the only way to get funding would be by proving to a tribunal that the state school cannot meet your ds needs. If he has mild ADHD that could be difficult. Does he have a statement of SEN?

cansu · 16/11/2011 21:18

sorry just read not statemented so you would not get anywhere with this route. I am not aware of any other sources.

exexpat · 16/11/2011 21:33

Most private schools have bursary funds to help a few families pay fees who would not otherwise be able to afford it. But help at primary stage is usually very limited (tends to be more at secondary school), and there is huge demand for whatever money is available.

Bursaries are usually means tested, so you have to fill in very detailed forms about your income, assets, lifestyle & spending habits. If your household income is over £30-£40k (depending on school and area) you are unlikely to be eligible. 100 per cent bursaries are rare, and bursaries are often (though not always) also linked to ability, so go to children that the school thinks will do well or will benefit particularly from what the school has to offer.

So I'm afraid that unless your DS is very bright, or there is a private school locally that specialises in children with behavioural issues, I wouldn't hold out much hope.

EdithWeston · 16/11/2011 21:34

The obvious route is a bursary from the school.

You would have to enquire individually at each whether they offer bursaries and up to what proportion of the fees, and at roughly what level of income it kicks in. Every school has its own ceilings and means testing procedures.

Do you have any specific schools in mind? Support for SEN in the private sector is not of a uniform standard, so that is something else to check very carefully.

Original poster
crazygal · 16/11/2011 22:11

thank you guys,
yes there is a school nearby,
it does not specialise in behaviour issues.....
the school hes at now say he does not need a statement,im not so sure though!
hmmmm i think ill have to give it a miss the :(
poor little man..
your replies have helped
thank you xxx

OP posts:
Clawdy · 17/11/2011 16:53

Most private schools will not accept children with behaviour issues anyway.Hope your little boy settles and enjoys his new school.

KATTT · 17/11/2011 19:54

I'm trying really hard to recall where to get this information but there are quite a few charitable grants available, they seem to have been set up years ago as part of guilds and crafts/trades. I looked through them all and didn't qualify - but there are some for children whose parent work in the drapery trade, quite a few for armed forces children... You might be lucky.

I'll keep thinking about where to access the information.

ASteepLearningCurve · 17/11/2011 23:19

Most private schools will not accept children with behaviour issues anyway...
Incorrect!

What is correct is what most posters have said about means tested bursaries. I teach at an independent preparatory school and have great experience in this issue. In order to maintain their charitable status (which most/all Prep Schools have), a fairly large number of reduced fee, and free places have to be offered to pupils who otherwise would not be able to afford the private education.
Any decent Prep School will have a link to bursaries on their website. If they don't, a quick email enquiry will help you find out if this is a possibility.

The behavourial issues are NOT issues - private schools cannot and will not take this into consideration.

Original poster
crazygal · 17/11/2011 23:38

clawdy i did wonder if they would except a child with "behaviour issues"
so i will have to see and talk to them about that...
katt thank you,i will take a close look at those links,xxx

OP posts:
ASteepLearningCurve · 17/11/2011 23:43

www.independentschools.com/england/bursaries.php

Full list x

EdithWeston · 18/11/2011 07:04

That list isn't comprehensive - so if the school you have in mind isn't there, don't be disheartened, and do check with them the school.

(Given the latest Court rulings, it is ever more clear that bursaries are neither necessary nor sufficient for charitable status. I wasn't aware that provision of free places had ever been advised).

ASteepLearningCurve · 18/11/2011 07:23

Do not get me started about the government's latest Charitable Status inquiry... not surprised it's since been agreed that their findings/expectations etc were unreasonable and unrealistic. Also not surprised that the media haven't leapt to private schools' defence for being put through some stressful times unneccessarily.

Apologies from me for not posting a comprehensive list. I beleve the OP knows to contact the schools she is interested in - I and others have said this. The list is fairly complete, however and I thought it would be helpful ... I guess not!

