Leavers and fees

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dinahcat
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by dinahcat »

Of course, but I don't think staff will be too keen to comment on this topic. On The Other Forum a couple of parents have commented that they prefer not to post on here as it is open to the public which The Other One isn't. Since discovering , however, that staff who have children at the school have access to it , it has gone very quiet...but I am probably jumping to conclusions.
ailurophile
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by ailurophile »

Richard Ruck wrote
I would assume that these issues must be the subject of much discussion on the parents' forum. Perhaps someone would be kind enough to provide a quick precis, for the benefit of us non parents. Are aggrieved parents a vocal minority, or is the feeling that the problem is more widespread?


As yet, the official parents forum does not seem to have really ‘taken off’; since it was introduced in October only 19 topics have been opened and feedback is from a tiny minority of parents. In format the new Forum is identical to this unofficial site, and TBH I can’t think why they didn’t simply direct parents here! Among other things, I suspect the word ‘official’ may carry with it uncomfortable shades of Big Brother!! Certainly when one brave chap dared to open a thread in which he questioned anomalies in the fee assessment system, the first response was ‘This is a contentious subject!’. I suspect that many parents with a genuine anxiety about the school may be nervous of exposing themselves through criticism of the powers that be, for fear of being identified. I admit that I haven’t posted about my own problems yet, maybe I should grasp the nettle and see whether other parents are encouraged to respond as they do here!

One thing that has become clear is that as a channel for genuine communication between parents and the school the ‘official’ Forum is no more effective than the unofficial! It’s nice that parents can now ‘chat’ with each other but to date there has been no feedback or response to any of the topics raised from within the School or Foundation itself, even where a useful suggestion has been made. For example one poster commented that the school office is wasting money by mailing standard letters to each child so that many families receive two or three identical mailings, and another pointed out that a ‘one per family’ mailing list must presumably already exist because this is evidently used for issues of The Blue. Heaven knows whether this has been picked up on by anyone in authority, but there has been no useful response along the lines of ‘Thank you, what a good (and blindingly obvious!) idea’. Nor has there been any actual action to date to organise the mailing list and save money! So all in all, the official forum would seem so far to be a rather toothless tool for communication – it’s the virtual equivalent of the school gate, but we need more...

I‘m sure that poor communication was one of the failings flagged up in CH’s recent Ofsted inspection. Parents who are having real problems with the school need and deserve a proper channel for communication. We came to CH from the state system where, for all its failings, every school has to have parent governors and many have active PTAs, parent representatives and other links between home and school. It really is time that CH gave parents a voice, and started to listen.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by dinahcat »

The school forum is not for parents to communicate with the school.It is not for disputes with the school to be settled . It is meant to be ' a school gate' - a place for parents to talk to parents .There is nothing wrong with that. If they wish to talk to the school then they will phone or email the schol direct.There is a problem with the fact that staff with a child at the school may have a conflict of interest and who knows who you can trust but that is a problem for the that particular forum. I absolutely object to you taking a comment I made on the parents' forum and quoting it on here. It seems like you have tried to use the parents' to further your own cause which I had some sympathy with until I read your last post. Enough,already. You've made your point.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

dinahcat wrote:Staff can only use the Official Forum if they have a child at the school and therefore have a password. The School has no influence in the matter of fees -I am sure as that part is dealt with by the Foundation since it separated from The School. I think there are still people out there who don't understand the difference.

Then wouldn't it be nice if those staff members who are approached for help and information directed the person concerned to an appropriate ear?


I also think it highly unlikely that any staff or members would ever comment about subjects such as the fees on here, for obvious reasons. Well, they are obvious to me anyway.


I absolutely agree, and that is what I was trying to convey in a previous post: vent and rant and generally comment here; but this is really not the place to expect specific answers from the Powers That Be to specific and personal questions about School or Foundation controlled matters.


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icomefromalanddownunder
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by icomefromalanddownunder »

dinahcat wrote:The school forum is not for parents to communicate with the school.It is not for disputes with the school to be settled . It is meant to be ' a school gate' - a place for parents to talk to parents .There is nothing wrong with that. If they wish to talk to the school then they will phone or email the schol direct.


Forgive me if I have misunderstood, but isn't the reason for parents posting about problems here rooted in the fact that they are not receiving satisfactory, if any, replies to their questions and concerns from the School?


