'Unpaid' School Fees legal threats

[Charleysez]

Good Morning All,

 

Another threatening letter delivered today claiming legal proceedings will be taken to recover so called unpaid private school feels from 2007.

 

A few Google searches turned up this well informed site,(why was I not aware of it before?) in an attempt to get some advice.

 

This all started in 2007. My daughter was in a private school, taking her exams and coming to the end of her normal education. All fees paid. For a variety of reasons she did not wish to stay on at that school into the 6th Form, what I would term further education.

We notified the school that she would not be staying on for a further two years only because I was sick and tired of receiving post from them, and we had paid a deposit some years earlier to the school.

 

I was then hit with a claim for £xxxx pounds for a subsequent terms fees, with a statement that I had to give a full terms notice if we were withdrawing our child from that school.

 

I wrote giving an explanation that I was being courteous in informing them when I did, but that my daughter had reached the end of her normal education and we had never applied for her to receive 'further' education. Hence I didn't believe the full terms notice was in any way applicable.

 

A couple of more threatening letters were received, then silence for approx 12 months, and now this morning threats of legal action in a week or so.

 

We did sign a contract re the full terms notice, but my opinion is that this would only be relevant if we had removed our daughter prior to the end of her normal education.

 

Does anyone have any comments on this so called debt. All these threats are very worrying for such a large amount.

 

Many Thanks,

 

CSez

[freakyleaky]

I will move your thread to a more appropriate forum. Not sure where yet.

 

In the meantime can you posts a copy of the terms and conditions?

[freakyleaky]

Moved thread to general consumer issues here

[buzby]

Because you agreed the terms notice, the school are entitled to this - just as a mobile phone company can insist on a 18 or 24 month contract is the minimum period of service.

 

By effectively pulling your child out of school without adequate (and agreed) notice, they have lost the chance to make this space available to anyone else - they may fill the slot, but this isn't the issue. If you have to give a term's notice, this should ideally be given on the last day of the preceeding term - this gives one term clear to make arrangements to switch. Any less than this, and you may find as they hold a binding contract, you don't have any room to manouver. There is no issue surrounding what you may call 'further education', as she may have wished to repeat a year before leaving, and the school would have been bound to keep her a place, until you signified she was to leave - giving the 12-16 weeks notice required.

[Desperate Daniella]

I think you will have problems here. Most private schools expect that children will stay on until the end of the 6th Form, completing their A Levels or IB - and most children do.

 

Have they still got the deposit?

 

DD