EdithWeston · 18/11/2011 07:27

I thought it was worth a mention as readers other than OP might browse it and draw the wrong conclusions about bursary provision. I tried checking 3 schools I know provide bursaries and none were there. Of course, that might have been just bad luck.

ASteepLearningCurve · 18/11/2011 07:29

More accurate would be any Prep school that is a charity (ie. most). They would all HAVE to provide bursaries, including some free places.
Sorry for stropping about the charitable status malarky - was involved in the opening process and was required to produce ridiculous amounts of paperwork to then be told at the time it wasn't enough, and since that it was more than enough. Another great waste of government time and money! Rant over...

mrsshears · 18/11/2011 08:11

Thanks for this thread op

We were considering looking into bursaries for our dd aged 5 who has recently been assessed as being in the highly superior intellect range/gifted but i did'nt really think we would have much chance.
Finding out that such school have to have a certain amount of subsidised places avalible is useful information for us so thanks again.

Clawdy · 18/11/2011 08:45

I teach at a local state primary school. We have on roll two children who were asked to leave their respective prep schools because of behaviour issues,ASteepLearningCurve. Glad to say they are both doing well ,with the extra help they are now receiving.Both sets of parents told us the schools were more concerned about the schools' image than their two needy children. I did not say ALL private schools behave in this way,but many do.

LIZS · 18/11/2011 08:53

have you applied for a statement ? You can irrespectvie of one school's opinion. If you were quick you may even be able to get it in process before you apply for his next school, which could be specifically named . I'm afraid I too suspect a ms private school would be wary of accepting him, you can but ask though. Presumably he is already year 3 so has missed the 7+ entry point.

KATTT · 18/11/2011 09:07

My SN child was accepted by a private school, they gave us a really generous bursary. They saw she was in trouble at the state school and would do better in the small classes and with the extra help they could provide.

Private schools are run on human lines - they have the freedom to act with extraordinary generosity. Don't be afraid to ask.

ASteepLearningCurve · 18/11/2011 12:21

clawdy really sad to hear that. Have no respect for schools that do that. We have a good number of difficult children (less than a lot of schools I know) but it's our duty - independent or state school - to serve the needs.
I actually feel privileged both to work at a school that seems to be doing it right, and also to hold the views I do.

kattt -great news and nice to give private schools some good press! GOOD private schools will always put the needs of the children first. That said, sometimes the needs of the children are to not be in that particular school...

IndigoBell · 18/11/2011 14:16

The behavourial issues are NOT issues - private schools cannot and will not take this into consideration. - surely this is incorrect.

Private schools can choose to accept - or not accept (or kick out) - whoever they want to.

Surely they can choose not to accept a kid purely because they have behavioural issues?

Clawdy · 18/11/2011 14:28

They certainly can,and often do.

ASteepLearningCurve · 18/11/2011 18:32

And when they do, they will often get taken to tribunal ...
So yes, they can, but they are very wise to do so!

By the way, thank you for the warm welcome to the message board ;-) Thanks

Original poster
crazygal · 18/11/2011 20:26

hi guys
thank you for your chats on here,
im glad to hear that they will probabl take on my 7 yr old :)
asteeplearningcurve,thank you,theres so much info there for me to go on,
my ds will be going into yr 3,
i will ring the school on monday and enquire about places and his adhd,so i know were i am!
how would i go about getting a possible free place or bursary?

OP posts:
Original poster
crazygal · 18/11/2011 20:37

plus,i asked the school hes in now if he needed a one 2 one?....
they said no,plus they had no funds anyway,and that if he needs a one 2 one they will get one in from one of the other classes for him,if he gets "bad"which on average he gets around 3 times aweek,for an hr in the afternoon,ive being told they have to take him out of the class when doing this,
so my question is,should i think of getting him one 2 one for his next school?wherever that may be! x

OP posts:
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