£16,000 savings limit

shedboy94

What on earth would cost £8000?? Books, pencils?

pipkin71

bestpud wrote: »

Wow at the payment - good on your LEA! Is that for children over a certain age?

Sorry for going off topic!

Thanks bestpud.

Yes, it's for children in years 9, 10 and 11.

They did it for the first time last year, so child in year 10 received it, but this year I have one in year 11 and one in year 9.

Next year and the year after, I will just be able to claim for the youngest one.

It's fantastic that our LEA are doing this because not all of them do, even neighbouring LEAs, so I am very grateful to them for doing this

pipkin71

shedboy94 wrote: »

What on earth would cost £8000?? Books, pencils?

I have applied for help towards the cost of tutors - Japanese, Italian, Art and Maths. Then they are paying for photography courses, computer software, kickboxing, MMA, art supplies, etc.

It's surprising how much it all adds up so we are very lucky to be able to receive this.

I am going to go along with the general advice and open up a separate bank account this year.

Thanks everyone for your help :beer:

pipkin71

letthemeatcake wrote: »

The OP has made it clear that the council can and will check up on the money.
OP if you put the cheque into a new account it will make things easier for you and the council. Otherwise they are going to be checking your main bank account all the time and asking for an explanation for all payments in and out of the account.

Yes, thank you.

I already have to provide bank statements because I am over the £6,000 limit in savings before benefits are affected, but it will be easier.

It states on the form that the council can check that the money has been used for it's purpose and that they will propsecute if it has not.

A separate bank account just makes sense and I will be phoning the DWP at some point today to let them know that I have this money and what it is for. Hopefully they will accept it is for the children and there won't be a problem with it

mazza111

Think that's the wisest thing to do hon. That way it can show that it's for the education. And nothing else.

shedboy94

pipkin71 wrote: »

I have applied for help towards the cost of tutors - Japanese, Italian, Art and Maths. Then they are paying for photography courses, computer software, kickboxing, MMA, art supplies, etc.

It's surprising how much it all adds up so we are very lucky to be able to receive this.

I am going to go along with the general advice and open up a separate bank account this year.

Thanks everyone for your help :beer:

Wow.....can anyone apply for money towards extra curricular activities because I wasn't aware that Japanese tutors, kickboxing and MMA were on the national curriculum?

somethingcorporate

This seems really sensible - a separate account protects you more than anything else.

A thorough investigation would just be so complex if you have to wrangle your own personal expenses from it and you'd probably have a far harder time proving what went where. A single account with one income (the £8k cheque) and a set of outgoings is going to be far easier.

Get it with online banking too so you can access it at any time.

You'd also not want a fraud investigation freezing your main account (god forbid if the worst thing happened) so it really is going to be the best thing to do.

I am massively surprised that the LEA write out such huge cheques for something like this (which would be so obviously open to abuse), I would have thought there would be a better way to do it.

missapril75

pipkin71 wrote: »

I have applied for help towards the cost of tutors - Japanese, Italian, Art and Maths. Then they are paying for photography courses, computer software, kickboxing, MMA, art supplies, etc.

And this is home education? Sounds more like a form of one on one private schooling.

nannytone_2

shedboy94 wrote: »

Wow.....can anyone apply for money towards extra curricular activities because I wasn't aware that Japanese tutors, kickboxing and MMA were on the national curriculum?

honesbhoolers are not obliged to follow the national curriculem. as indeed are many other types of school

zaksmum

I have a neighbour who doesn't send any of her 5 kids to school. She tells anyone who will listen that they all hated school when they initially did go, so after a couple of court appearances it was agreed she could home school them.

All they seem to do is hang around the streets abusing passers by, and she says she "gets paid" for the home schooling.

I never knew what she meant but now wonder if it's this same money as the OP gets.

She's just purchased a brand new car although she's never worked and there's no partner.

What checks are made to ensure the home schooling is up to standard?