Extra 1 to 1 sessions (for parents to pay) in private school - what is the cost?

[Budur]

My daughter is in Y1 now and has been struggling through the year and is at the bottom of the class. She has speach therapy that we pay for once a week at school (very clear speach but not articulate enough) and has recently had an assessment done by the education ps who confirmed that there is an issue with her comprehension on top of the expressive speach and gave good tips to help her with that. Her reading is great, 2 years ahead of her age but she can't answer questions on what she has read properly or write them down well, but overall is a nice girl, so not disruptive at all.

She's not confident and is one of the youngest in the class, being end of July baby which affects her results. Ideally we would like to keep her a year down but under current system it's not possible. The problem is that her school only goes until 7 so next year she needs to have exams to move somewhere else and the school is not sure whether she'll pass entrance exams. We think she's just immature and needs time to grow up but there's just no time for that.

Headteacher proposed 1 to 1 additional sessions with her during school hours (she does very well 1 to 1 but not in the overall class environment, and is already at the max level of the learning support having a session on something with them every day). We are yet to hear how much it would cost. They are thinking of bringing someone from the outside for this as obviously current staff are busy with their classes.

I think it should be an extra teaching assistant just for her for some session (the proposal is 3 mornings, 2-3 hours) as there is a qualified teacher in the class. I think it would be a better way of giving her extra support in the classroom compared to separate tutoring. I only know that tutoring can cost anything from 20-50 pounds an hour which is well out of budget (as it would be on top of school fees), but this is more of a support in the classroom and possibly would be more like teaching assistant hourly rate which would be a lot less? Also, if school would bring someone from outside will it go through their accounts/taxes etc. and we'll end up paying more or will it be paid directly to that extra support teacher? If anyone has experience with this would be much appreciated.

We really need to get her into some private school from 7+ that would not be competitive and have small class sizes to let her develop so we are prepared to do extra things to help her with that. obviously goes without saying that we do as much as we can with her every day after school but she's already tired after school. I feel she just needs to play and grow up a bit and not face this when she's not even 6 yet...

At my school 1:1 support in class is £10 per hour & a specialist teacher outside the class is £30 per hour. For in- class support you would pay the school & they pay the staff. Not sure if that is normal or just how we do it. For out of class help I think the specialist teacher invoices the parents separately.

I think it would depend on the qualifications of the person providing the support. To cut the cost, you could perhaps have the school do a half session of support and get them to put the rest of it in her bag for you to do at home, which obv is a time problem, maybe you could try the next morning.

Oh I was going to add that can you change schools for y2 instead of waiting til y3 as if the schoo have to get someone in from outside, it doesn't sound as though they have a good sen provision. I would expect an LSA working at the school to provide what you need.

Think we paid about £25 for 40 mins 1:1 but that was for someone on their Learning Support team and from age 7/8 .

You might want to look at your local state schools too. They are often better with children with additional needs than private schools.

It the state sector a TA would receive £7-9p/h depending on their grade. I think the 'on costs' are around 33% so I guess it costs the school around £11p/h

I'm sure you will have a non-selective prep within reach where your DD will not need to pass exams.

If you are prepared to say the area you are in people on here will have local recommendations.

I would recommend you contact www.afasic.org.uk
They are a speech and language disorder charity and should be to give you some advice about costs.

Where are you? If N London, St Margarets in Kidderpore Avenue would be perfect.

Thanks to all. We are in London and there are no non selective schools in the area. We are preparing to move to somewhere with less pressure on places but it would still be selective so we need to get her up to a min standard. State is not an option unless we are forced to go that route as she only does well in small groups and gets all learning support she can which is good at this school. With 30 kids in the class she would just get lost.

So that's what I thought about 10 an hour sounds about right just for class support without any special training thank you for advising. We already pay 65 an hour to speech therapist every week so this would be on top of that. We know local area very well and out of 4 school only one would be suitable as others are very competitive. Yes moving now at year 2 can be an option but I think we are thinking of moving out of the area to have more choice and not be stuck on one school.

It's mad that we can pay the fees (I will be working till 100 years to pay for all of this) and can't find the school for her. We do ask for extra sheets for holidays when there is a bit more time to do a few things with her.

