School Transport costs and Social Exclusion

fluffymuffy

milliebear00001 wrote: »

State (and therefore, free) grammar schools are not available in all areas. In fact, they exist in hardly any areas of the UK nowadays. Most grammars are now private schools.

There are 164 state grammar schools in England. See http://www.ngsa.org.uk/

I've just noticed there are 10 in Essex!

clairehi

fluffymuffy wrote: »

We only have one car and we need it to get our other children to school.

Yes but someone else could give her a lift was what I meant!For petrol money if need be if you couldnt reciprocate.

I really dont understand why you dont claim for the free school meals and uniform.

Surely if all your kids (at least three as you say you have "other children")had free meals this would more than pay for the cost of the bus fares for your DD?

If you dont want the "humiliation" of the school office knowing your income then tough you just have to find the bus fares dont you?

milliebear00001

fluffymuffy wrote: »

There are 164 state grammar schools in England. See http://www.ngsa.org.uk/

I've just noticed there are 10 in Essex!

Yes, as I said - there are hardly any state grammar schools left...

kegg_2

none at all in west sussex

fluffymuffy

none near us either - hence the travel cost issue.

milliebear00001

I have to confess, I have skipped through these posts a bit, but I'm confused about the circumstances in which the OP's daughter had to leave her original school. What year is she in? I can't envisage a situation where a pupil could not fairly easily be accommodated using work from higher up the school's science syllabus. What happened? It's not a situation I've ever heard of, although I have come across quite a few children 'squeezed' out of their grammar school when their academic qualities turned out to be not quite up to the school's standard.

fluffymuffy

What happened? I suspect a teacher crisis was behind it. There seems to have been a great number of supply teachers since she started. That and general non-prioritising of G&T.

milliebear00001

fluffymuffy wrote: »

What happened? I suspect a teacher crisis was behind it. There seems to have been a great number of supply teachers since she started. That and general non-prioritising of G&T.

But what did the school actually tell you, and why were you not more forceful about ensuring her entitlement at the original school? You are not asking anything especially unusual. Yours is an adjustment that schools make all the time, and with fairly little difficulty - despite what some of the 'sweeping statement' posters on this thread might believe.

Gingham_Ribbon

milliebear00001 wrote: »

But what did the school actually tell you, and why were you not more forceful about ensuring her entitlement at the original school? You are not asking anything especially unusual. Yours is an adjustment that schools make all the time, and with fairly little difficulty - despite what some of the 'sweeping statement' posters on this thread might believe.

Actually, not it isn't. Speak to anyone involved in the NAGC and they'll tell you the same as me. SOME schools are very good at accomodating children working outside the 'norm', many are not.

RoxieW

fluffymuffy wrote: »

There are 164 state grammar schools in England. See http://www.ngsa.org.uk/

I've just noticed there are 10 in Essex!

There are non in my county or any of the bordering counties.
Surely if you are entitled to free school meals and uniform you should claim it? Surely swallowing your pride for a few minutes to apply would be worth is long term. After all, you have been on the phone to the school arguing for a free bus pass so they are aware of your financial situation? The money you save there should more than cover your daughters transport costs and then you wouldnt have to take money from the grandparents. Surely that would be a far easier solution then this battle you seem to have taken on? If I was you I'd be counting myself very lucky that my daughter had been given this rare opportunity and that you are entitled to alot of financial help already. I'm still stinging from the £150 cheque I gave to my sons school this week for a terms lunch money and violin lessons - ouch!