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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

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amother

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 5:12 pm

I need help with the following.

I am desperate for someone who is experienced in giving advice on how to get the borough to agree to send a child to an alternative school to a state aided grammar school.

I would appreciate any advice because at this late stage the child still does not have a place in a grammar school.

Many thanks in advance.

Fab4

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 5:56 pm

I wouldn't know how to help you, but maybe try a Rav or some community person where you live for some help?

amother

Brown

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 6:20 pm

Don’t understand what you’re asking
I used to be an admissions secretary through the local borough. Your primary school admissions secretary should know the system or at least know ppl who know how to use the system. There should be a staff member helping you. It is the responsibility of the primary school to ensure all children are registered somewhere, not many ppl know this

amother

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 2:19 am

Unfortunately the primary school also do not want the child to go to the school which the borough wants to send the child to. The borough wants the child to go to a state aided school. We know the state aided school is wrong for the child and a private school is right for the child but that involves the borough paying for the placement which they don't want to do.

invisiblecircus

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 3:22 am

You are saying that your child has been allocated a place at a state aided grammar school but you want him to go to a private school instead?

Has the private school got a place for your child? If yes, you can take the place and inform the borough that you won't be taking the grammar place, but the borough won't pay anything towards the private school.

amother

Cognac

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 3:41 am

Which Borough?

Your OP isn't clear to me.
Are you saying the child didn't get into a jewish high school? Or the one you want to go to is fully private and you don't want to pay for it? Why would the Borough pay your school fees?

amother

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:28 am

Yes the borough has given the child a place in a state aided school and does not want to place the child in a private school and does not want to fund the placement of a private school.

Most parents cannot pay for the schooling of their child in a private school.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:34 am

Why should the state pay for funding in a private school? If they did this, noone would go to the state schools. Is this a child with special needs?

amother

Apple

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:35 am

Does your child have an EHCP?

English3

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:45 am

I am not understanding the question. All children are eligble for childcare through the benefits as well as a special needs child can apply for a statement. You as a parent decides where your child should go not the city.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:48 am

OP are you from England? I really don't think that this is how it works.

s c

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 6:52 am

I have never heard of the state paying someone's private school fees. If your child has special needs they may pay for an assistant for him in the classroom but never heard of more than that.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 7:06 am

You get a paper from the local authority placing you and you then have a form to fill in refusing the placement and choosing a private school. It has nothing to do with funding. If you choose private, you pay. If state-aided, you pay just for limudei kodesh.

If the child has a statement of special needs, it works differently but then you might want to consult with a child advocate.

invisiblecircus

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 7:15 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Yes the borough has given the child a place in a state aided school and does not want to place the child in a private school and does not want to fund the placement of a private school.

If you want the child in a private school, that's your decision as a parent, nothing to do with the borough. The borough only deals with state schools, private schools are by definition independent. If you send to a private school, you are responsible for the fees, not the borough.

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Most parents cannot pay for the schooling of their child in a private school.

Right! Which is why most parents send their children to state schools instead of private.

invisiblecircus

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 7:18 am

English3 wrote:

You as a parent decides where your child should go not the city.

The borough has a responsibility to allocate a state school place to each child and it sounds as if they have done that.

OP wants a private school instead. That's her choice but the borough won't pay for it.

amother

Cognac

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 7:23 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

The Borough doesn't place a child in a private school, the parent does (assuming the child is accepted to the private school). And the parent pays for it.

I can't speak for most of the parents in the UK (and neither can you) but the ones I know do pay the Jewish school fees, either monthly, termly etc or if they can't afford then they speak to the school and explain their finances and arrange a payment plan.
Jewish private school fees are much cheaper in the UK than non Jewish tuition. I'm presuming your talking about a Jewish school.

Again, which Borough?

Its not only the Borough that decides which school your child is placed in, its the governors of the schools that decide who to accept or not. Have you been in touch with the governors? At this stage its probably too late if they didn't know you desperately wanted to send your child there.

But its possible I'm not understanding your posts.
Are you English? Are you aware of how the UK school system works? Is this for a religious school?

Fab4

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 7:25 am

Do you mean childcare?
You can claim some of it back if you and your dh are both working at least 16 hours a week.

amother

Hotpink

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 9:43 am

I think op if you provide a little more detail, we might be able to better assist you.
Many of the Jewish schools are independent schools, which means they can choose who they accept. Maintained schools which receive funding from their local authority, don't have as much option.

I'm assuming that you have a child with additional needs who has been awarded an EHCP, which names a local grammar school, rather than the school you want to send your child to.
If this is the case, you are allowed to appeal the decision, and you can talk about meeting the child's cultural and religious needs as well as their education. But you need to have this other school on board and saying they can meet the needs of your child.
If your child doesn't have an EHCP, there is no funding that will pay for you to have your child in a private school. You will have to pay for that.
It might be helpful to have support from someone to assist you who can guide you as to the next steps.

amother

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 10:56 am

I am sorry that my posts are confusing.
The child has special needs and I know about statementing and EHCP's.

The decision to send the child to a state aided school which is what the borough wants is not in the child's best interest. This is agreed by the primary school and the private secondary school who are happy to offer the child a place there.

The problem is the local authority has seen the EHCP which definitely points to the needs of the child not being met in a state aided school.
It looks like the local authority would prefer to pay the costs involved in going to tribunal then accept the child's needs will be better met in a private school.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 1:39 pm

Which city are you in?

You need a child advocate with experience to advise you. Aguda may be able to tell you who to go to.

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