What are you paying for the independent school reports?

[vanityfair]

Good day all, I have just found out from a fellow parent that he is being charged £50 for each report supplied by the primary school to support his DS's applications for independent school. They are applying for 4 schools in total. I did not realise that that schools charge for these, so what are the costs for parents for these if you don't mind me asking?

Many thanks

[Ladymuck]

Deleted.

[hermanmunster]

I've not heard of that happening before - agree best speak to senior schools about it.

[Snowdrops]

Is the primary a state school?

We certainly didn't pay, and we had two reports done.

[ClappedOutMum]

Likewise, our state primary has not charged. Just as well since - my DS has just told me - he helped the class teacher (for the head) write one just recently!

[djy76]

Like Snowdrops, we had 2 reports written for independent senior schools. This was by a state primary head teacher and we were not charged for either..

[vanityfair]

Thanks for all your responses.

Yes Snowdrops it is a state school - or more accurately a voluntary funded CofE school.

I thought it to be unusual as I had never heard of such a thing. The school justifies it by saying that the cost funds a supply teacher to cover time used to produce the reports. I think it is a fund raising ploy personally. I'm not affected otherwise I would kick up a stink myself. However there are parents having to pay up to £200 for 4 applications and they seem resigned to it.

[mike1880]

If they're charging it must be covered by their Charging and Remissions policy (and might also be required to be consistent with an LEA policy). That should be easy to check, it will be in an "other charges" type section; most of the policy will be concerned with music provision, trips, "optional extras" etc. Assuming it's there (big assumption, it isn't in most) it's likelt to say that the charge will not exceed the cost of providing the service and I think I'd be questioning them severely on that second point and requiring them to itemise the time and effort and the resulting costs. £50 is quite a lot of supply teacher time at current rates, and if they're charging "per report" they are almost certainly stepping a long way over that line.

[Snowdrops]

Yes, they only have to write one report to get most of what they'll put in all of them, so mostly it's repetition.

A lot if these forms are a matter of ticking boxes with with a box at the end for a 'personal reference' type thing at the end. (I was quite surprised when DD's primary head told me )

I think the school's got a good number going there

[hermanmunster]

sounds a lot of money to me!

GPs get some stick for charging for letters and reports, I usually make it as small as poss depending on what is involved - but I've never charged a patient that much for something, makes it worse that as Snowdrops says it is probably the same thing several times over.