Private School (hidden) Charges!

[bitemarx]

Hello!

Im not quite sure where to post this question, so I hope the admins will forgive me!

 

Earlier this year,

I had reserved a place for my son in Reception at a private school because the school nearest to my (then) address was not the best in terms of OFSTED ratings.

 

However, I was lucky enough to find a rental property within the catchment area of my first choice school for him, and he was lucky enough to be offered a place at this school.

 

I informed the private school regarding this fact and asked that his reserved place at the private school be cancelled.

There was no correspondence from the school acknowledging receipt of my cancellation request.

This was in July 2011.

 

This morning the private school have sent me a letter stating that I owe them £1575 to cover fees for the first term since I did not give them a full term's notice for cancellation!

 

Apparently this is mentioned in the T&C's of the school.

I took a look and it is indeed mentioned in the T&C's but this was never mentioned when I'd visited the school!

 

They had informed me that they would take a deposit for the place which was £250 (that I paid) and that this would be retained in case of refusal of a place at the school.

But not one word was mentioned to me about being liable for the first term in case of a cancellation!

 

This seems very unfair to me and also seems carefully designed to extort money from unsuspecting parents who may fall into their trap! I would've thought that if they can mention the £250 deposit, they would have mentioned the liability for the first term's fees!

 

Can i put in a formal complaint with regards to this? What would the procedure be? Or do I need to approach a lawyer?

 

Any helpful advice would be really appreciated since I cannot afford the amount and cannot possibly pay out £1575 for a term's fees when my son isnt even attending their school.

 

P.S. Does anyone know how I can find out if the place they had reserved for my son has been given to someone else or not?

 

Sorry for the long post, but I would be very grateful for advice on this! Thank you!

[sir_gilmour]

bitemarx welcome to The Consumer Action Group community.

 

You haven't received any replies to your problem yet so you might be better off posting your story again directly in the sub-forum which deals with your kind of situation. You will get lots of support there.

 

Also, spend some time looking round the forum. Once you understand the layout, you will be able to get best use from this Consumer Community. It is a big forumm and may take some time. But it will be worth doing.

Good luck.

[bitemarx]

Hello! Im not quite sure where to post this question, so I hope the admins will forgive me!

Earlier this year, I had reserved a place for my son in Reception at a private school because the school nearest to my (then) address was not the best in terms of OFSTED ratings.

However, I was lucky enough to find a rental property within the catchment area of my first choice school for him, and he was lucky enough to be offered a place at this school.

I informed the private school regarding this fact and asked that his reserved place at the private school be cancelled. There was no correspondence from the school acknowledging receipt of my cancellation request. This was in July 2011.

This morning the private school have sent me a letter stating that I owe them £1575 to cover fees for the first term since I did not give them a full term's notice for cancellation! Apparently this is mentioned in the T&C's of the school. I took a look and it is indeed mentioned in the T&C's but this was never mentioned when I'd visited the school! They had informed me that they would take a deposit for the place which was £250 (that I paid) and that this would be retained in case of refusal of a place at the school. But not one word was mentioned to me about being liable for the first term in case of a cancellation!

This seems very unfair to me and also seems carefully designed to extort money from unsuspecting parents who may fall into their trap! I would've thought that if they can mention the £250 deposit, they would have mentioned the liability for the first term's fees!

Can i put in a formal complaint with regards to this? What would the procedure be? Or do I need to approach a lawyer?

Any helpful advice would be really appreciated since I cannot afford the amount and cannot possibly pay out £1575 for a term's fees when my son isnt even attending their school.

P.S. Does anyone know how I can find out if the place they had reserved for my son has been given to someone else or not?

Sorry for the long post, but I would be very grateful for advice on this! Thank you!

foundout years later:  SInce the last post, I have found out that this is subject to a  CCJ 

[moaning myrtal]

Painful I know, but the sad fact is that you appear to have signed an acceptance for which is your agreement to the terms and conditions of the school. Sounds like you may not have read them in full - never a good idea! The clause you mention is common place. It is certainly not worth your while spending money on lawyers concerning this, but you may get somewhere if you write to the Head teacher of the school setting out your dismay, saying that you understand you will lose your £250 as this was explained, but that the contract clause was not pointed out to you even though you accept you should have read the terms yourself. In a situation like this where, however unfair you feel it to be, in legal terms the school is in the right, appealling to their better nature may be the only way forward. You may want to mention the fact that it wook them until October to send a bill.

 

In terms of finding out who registered when and if the school is full for reception (which would mean your place was certainly filled), all you can do is ask the school directly. They do not, of course, have to tell you this.