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Flexi Schooling. Does anyone do this?

14 replies

12345Floris · 17/09/2013 11:57

My situation is complicated with children at school in differerent towns.

Place shortages mean I can't see this situation changing, we are on all the waiting lists amd are being dealt wo by Education Entitlement Team too as a last resort (who I can't really recommend as they are uncontactabke and just seem to be advocates for ideas rather than breaking red tape and forcing change). I can't afford to move back to the town my eldest child schools in for financial amd personal safety reasons and so transfer my youngest to her school and solve the travel issue problem.

She's been a year on the waiting list for her brother's school where he's just begun Reception. She won't get a place it's looking like, not after this long.

As I'm currently on benefits, and don't drive, I'm struggling to pay the £35 a week in bus fares, really struggling, to a point were I'm happy to do full disclosure here : I have £4 in my bank and a few pounds in my purse. My next benefits come in on Friday. My electric meter has gone into emergency (I'm on meters). So for the last two days I simply haven't been able to afford to bus her into school. She has Cooking on Mondays and was devastated.

As far as I can see, I just can't afford to get her to Schoo. She isn't entitled to free transport because I stupidly turned the first school they offered us when I first moved here as it was the 3rd furthest away and I just assumed I should wait for the beast school to be offered. At that time, I didn't know about In Year Admission procedures or school place shortages :/

So Flexi Schooling seems workable as it would only be until she starts Juniors next year.

But how does this work?

Can anyone tell me their experiences of Flexi Schooling ie how they applied, what their headteacher involvement was, how their child's development fared, what circumstances prompted it, and so on?

I'm in quite a desperate situation.
Thankyou

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12345Floris · 17/09/2013 11:59

Beast school? Haha! Flaming autocorrect! I meant 'nearest school' of course!

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MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 17/09/2013 12:04

What have you told the school about her not attending?
£35 a week for buses while on benefits is not sustainable at all. Can you speak to the LA transport team again and point out the financial hardship you are in due to transport costs, as it is not feasible for her to be missing out on her education.

Speak to the school - see if they can help to get the transport looked at again, they will be monitoring attendance and the EWO will be following up if this continues - much better for you to be proactive and try to find a solution with them, than for them to be calling you in about unauthorised absence.

Flexi schooling is not the answer here, really.

Saracen · 17/09/2013 14:56

Flexi schooling is unlikely to solve your problems. Many headteachers won't agree to it anyway these days as they are required to report it as "authorised absence" which makes their attendance figures look bad. Possibly full-time home education - how would you feel about that?

You sound very confident that the situation will be resolved next year. Why are you sure of that?

12345Floris · 17/09/2013 16:07

Saracen - do I sound confident? Because it couldn't be more wrong. The situation will get even worse next year whe she starts Juniors - her linked feeder Juniors isn't in the same town either ... :/

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12345Floris · 17/09/2013 16:07

Full time home ed won't work, I'm a lone parent and could t afford to stay at home much longer.

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Saracen · 18/09/2013 00:30

Wow, that does sound like a rough situation to be in. My heart goes out to you. i really hope you can sort something out.

NynaevesSister · 18/09/2013 12:28

Is there a community or family worker at the school who can help you? Have you had a chat with the head? Ask them is there anything that can be done to help and also find out if the LA is acting legally here. The bottom line is that your child's education is suffering an this will also affect th school if she is not able to reach her full potential. There is money out there you just need to find the right person to help you access it. The school is a good place to start and if they can't ask if they can recommend the next step or refer you to someone who can.

ClutchingPearls · 18/09/2013 16:07

I looked at flexi schooling DD1 last year, it all seemed to rely on the school to accept it although there was a opportunity to do it. During that school year the rules seem to have been quietly 'clarified' meaning the opportunity to flexi school has been removed by changing the way its marked from 'educated off site' to 'unauthorized'.

My family situation mixed with DD2 needs mean flexible schooling would have really benefited us and especially DD2 but now its impossible to do. I may be wrong, as it was under a fog of stress that I revisited the idea this year. But our school was very clear that we had missed the boat.

ClutchingPearls · 18/09/2013 16:13

link
Sorry its not the news you needed to hear, it seemed the answer to all my problems too. Its a real shame that things have changed. I hope your able to find a way through this.

12345Floris · 18/09/2013 21:58

NynaevesSister Yes, the past year has been spent going down every road classified and unclassified to find a solution.

We are finally at the last chance corral with the Education Entitlement Service co-ordinating a review with the education welfare officer and so on.

The school aren't co-operative, our attendance record is atrocious and they're paranoid about stats.
The most recent response just two days ago from the school secretary whenI rang in to say my daughter won't be attending today because Ihave £4 in my bank and that won't cover the return bus fare but School Transport Team are reviewing the case again, was 'Oh you've been down that road before haven't you. Well, Unauhtorised Absence it is again then. Bye'.

Ah well.

ClutchingPearls Thankyou for the link, I will have a good sift through the site.

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12345Floris · 19/09/2013 16:47

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.

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souperb · 19/09/2013 17:02

Glad to hear it's worked out for you. Onwards and upwards!

Saracen · 19/09/2013 19:21

Congratulations. That is great news. Maybe they actually did realise that giving your daughter a place in a local school was the best way to ensure your daughter attends school regularly. Perhaps they invoked the Fair Access Protocol in recognition of the fact that your daughter was at risk of not being educated properly.

greenfolder · 19/09/2013 20:15

God that's brilliant-what a releif! Hope your dd settles in well and life gets a bit easier for you all

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