Does anyone know schools in Twickenham? There's new Radna and St. Catherine's that are hopefully not oversubscribed? But how do they work with kids that need more attention? Thanks!

How many are in her class, just out of interest?

20! Which is far more than we expected at a private school

You do know that there is one to one support available in state schools too? People look at 30 in a class and throw up their hands in horror- without looking deeper into how many adults there are in that class. Yes, obviously, some state schools are crap- but honestly, look at the ones in your area and see what they could offer your child.

there is one to one support available in state schools too? Only with a strongly worded statement which this child would not meet the threshold for.

In your position OP I would look for a 3-18 school where they would allow DD to repeat Y1 and then remain a year behind right through. This is far less uncommon in all though independents.

I don't know the London schools well enough. As you are moving anyway would you be able to move out of London? Bearwood College in Wokingham springs to mind.

I think the point is that the OP is so focused on private school that she isn't even considering any other options. She may live close to a fantastic state school, and with all the extra available money she will have by not paying school fees can buy extra support and help for her dd, rather than trying to get her to jump through a 7+ hoop that sounds as if it will be very difficult and stressful for her, and which will take up a lot of time and effort for the next year. Think outside the box, OP.

I wouldn't advocate moving her down a year even if the school were willing . She may, with the appropriate intervention, make huge progress in a short period of time or at her pace. If you ever had to move to a state school or another system it could be an issue unless you have proven SEN.

It doesn't sound like that school is meeting your child's needs at all. I think it's disgraceful that you are being charged to see a speech therapist and they want you to pay for 1:1 support. What is there about this school that is good for your child?

Back to the money issue. Tutors do charge £20-£50 an hour, yes, but they are usually experienced teachers. I would imagine it wouldn't be nearly that high.

I'd go for state school-you'd be saving the school fees, speech therapy fees and LSA fees. You could then speak to the new school and get a second opinion of what is needed. Private schools may sound impressive but obviously aren't the best option for every child.

LIZS I con't really get the obsession over kids remaining with their cohort.

Universities don't care what age people start degrees. Workplaces don't care what year an employee took their exams. Why is it a big deal??

No, but the school system predominantly does and given the age of child involved it wouldn't seem fair to compartmentalise her so young particularly given that the school environment she is in doesn't sound very inclusive. op , can you not get SALT via NHS ?

I just think that while people stick rigidly to 'the system' it will never change. Only weight of parental demand will generate an easing of the dogma.

There is evidence that holding a child back can have short term advantages but there is also evidence that it can be highly detrimental in the long term

Actually, re reading the OP- why would you stay with a school which defined any child- particularly a 6 year old with speech and comprehension issues - as at "the bottom of the class"

OP- how's her speech when she's not at school? How is her comprehension with books that are suitable for her chronological age, rather than her reading age? Are you absolutely sure that this is a "real" problem, not just one created by her being very young and in a competitive environment?

The school is not inclusive but pushy as it finishes at 7 so they do need to get kids out to decent schools. We do spend a lot of time with her and are aware if the issues and I would rather have the school that is very concerned and is trying to get to the bottom of them early on rather than discover them later on. She is a lot chattier outside of school but still makes grammatical mistakes and hers speech is clearly behind peers I can tell that easily. We have been to various tests already as the just didn't know what was wrong with her. We won't get to a decent state school hence private is the only option.

Honestly if she's struggling would she not be better in the state sector where larger classes allow greater differentiation, and actually there would be learning support in class. I think it's going to be really affecting her to be " bottom of the class" even if it's never put in those terms to her.

Spend your money on " enrichment" or save it for secondary education.

Honestly , the signs are this school's attitude is ominous and may not improve. Move her sooner rather than later, before they force it upon you and you have less control. Some private schools can offer good SEN support , others can't/won't do any more than pay lip service. Who is their SENCO and do they actually have anyone else on staff with relevant training to support your dd? The idea of having to bring someone from outside would suggest not.

Of course she makes grammatical mistakes- she's 6!

Could you say a bit more about how her speech is behind her peers?

Is there a private school nearby that you think would meet her needs- or are you still looking? Have you actually looked at the state options?