School News

Despite government rhetoric, alternatives to a 'bog standard' comprehensive education remain strictly limited - but there is hope

Brighton College, a private school in the heart of the city, was expecting the usual draw of about 250 parents at its termly open day last Saturday. In the event, 600 anxious families crowded into the hall to find out how they could get their children out of the state system.
Since the announcement of a new school admissions plan which will divide the city into catchments and use a lottery to confer places, a stream of parents have beat a path to the door of Richard Cairns, the head teacher.

"I've had parents in all week who are desperate to move their children," he said. "Many are families who have never considered the independent sector but are facing the prospect of sending their children to a school they don't rate. We are already pretty tight on numbers, we are almost full for 2008, but we are looking at perhaps doubling the 25 pupils we take at 11."

This weekend, head teachers across the country are gearing up for calls from parents who are among the many thousands who have just found out that they failed to get their child into the state school of their choice. For families who can afford the fees, qualify for means-tested bursaries or have children who are scholarship material, switching to the private sector is a predictably attractive option. For most others, though, the cost is prohibitive. In 1985, average annual fees for private day schools were £1,806. By 2005 that figure had risen to £8,388.

Read the full article : What Can People Do When The State System Fails Them - Sunday Telegraph 04-03-07