Urgent Help - Year 9 school places for six children required asap

[2010louises]

I'm posting on behalf of a friend who would prefer to remain anonymous, could any one help or offer her advice please ?
"Do any parents whose children are in Year 9 know of any local schools whose classes have room for 1 child (or up to 6 kids) ? My son is being forced to change schools at short notice , he is one of six kids in his year who are in the same situation, all the parents are now scrambling for a school that has spaces available. I have contacted my Local Authority (Bromley) and been told despite classes being full , not to worry as by law the local authority have to find him / them a place, so in the meantime we have to join the waiting lists "

The announcement that VAT would be applied from January wasn’t made until the end of July, after the date notice would have to be given to a private school to avoid a term’s fees. Up until then, the government had suggested it wouldn’t apply until next September.

I don’t know about Bromley, but 2010-2011 were high birth rate years. The highest since the 1970s. Many areas of the country, including mine, have no spaces in the current year 9.

The problem doesn’t change if you have the money for VAT for “a term or two”

If a child is in year 9 and the parents now think they cannot afford VAT through to the end of year 11, then now is a good time to switch. The parents would have had to give notice at the start of this term to not be liable for next, and the same would apply in Jan and in April. It is possible that they could pay one or two terms at the higher rate but they still need to search now and move well before the end of term if a place is available.

Searching now for a place starting in year 10 isn’t allowed as the target school couldn’t keep that place open for a couple of terms.

Bromley is a big Borough. You should also look at schools in neighbouring Boroughs (or possibly Kent) depending on which end of the Borough you're in.

State schools don't 'follow a totally different curriculum'. A GCSE from a private school isn't a special one. If you move in year 9 you're in plenty of time to pick up different exam boards.

The parents need to speak to admissions in Bromley and any other borough. Bromley has lots of really good schools, like most of South London.

Your friends could consider one of the online schools? Kings InterHigh? Or there are other providers now, I believe? They do the standard AQA, Edexel exam board syllabus, have on-line live lessons etc. Not the same as physically going to a real school, but they could be enrolled and ‘in class’ pretty much immediately and cost a fraction of private school fees.

No idea if they have space, but look at Ravens Wood School, all boys, loads of clubs, have heard Science and Maths is good and it’s a big school. I would contact the head somehow. It’s a unique situation,

A unique situation perhaps but many children will be affected. As predicted, there will be a lot of scrabbling for state school vacancies and I tend to agree with pp upthread who suggested this hunt should have begun as soon as the VAT change was mentioned. Yes, parents would have had to pay a term's fees by default but to have your child settled in a decent local secondary may have been worth it.

OP The VAT is not being added in January so they don't need to leave immediately.

They will have given notice last month to leave at the end of this term.

If the boys are Y9 then it’s best they move before the summer term anyway so they can get used to the school and pick GCSE options, plus they can get appropriately streamed for Y10. Starting at the beginning of Y10 might mean there isn’t space in the options they would have chosen

Academy Trusts are there own admissions authority and groups of high achieving kids will be scooped up if there is space.

Look at Money saving Expert for ideas on how to budget. Take packed lunches to work & school, look at unused subscriptions.
On the plus side, second hand uniform is often available for state schools.

https://www.bromley.gov.uk/downloads/file/9/in-year-secondary-school-admission-guidance-and-form

Here it is - Harris schools are separate. Proof of notice to leave the private school needs to be given to the Council.

I am always perplexed when people thibk paying for education automatically makes them high achieving. I don’t think (but excuse me if I’m wrong) the OP ever mentioned selective.

The positive prejudice around paying for education is part of this general problem.

It's definitely the case here in Bromley. From 2012 onwards.

Perhaps it doesn't apply to y9 but given that people move away from the area (seems to happen a lot- ppl move for a rural life/move countries), I wouldn't be surprised if the many places in y9 came up and were not re-filled quickly.

OP would love it if you could update us later about whether they got places.

@Tiredalwaystired - take it up with Harris, not me.

Bromley council specifically tells people not to move in Year 10 so Year 9 boys should definitely move as soon as possible.

I agree.

It's not that this came out of the blue.

Plus remember all the crazy threads telling private school parents to apply for a state school place. Obviously it was out of malice, but it would have also given DC a head start for a school place.

1. who said they were high achieving?
2. how would the MAT scoop them? there's only one selective sch for boys in Bromley and it's w super selective

I’m taking it up with you because you’re the one that assumed they were high achieving because their parents paid for education.

That a you prejudice.

Have they approached the school about paying the next two terms in arrears so they could stay til the end of the academic year?

That’s a harsh view , my friend is a NHS nurse , her husband is an electrician , they scrimp and scrape as it is to pay the fees , they simply dont earn enough to have the extra circa £450 month to pay for the vat .. and this has come at very short notice , no one expected Labour to do this bang in the middle of the academic year , before being elected they indicated it would be in Sept 2025 , not January 2025

It’s very strange a local authority council advises people not to move children in years 10&11 very specifically in a public document, yet here we have a Central Government policy forcing parents to do just that potentially! It’s completely absurd.

@CommanderHaysPaperKnife - read the document! Harris has its own admissions deal.

@listsandbudgets it's not a surprise about the vat though and comparing a school to car insurance isn't a fair comparison.