There is a problem with the fact that staff with a child at the school may have a conflict of interest and who knows who you can trust but that is a problem for the that particular forum.

Trust? Conflict of interest? It seems to me that some parents are living in fear of reprisals from some real or imagined regime. If this is so, put on your big girl panties, swallow a handful of bravery pills, and go in to bat for your children. I am so saddened by what seems to be a culture of bullying. Is it that, now that there are government departments to ensure that the pupils are not bullied, attentions have turned to the parents? Or is it an imaginary figment of the minds of people who have been beaten into fear by The Granny State?


I absolutely object to you taking a comment I made on the parents' forum and quoting it on here.

May I ask which comment? The one about the subject being contentious?

Being contentious does not mean that a subject should or cannot be discussed. Of course, it is usually more productive if the discussion remains polite and respectful.



It seems like you have tried to use the parents' to further your own cause which I had some sympathy with until I read your last post. Enough,already. You've made your point.
Well, I guess the bullying isn't imagined. Lets try to reword that last paragraph .......................
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by Fjgrogan »

Perhaps 'bullying' is not the right word, but there is nothing new about parents feeling wary of expressing their concerns to the school. My own parents would not have dared to question, for example, any punishment meted out to me at school - they always assumed that I had to be in the wrong and supported the school! When my children were there, I was wary of creating any stir that might rebound unfavourably on them. What has changed is that parents today are braver and more assertive, more inclined to wade in on behalf of their children, but are finding themselves met with a brickwall of silence from the 'Powers that Be'. Surely education of children is a joint responsibility between parents and school, and parents have a right to express their opinions. The difference from my own time at school is that my parents were paying no fees for most of my time there; parents today are paying vast sums (proportionately) and have a right to know what they are paying for and how that payment is justified. I wonder if anyone has ever dared to ask for a breakdown of where the money goes? If we are just expected to hand over our children, cough up an undisputed sum of money and then step back and let the school take control, that sounds rather as though we are selling our children! Do we really abdicate all responsibility when we accept the offer of a place at CH? One of CH's great selling points used to be security, the fact that no child would have to leave school in the middle of their 'career' because their parents' financial circumstances had changed. Now they are being forced to leave even when the circumstances have not changed, because the Foundation have moved the goalposts in order to attract a different kind of pupil. This is not education, it is cynical marketing, and surely the clients have the right to know why they are being priced out of the market to the detriment of their children.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by Mid A 15 »

Fjgrogan wrote:Perhaps 'bullying' is not the right word, but there is nothing new about parents feeling wary of expressing their concerns to the school. My own parents would not have dared to question, for example, any punishment meted out to me at school - they always assumed that I had to be in the wrong and supported the school! When my children were there, I was wary of creating any stir that might rebound unfavourably on them. What has changed is that parents today are braver and more assertive, more inclined to wade in on behalf of their children, but are finding themselves met with a brickwall of silence from the 'Powers that Be'. Surely education of children is a joint responsibility between parents and school, and parents have a right to express their opinions. The difference from my own time at school is that my parents were paying no fees for most of my time there; parents today are paying vast sums (proportionately) and have a right to know what they are paying for and how that payment is justified. I wonder if anyone has ever dared to ask for a breakdown of where the money goes? If we are just expected to hand over our children, cough up an undisputed sum of money and then step back and let the school take control, that sounds rather as though we are selling our children! Do we really abdicate all responsibility when we accept the offer of a place at CH? One of CH's great selling points used to be security, the fact that no child would have to leave school in the middle of their 'career' because their parents' financial circumstances had changed. Now they are being forced to leave even when the circumstances have not changed, because the Foundation have moved the goalposts in order to attract a different kind of pupil. This is not education, it is cynical marketing, and surely the clients have the right to know why they are being priced out of the market to the detriment of their children.


Well done Frances!

I wish I'd written that. It describes the position much better than the 30 plus posts on this thread and hundreds on others in this section discussing the same theme.

I tried to post those clapping hands but lack the technical capability I'm afraid!!
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by Fjgrogan »

I think what I was trying to portray is that our parents did not see themselves as consumers, but as recipients of that famous 'charitable benevolence' and felt that they should just shut up and be grateful. We have moved on since then! But in fact we are still grateful.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by anniexf »

Mid A 15 wrote: Well done Frances!

