School Transport costs and Social Exclusion

Fly_Baby

Errata wrote: »

Are you able to post some firm evidence to support all those sweeping generalisations ? Are are they merely your opinion ?

Where did you find generalisations in my post?

fluffymuffy

lleck wrote: »

How can a child finish the syllabus when they all take the same exam at the end of the year ? Albeit a grammar school tries for the higher grades.

I don't know. I've never even been to the school. We only applied in despair when DD came home after her first day back last September saying they were no longer teaching her science. We had to wait for a place to become available and she sat the entrance exam with a group of others (who didn't get the place).

Fly_Baby

fluffymuffy wrote: »

No. We qualify for them. We don't get them.

You get free school meals round here by applying at the school itself and taking proof of income into the school office. I wonder how many other parents are not prepared to go through that humiliation? I mentioned this to the Head of Admissions this morning when she asked if we "qualified for free school meals" - she readily accepts that the take up is low because of the way it is administered.

Youngest DD is wearing the uniform that the older DD grew out of. To claim for the new grammar school uniform we'd need to apply at the grammar school office for a form and take in proof of earnings. Hardly.

You qualify for them but you do get them for free.

I wouldn't mind going through the hassle of appying for free school meals if I knew I could qualify for them - it would save me £40 a month.

bertiebots

fluffymuffy wrote: »

No. We qualify for them. We don't get them.

You get free school meals round here by applying at the school itself and taking proof of income into the school office. I wonder how many other parents are not prepared to go through that humiliation? I mentioned this to the Head of Admissions this morning when she asked if we "qualified for free school meals" - she readily accepts that the take up is low because of the way it is administered.

Youngest DD is wearing the uniform that the older DD grew out of. To claim for the new grammar school uniform we'd need to apply at the grammar school office for a form and take in proof of earnings. Hardly.

I dont in anyway mean to sound harsh here, but if that is the case, then isn't it time to swallow your pride and get the free meals and uniforms? . The saving would cover your transport costs. If we qualified for school meals and uniforms I would bite their hands off because we really struggle with 3 kids and cant afford to pay dinner money and they have passed their uniforms to each other...ds2 is wearing a 4 yr old school sweater from ds1 etc ! youngest also have packed lunches because we cant stretch to the cost of school meals for 3 .
Just an idea ...who else needs to know but you and the school staff. Surely they arent going to post in in the local paper;)

fluffymuffy

Fly_Baby wrote: »

You qualify for them but you do get them for free.

I wouldn't mind going through the hassle of appying for free school meals if I knew I could qualify for them - it would save me £40 a month.

But you were just telling me I was already getting MUCH more from the local education system than many other parents. That isn't true.

mrcow

fluffymuffy wrote: »

I don't know. I've never even been to the school. We only applied in despair when DD came home after her first day back last September saying they were no longer teaching her science. We had to wait for a place to become available and she sat the entrance exam with a group of others (who didn't get the place).

Science is a compulsory subject for all up to the age of 16.

Who told her that she wasn't allowed to attend any more science lessons? What reason was given. This all seems very odd. How old is your daughter?

Which school haven't you ever been to? Your daughters school? Did you just send her there without even walking through the doors first?

fluffymuffy

bertiebots wrote: »

I dont in anyway mean to sound harsh here, but if that is the case, then isn't it time to swallow your pride and get the free meals and uniforms? . The saving would cover your transport costs. If we qualified for school meals and uniforms I would bite their hands off because we really struggle with 3 kids and cant afford to pay dinner money and they have passed their uniforms to each other...ds2 is wearing a 4 yr old school sweater from ds1 etc ! youngest also have packed lunches because we cant stretch to the cost of school meals for 3 .
Just an idea ...who else needs to know but you and the school staff. Surely they arent going to post in in the local paper;)

Yes that's true. But it's not how it should work and I think I can help to change things for everyone.

Also on the general admissions policy - Even if my youngest DD is not bright enough to get in the grammar school I'm still going to get the blatant sex discrimination policy looked at, for example.

tori.k

I haven't read the whole thread. but please do get in contact with your MP and fight this.to me your DD is being indirectly discriminated against

The whole 3 mile thing is one of my biggest bugbears. we live rural and it cost me £30 a week in busfares to get my 3 lads to school as we live 2 meters outside of there 3 mile rule. yes they could walk easy enough, but 1 mile of it is alongside a horrific main road thats already had 2 pedestrian deaths in the last 12 months, one was a young mum walking her kids to school. i wont risk it with mine. with the amount of traffic about now this 3 mile rule is outdated and needs looking at.

fluffymuffy

mrcow wrote: »

Science is a compulsory subject for all up to the age of 16.

Who told her that she wasn't allowed to attend any more science lessons? What reason was given. This all seems very odd. How old is your daughter?

Which school haven't you ever been to? Your daughters school? Did you just send her there without even walking through the doors first?

She's 14.

I haven't been to the grammar school. The process is that you apply. Wait for a space to become available. Take an exam. And then are offered a place. At no point was there an invitation to look round or an interview. We did ask about looking round when we first applied but were told to ask if she was offered a place. DD looked around on the day of the exam and made up her mind. She's quite bright so I trust her judgement.

fluffymuffy

tori.k wrote: »

I haven't read the whole thread. but please do get in contact with your MP and fight this.to me your DD is being indirectly discriminated against

The whole 3 mile thing is one of my biggest bugbears. we live rural and it cost me £30 a week in busfares to get my 3 lads to school as we live 2 meters outside of there 3 mile rule. yes they could walk easy enough, but 1 mile of it is alongside a horrific main road thats already had 2 pedestrian deaths in the last 12 months, one was a young mum walking her kids to school. i wont risk it with mine. with the amount of traffic about now this 3 mile rule is outdated and needs looking at.

DD's school is 10 miles away and so we fall outside the other end of the rule too - the LA funds travel between 3 and 6.5miles. Presumably everyone in the area lives within 6.5 miles of a school? I don't know.