Independent Schools???

[Amc90]

Hi everyone

Hope somene could offer me some advice.. im currently a university student and have a 7 yo at a state primary school. She's in p4. I'm having increasing problems with the school which I won't go into too much detail but staff changes and several pupils within a small class with additional needs means there's not a lot of time left for the other students. I tried moving her to a different school, and ended up back to the original one as she struggled to settle there too.

I've been having a look over a few independent schools and a few have cropped up which seem like a perfect environment for her, however financially,
at least until i graduate in around 3 years
time I'll never be able to afford all of the fees, probably not even half of them. I wondered if anyone in a similar position had experience of applying for a bursary and know if there is even any point in my applying at the moment or if I'm being unrealistic? I work as many hours as I'm able to alongside studying but it's not in a high paid job and live in a rented property! I'm concerned if I wait another few years say to high school intake and I'm in more of a position to afford the fees, that her primary years have been wasted.

Sorry if it's personal but just looking for some advice and any pointers would be appreciated. I have spoken to the schools I have in mind, who have welcomed me to apply, however they all have rather expensive application fees and can't afford to apply for them all without having any idea whether or not there's any chance of her being accepted!

I also worry about waiting as I was offered the chance to go to private school when I was going into S1 and I told my grandparents no way was I going and would give anything to go back and bite their hand off, but at that age I just wanted to go where my friends were going. Ahh the naivety!!

Thanks so much xxx

Sorry I'm not sure how to edit the post, but we are in Edinburgh x

Look for a different state school instead. Then apply for private at secondary if you think it necessary.

It is not a good idea to enter the private system if you already can’t afford the fees. Sorry.

That's the problem I have, already tried that and had to move house to get into the other school then back here again. So much upheaval. I'm at my wit's end and not sure what else to do! Xx

Are you concerned about her emotional well being at her current school? Is she unhappy? Or is it just the academic side of things that concern you?

If it is only the academic side you are worried about, at primary school you should be able to give her any extra support she needs. Or you could spend the money you would use on school fees on some tutoring.

In terms of bursaries you should just ask the school as each school has a different policy and won't usually disclose it publicly. You should be prepared to be very open about your financial situation though. (For example do you go on holidays? How much do you pay for entertainments each month you'll need to prove your answers). Not all schools will have major bursaries some are really a helping hand (e.g. 10% of fees).

If private isn't an option I would look at what the issue is at her current school. Is the pastoral care lacking? Does DD lack confidence? Is she in need of more academic help? In the case of the latter you could look at getting her a tutor or simply helping yourself at home. If the former I would keep approaching the school with your specific concerns and look into ways of boosting her confidence outside of school.

It's a bit of everything really, and I have tried speaking with the school etc...and it seems just fall upon deaf ears. The head is very patronising and her current teacher and class assistant have just left which have added to my exasperation.

She already goes to explore learning, between that and wraparound care I probably pay out about 5-600 per month, which I could of course put towards any fees but I know that won't cover the costs. I know many of the independent schools do wraparound care which would let me put in more hours, and there's possibility of my dad helping out but that's not a guarantee - he saves for her every month in a trust fund type account but the intention of it is for her university studies. The high schools around here also leave a lot to be desired!

School seems to be the only place she lacks confidence and it always has been, she's extremely bright and outgoing everywhere else. The most extravagant thing they will find in my finances is my weekly Tesco shop, lol x

Sorry I mean to say - I have spoken to a few schools about the situation and a couple have said they offer up to 100% bursaries and have invited me to have a look around I'm just not sure if it's realistic or not if that makes sense x

If they’ve already said they offer sub large bursaries, it might well be worth taking a punt and paying the registration fees for those schools only. Do two (those you like best) and see how it goes, if you don’t get in with a bursary offered, try the next ones.

Is she exceptional in anyway? Short of that I doubt there would be abyschpolz willing to offer a bursary. At prep level they tend to reserve them to currrbt pupils who are going through financial difficulty or child prodigies. Could you move to an area with better state schools?

I wouldn't say she is exceptional although she is a very bright girl and a great thinker. I feel with the right nurturing she could be and I of course just want the very best for her as we all do for our kids!

There are only a couple of the independent schools who offer bursary at that level and as I mentioned already I did try moving and she didn't settle.

I guess the best way forward would be to go and have a meeting with the two I like best with a view to applying, I mean I may not get a great vibe from any of the schools and it might not be the answer for her, but I have to explore every option that could be available x

Very unusual to have big bursaries in primary, they are usually from secondary so be clear what you are asking. Depends where you are in the country - SE schools are £15-20,000 per year. Bursaries are also not always guaranteed and sometimes have to be applied for each year so double check that.

Honestly, the chances of you getting a large bursary for an independent prep just because you can’t afford it are extremely low. My School offered a bursary of 50% to new entrants which was ‘means tested’ - to my knowledge no one has got it because to qualify for the means testing you had to earn so little that even 50% of the fees would not be feasible. It was offered in a specific part of the school where numbers were low, so there were empty places anyway. We do offer bursaries to current families who come upon hard times; I guess the logic is that by giving them a couple of terms of cheaper fees, they won’t leave, and will eventually pay full fees again - rather than just leaving and not coming back.

Don’t forget it’s not just fees. My school does a residential in y4,5 and 6, and attendance is pretty much mandatory, each one costs hundreds. There are extra trips every term, each one £20-30 or more. These are not optional. Uniform is expensive, sports kit is astronomical. Fees will also go up every year.

My husband and I earn about £100k between us; even with staff discount I’m dubious about our ability to pay for our future child t9 attend my school. Most parents are double income families in well paid jobs. I am aware of only a few single parent families at the school; the majority are transferring to state for secondary which suggests they’re struggling to afford the fees. No parents are single parents who are still at uni.