I wish I'd written that. It describes the position much better than the 30 plus posts on this thread and hundreds on others in this section discussing the same theme.
Seconded! It's a superb summary Frances, and should be sent to those bods at the Foundation.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by midget »

I wish I could hope that the Foundation would take notice. CH is NOT just another school, but at the moment they seem to be doing their damndest to make it so.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by Mrs C. »

ailurophile wrote:
. For example one poster commented that the school office is wasting money by mailing standard letters to each child so that many families receive two or three identical mailings, and another pointed out that a ‘one per family’ mailing list must presumably already exist because this is evidently used for issues of The Blue.
We live on site, and yet we regularly received mailings sent by post - including, when my daughter left, her NHS card from the Heath Centre - we live all of 100 yards from the HC entrance!!! (and I work for the HC!)
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by MrsAverage »

Fjgrogan wrote: If we are just expected to hand over our children, cough up an undisputed (and ever increasing disproportionate) sum of money and then step back and let the school take control, that sounds rather as though we are selling our children! Do we really abdicate all responsibility when we accept the offer of a place at CH? One of CH's great selling points used to be security, the fact that no child would have to leave school in the middle of their 'career' because their parents' financial circumstances had changed. Now they are being forced to leave even when the circumstances have not changed, because the Foundation have moved the goalposts in order to attract a different kind of pupil. This is not education, it is cynical marketing, and surely the clients have the right to know why they are being priced out of the market to the detriment of their children.
Extremely well put, and thank you. May I quote you in my next letter to the school?
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by MrsAverage »

Sorry should have said 'next letter to The Foundation'

I have no complaint regarding the School, i.e. teachers, staff, education and care. It's just difficult when using same name and address to know who one is writing to.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by ailurophile »

The school forum is not for parents to communicate with the school.It is not for disputes with the school to be settled . It is meant to be ' a school gate' - a place for parents to talk to parents .There is nothing wrong with that. If they wish to talk to the school then they will phone or email the schol direct.There is a problem with the fact that staff with a child at the school may have a conflict of interest and who knows who you can trust but that is a problem for the that particular forum. I absolutely object to you taking a comment I made on the parents' forum and quoting it on here. It seems like you have tried to use the parents' to further your own cause which I had some sympathy with until I read your last post. Enough,already. You've made your point.
Dinahcat, I apologise if I have managed to offend you, With respect, I had no idea that you had made any comment on the offical parents forum, any more than I know who any of the other posters there are. Even now I am unable to identify your alter ego as it is unclear which comment you refer to, but I didn’t believe that anything I ‘quoted’ would reflect badly on the original poster. I certainly had no conscious intention of causing offence by quoting anything, nor of 'using' the parents forum to further my own cause.

My recent post was simply a response to a request from Richard Ruck for a precis of any parental feedback on the other forum. His curiosity did not seem unreasonable to me, but again my apologies if you feel that my response was inappropriate.

I fully understand that the school forum is not for parents to communicate with the school, nor a place for disputes with the school to be settled. The point I was attempting to make is that, particularly when it comes to financial issues, there is no established channel for communication, and this situation needs to be recognised and addressed. We keep being told where it is inappropriate to raise questions, but there is an obvious need for somewhere which is appropriate. My own experience of phone calls and letters to the school has been that my enquiries are met with the reply that financial issues are now entirely the responsibility of the Foundation, yet it is all but impossible to communicate with the Foundation! If financial policy is now entirely the responsibility of the Foundation, don't they have a responsibility also for the consequences, and to consider the impact on pupils? We have now reached the point where we are forced to withdraw one son from the school, and where the future of our second son looks increasingly insecure, yet not once have we been granted an the opportunity to discuss this with anyone from the Foundation, despite repeated requests. And in the one meeting we managed to arrange with the Head, he actively encouraged us to remove our children from the school, because there is nothing he can do to help!

It is quite clear from posts on here that other families are equally frustrated, and the end result is that pupils are having to leave CH. I'm aware I've made this point repeatedly, but I happen to think it's a point worth making, and if I can 'further my cause' by repeating it here or anywhere else then I shall continue to do so.
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Re: Leavers and fees

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

I note,with interest, the idea of a "Non-contentious Forum "


Should that ever happen, on this one ----- I would stop reading it !!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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