Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

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ailurophile
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Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by ailurophile »

This time last year, someone opened a topic about the lack of transparency in how financial contributions are calculated. Following a recent change in our family circumstances I queried our re-assessed contribution and the Counting House acknowledged that significant errors had been made, particularly with regard to income being included which should have been disregarded. I also noticed that although my eldest has now left CH to attend a local school, the nominal dependent child allowance had not been applied to our calculation for next year. If I hadn’t asked for specific clarification of our assessed contribution, these errors would not have been recognised and we would have received a substantially smaller bursary than our entitlement. I wonder how many other families might be affected in this way?

Current parents may be interested to note that the school website has now replaced the sample assessments with a much more useful ready reckoner, http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/adm- ... ckoner.php where you can enter the actual figures from your own financial return and get an estimate of your contribution.
[Link fixed - JT - 07/08/10]
I recommend parents to check the estimate against your actual contribution in this way, and query any significant discrepancy with the Counting House.
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by Fjgrogan »

Do you think this might indicate that there is someone in authority who actually listened to last year's complaints on this forum (and presumably elsewhere) about apparent lack of accountability and acted on them?
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by J.R. »

Fjgrogan wrote:Do you think this might indicate that there is someone in authority who actually listened to last year's complaints on this forum (and presumably elsewhere) about apparent lack of accountability and acted on them?
You might be surprised to learn who, in the South Horsham vacinity, views this forum from time to time !
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by Mid A 15 »

ailurophile wrote:This time last year, someone opened a topic about the lack of transparency in how financial contributions are calculated. Following a recent change in our family circumstances I queried our re-assessed contribution and the Counting House acknowledged that significant errors had been made, particularly with regard to income being included which should have been disregarded. I also noticed that although my eldest has now left CH to attend a local school, the nominal dependent child allowance had not been applied to our calculation for next year. If I hadn’t asked for specific clarification of our assessed contribution, these errors would not have been recognised and we would have received a substantially smaller bursary than our entitlement. I wonder how many other families might be affected in this way?

Current parents may be interested to note that the school website has now replaced the sample assessments with a much more useful ready reckoner, http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/adm- ... ckoner.php where you can enter the actual figures from your own financial return and get an estimate of your contribution.

I recommend parents to check the estimate against your actual contribution in this way, and query any significant discrepancy with the Counting House.
It might just be me but the link doesn't appear to work.
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ailurophile
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by ailurophile »

It might just be me but the link doesn't appear to work
You're right, it doesn't. No idea why, as I copied and pasted the URL from the web page. However, it's easy enough to find the Ready Reckoner on the CH website, just go to How to apply/ Fees/ Financial contributions and you'll find the link there.
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by englishangel »

http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/adm- ... ckoner.php

For some reason a comma appeared at the end of ailurophile's link which prevented it working.
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by jtaylor »

Mid A 15 wrote:
ailurophile wrote:This time last year, someone opened a topic about the lack of transparency in how financial contributions are calculated. Following a recent change in our family circumstances I queried our re-assessed contribution and the Counting House acknowledged that significant errors had been made, particularly with regard to income being included which should have been disregarded. I also noticed that although my eldest has now left CH to attend a local school, the nominal dependent child allowance had not been applied to our calculation for next year. If I hadn’t asked for specific clarification of our assessed contribution, these errors would not have been recognised and we would have received a substantially smaller bursary than our entitlement. I wonder how many other families might be affected in this way?

Current parents may be interested to note that the school website has now replaced the sample assessments with a much more useful ready reckoner, http://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/adm- ... ckoner.php where you can enter the actual figures from your own financial return and get an estimate of your contribution.

I recommend parents to check the estimate against your actual contribution in this way, and query any significant discrepancy with the Counting House.
It might just be me but the link doesn't appear to work.
Link fixed.
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by Great Plum »

I thought I'd stick it in for my circumstances assuming I had one son at the school and no others...

It was fairly roughly calculated but is about there, we would have to pay £8,666 a year... How on earth do people afford to send their kids to CH???

We are hardly big earners!
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by ailurophile »

I thought I'd stick it in for my circumstances assuming I had one son at the school and no others...

It was fairly roughly calculated but is about there, we would have to pay £8,666 a year... How on earth do people afford to send their kids to CH???

We are hardly big earners!
Quite.

When we first considered CH it appeared to be just about affordable for us , but changes to the fee structure over the past five years have put the school beyond the reach of an average family. I've no idea how other people manage, but we've had to withdraw one son from the school at GE and it will be a real struggle to keep our youngest there until his GCSEs.

