how long on lead rein

[99luftballoon]

Hi. I know this is a case of 'how long is a piece of string.' but dd is on lead rein still after 22 private lessons (had 8 at another school last year). She is getting bored of doing the same thing every week, and wants to try off the lead rein. She can do rising trot quite well on the lead rein but is starting to lose confidence as she needs to be able to wtc before she can join group lessons. If she cannot wtc in next 8 weeks she will need to wait til next Spring for more private lessons as outside arena is not used in winter.

So - to be clear reckon DS has had about 40 lessons - some private, some group- but is much younger and has dyspraxia, which even though he is doing well has slowed his progress (compared with other kids) .
I think I would be looking for a new school.

New school. They are taking the mick along with your cash! Lunge lessons are really beneficial and I would always recommend starting off that way if you can afford the private lessons but too long on the lead rein or lunge can set up confidence issues for later and as you have found plain discourage them.
My dd started at 5 in group lead lessons and started spending more time off lead after about 5 months of weekly half hour lessons, her instructor and I leament that she probably spent too long on the lead (dd is tiny and still struggles to get her appropriately sized pony going, when she started her legs barely came past the saddle flaps added to that were other outside uncontrollable issues that ment she stayed on the lead longer then she should), she us now 7 and can walk trot and canter off lead and has starting to do a little jumping, she isn't perfect but she is moving forward, now she is totally off lead and cantering she has an hours lesson a week in a group.
I think even my pony mad dd would have wanted to pack it in if she were in your dd's shoes. Travel a bit further and find a school more suited to children's riding that can give both a good grounding (important) and good honest fun (just as important) even if it means only riding every other week rather then weekly. Good luck!

Definitely go for another RS. My daughter started at 4 with fortnightly walks out on the lead rein in walk & then trot too, progressing to off the lead rein, then ashe spent a whole 2 years just in walk and trot being told 'nearly ready to canter', all as private half hour lessons as they had no group lesson space. Well after that she was bored so took her to another RS they do 2-3 assesment lessons then put you in a group (riding off the lead rein BTW). SHe was cantering within 10 minutes at the new school, quite happily, started popping low x poles the following week and the third week was straight into a group lesson.

I had this we my dd she is 7 and does have her own pony but to encourage her to ride off the lr and while the pony was off work, we sent her to a riding school. Even though she could walk,trot and canter on the lunge line they had her for weeks on the lr in a group lesson going round and round in circles so i changed riding schools now the new one is not as posh or have the same facilities but they had her off the lr in a couple of weeks and now a few months later she can canter and do dressage tests with confidence on her own pony(very proud of her )
we are in the northwest so they are out there but it took a lot of finding and waiting on a list till a space came free good luck x