How can I avoid taking my daughter out of infant school due to this pickle?

[12345Floris]

New domestic circumstances mean my 6 year old daughter's education is going to suffer.

She moves up to Year 2 this September and has been driven to school for the past 10 months by my Mum, as I don't drive, it's a ten mile round trip, I'm on income support with deductions for debt arrears and can't afford the bus fares, and from this September my youngest starts Reception at a new school near our home. (We moved last year and my daughter couldn't get a Year 1 place in the new town).

Because my Mum is now too ill to drive my daughter and I can't take her because of finances (no, she's not eligible for free transport) and because I have to take my son to school now, what do I do?

There IS a place for her at a school in this town, but it's an hour's walk there and back, and I can't do that either because how do I get oth to different schools two towns apart for the same start time?

Also, I'm reluctant to take her out of a school she's happy in to a school with the worst Ofsted rating (and reputation) for her last year of infant school.

Is home educating the only choice left? Because if so, that also puts paid to my plans of returning to work this Autumn.

It's a massive dilemma and I'm genuinely stumped.

If there is no closer school place for her don't the council help with transport?
Homeschool whilst waiting for a place at your sons school? Is it infant and junior?

She won't get into my son's school.
She's been on waiting lists for 10 months.
No, as mentioned previously, the council have already rejected her for transport funding.

If the school with a place is an hours walk, is that about 3miles, in which case she should get transport to get there, I think (isn't it over 2miles for a primary aged child?)
Would that work?

Ah, just realised you may have meant an hour there and back.
Does one of the schools have a breakfast club so you can drop one off earlier than the other? Or maybe there is someone near by who would be able to drop your reception child to the local school? (If you start working maybe a childminder would be affordable to do this?)

Could your son get a place at the other school in town (clutching at straws...)

Over 5 miles, littlemissgreen, but not if you've already refused a place once, which I have. They offered her this school before, but it has an horrendous reputation and she will be moving from a snobby village school into the thick of a drug den council estate for the last year of her infant education. I think the contrast will be too much for her.

If the nearest school is 3 miles away, she should get transport. Why have they refused you?

Could a classmates parent help? I know I would if it wasnt a huge inconvenience. And as long as you didn't take the p*ss being late etc.

Didn't you have another relative taking your child to and from school some of the time (excuse me if I've confused you with another poster)? Could they help?

Does your son's school have a breakfast / before school club? Or the further away one an after school club? Then you could drop son at breakfast club, daughter at her school, go to work, then reverse in the afternoon? Worth it if it means that you can work.

Is your mum still well and near enough to take your son to school? Where would you be likely to work? Could you combine a bus ride to your DD's school with transport to your place of work - so you take her to school, then go on to work? Again, you would have the money for the bus fare if you return to work so it would be tight until your first pay cheque but you would be better off after that?

Does your son's school have 'upwards' subling priority (ie him being in reception moving your DD into a higher admissions band)? If so, you may stand a better chance of her getting a place now as she will leapfrog others on the waiting list (obviously this is no guarantee of her actually getting a place, but it increases the chances).

If you do decide to HE, take a long hard look at yourself and what she would do. Is the education that you would give her genuinely better than the 'less desirable' school that she has been offered in your town - bearing in mind that you want her to go into a junior school for Year 3, you will want her to keep in line with her schooled contemporaries, so in a different situation to most HEers who don't need to look at short-term comparability. (I have temporarily HEed my DS, with the aim always being to return him to school, and that comparability was really important for me ... to the bemusement of long-term HEing friends!)

Thanks everyone and teacherwith2kids, a lot to think about.

It would be an absolute doddle to keep her up to date with school kids.Teachers have 30 kids you would have 1 you would do a days work in an hour then go an play with friends, you may even enjoy it so much you decide to keep her at home.
Find your local yahoo group and meet up with some family's.
Good luck.

I would have thought a bus fare would have been an " allowable" expense. I don't know what debt management plan you are on but could it be worth talking to payplan? They are free and a free phone number so if you could borrow someone's land line to phone it wouldn't cost you anything to find out.

As your mum isn't driving your daughter anymore would she mind giving you the " petrol " money for the bus fare instead?

Have you told your daughters school about your situation? I wonder if they could help?

Would your daughter get free travel, but you would have to pay? Or both you and your daughter would have to pay?

I will do some more thinking...

Here is some hope for anyone on the In Year Admission for Year 2 waiting lists...

After a year waiting and me pestering various admissions and schools depts several times a week on that year, my daughter has finally been made 'an exception' and offered a place today, despite being 31 in a class of 30 limited size. It hasn't even gone to Appeal.

No idea yet if someone has been working very hard behind e scenes for me pulling the strings, or myersistance has paid off, or it's just luck, but if it's happened here, it may happen for you too.

That is great news! I'm not sure on what basis it's been done but it sounds like it will make your whole life much easier, including looking for a new job.