I guess to send your kids to CH nowadays you either need to be very poor, or very rich!
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by lonelymom »

ailurophile wrote: I guess to send your kids to CH nowadays you either need to be very poor, or very rich!
Very poor :( Luckily both my girls had the opportunity to go away with friends from school, so they've at least had a holiday this summer, because there is no way we can afford to go anywhere! We even had to turn down a week's camping in Wales because we couldn't afford it!!

Our one proper family outing this summer is going to be a day at Alton Towers right at the end of the school holiday - the tickets courtesy of Tesco vouchers, the petrol there and back courtesy of the in-laws, and I'll take food with us rather than eat there. I can't wait though! This is the treat Louise chose when she was in hospital, it was her bribe to try to get her walking again, so it's going to be extra-special :D :D
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by anniexf »

lonelymom wrote:

Our one proper family outing this summer is going to be a day at Alton Towers right at the end of the school holiday - the tickets courtesy of Tesco vouchers, the petrol there and back courtesy of the in-laws, and I'll take food with us rather than eat there. I can't wait though! This is the treat Louise chose when she was in hospital, it was her bribe to try to get her walking again, so it's going to be extra-special :D :D
Hope you have glorious weather and a wonderful day - you deserve it after all you've been through! :D
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by wickedwitch »

We are arranging to pay our first lot of fees. Grandma and godparents want to donate towards fees. If it goes into our bank account, does this then count as income and do the fees then rise? Sorry if this has been covered before but it cant seem to find it on search! Also, does anyone know if we can pay something towards it in cash?
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by lonelymom »

wickedwitch wrote:We are arranging to pay our first lot of fees. Grandma and godparents want to donate towards fees. If it goes into our bank account, does this then count as income and do the fees then rise? Sorry if this has been covered before but it cant seem to find it on search! Also, does anyone know if we can pay something towards it in cash?
You should get a statement thing from the school with your bank details on, saying how much will be taken, when, and how often. But yes, if grandparents and godparents help towards the fees then they are counted as gifts, and should be declared, which will then make your fees rise. As for paying in cash, I wouldn't know, but I very much doubt it, and if you turn up with a wad of cash I think the school will wonder why it hasn't gone through your bank account and therefore wonder if it is either a gift, or undeclared income. (Am counting the coppers in my plastic pot though, and wondering if CH would like £2.56 in cash :D )
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by Cassard »

wickedwitch wrote:We are arranging to pay our first lot of fees. Grandma and godparents want to donate towards fees. If it goes into our bank account, does this then count as income and do the fees then rise? Sorry if this has been covered before but it cant seem to find it on search! Also, does anyone know if we can pay something towards it in cash?
I'm so glad that our family is passed all this stage now - it's certainly a tough few years, but really it goes so fast and is definitely worth the hardship.

I do sometimes feel that people miss the point of the financial assessment and seem to treat the whole business as a how-little-can-I-get-away-with-paying exercise rather than a stage in the 'deal' that they are making with the school when they accept a place, that they will do their utmost to make a contribution towards the expensive education their children are receiving. I know many families who would be considered well off it it weren't that they had decided to privately educate their children, and who have sacrificed nice houses, second (and often first cars) and family holidays to this end. Fair enough, that's their choice ..... and, income or not, you are actually making the same choice - you are having your child privately educated: if you do not want to have to scrimp and save and lose luxuries and perhaps even what you regard as essentials, then like every other parent you have the option of a free state education, which may or may not be a good one. Count yourself lucky that the bulk of your fees is probably being footed by the generosity of others, and count yourself even more lucky if you have friends and relatives who are willing and able to contribute to the cost of the education of your child. They are not giving the money to you - they are giving it to the school; they are not chipping away at your share of the fees, they are reducing the amount that the school needs to subsidise your place by, so that money can go to people who need more help.

I assume from Nicky's posts that she has other children who are not at the school, and on the whole I do think it is tough that siblings are expected to sacrifice treats and holidays, music lessons etc so that one child can have a great time at CH, so perhaps one way around her problem would be to suggest that the relatives help out by buying clothes or luxuries for the other children or taking them on trips, so that they don't lose out too much?
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Re: Financial Contributions - Ready Reckoner

Post by lonelymom »

I can't find any clapping hands in the smilies, but if there were some, they would be clapping here now :)
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