V.A.T, in school fees

harrigran Where did I ever write that I deplore independent education?

I would rather it didn't exist, but it does and I'm not going to change that. People can do what they want with their money and I understand why some people would pay. What I do deplore is the hypocrisy and sanctimoniousness from people who claim that people with "middle incomes" can afford private education.

There's a line in Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera": 'Erst kommt das Fressen, dann die Moral' (First comes food, then morals)

I'm a professional and do a good job for a price, in the same way a doctor would treat a sick criminal, however repugnant the crime. I do the only thing I can to earn some money and pay for a roof over my head and food on my table.

Jen,when I said all who do private tutoring should be registered this was dismissed .

all should pay tax due but all do not, I think choosing one group is just an excuse to fire up class war

Labour are in such a bad place, they are trying to play the class card, hoping to drum up enough resentment to get people to vote for them in the May elections. All a bit tiresome, especially as two newspapers to-day are talking about Stateless funding; the Times has a story about NHS managers asking Hedge Fund Managers for a loan and Schools asking parents to make donations to top up funding. I can't see the free school meal idea having "legs".

Her parents are trying to get it sorted because GD has reached the point where she is saying she doesn't want to go to school and have reason to believe that her sibling may follow into this teacher's class.
When asked to explain why pupils were not learning their times tables she stated that she found them difficult and stressful when she was a child and didn't see the need to put other children through the same experience.
Headmaster has just retired and the new head is a woman and is doing the 'new broom' thing, we are hopeful she will investigate but probably not in time to prevent GD leaving in July on a sour note.

What I do deplore is the hypocrisy and sanctimoniousness from people who claim that people with "middle incomes" can afford private education
I don't think anyone has said that on here, have they?

There are some very ill-educated teachers out there. They can't spell, add and dislike children! All a result of Blair's "high education for all" resulting in easy A levels, Mickey Mouse Degree Courses and people not being good enough for commerce or industry and going into teaching.

harrigran so sorry about this sadly when headteachers are on their last years things do sometimes slip in schools for lots of reasons. It isn't up to a teacher what she teaches any longer. She is required to follow the Primary strategy and in Year 3 this states your GD should
"Derive and recall multiplication facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 times-tables and the corresponding division facts; recognise multiples of 2, 5 or 10 up to 1000"

I would advise your Gds parents to write to the head and quote what they were told. It really isn't acceptable.

I'm another who got private tuition in maths for our children at crucial exam time, strangely he was a science teacher but well qualified to teach maths. He did loads of private coaching for science and maths for many of the children at the school, he'd being doing it for years. When I rang him up to ask what he charged, he replied, "whatever it was per hour and a packet of chocolate digestives" my kids told me he bunged a couple their way but chomped through the rest, however I consider he was actually worth his weight in biscuits!

Thanks for that trisher, GD is year 6 and the tables have been a great problem. We have tried to help with flip charts and games but the poor child had a mental block. The sad thing is that GD has actually regressed, she used to be much more confident about her schoolwork.

There were people going into teacher training for primary schools in 1976 who did not know their tables, Scottie. Nothing to do with Blair.
Since teaching became an all graduate profession, teachers have had to have a C or above in maths to get on to a course. Again, nothing to do with Blair.

Of course now we have all these academies and free schools they can employ anyone whether they've got a teaching qualification or not.

I hope I'm worth my weight in biscuits too! Bottles of wine, scented candles and bathroom smellies are also very welcome .

There are all sorts of reasons why children benefit from private tuition.I teach languages, which is like maths in that it's highly structured and if a pupil falls behind for some reason, it's difficult to build on prior learning and make progress.

I also think that a pupil needs to have certain characteristics to be a successful language learner, particularly with oral work. The pupil needs to be confident enough to take risks and learn from mistakes from immediate feedback. It's so much easier to develop that with one-to-one tuition rather than in classes of 30+.

I think an amount of petty cruelty goes on in classrooms with little people - mockery, really.
a. Child says to teacher "Shall I use my pencil" Teacher replies "No, use your finger, stupid"
b. "I am stupid" repeat after me "I am stupid,
c. To crying child "Who's a little cry baby then"

Always remember School isn't for everyone. I am a great believer in home-education and feel the child who has this is truly privileged.

I don't! Schools should be about more than cramming children with facts. Most also learn how to cope with social situations and meet people. Why do you think having a home governors and governesses fell out of fashion?

Any teacher who calls a child stupid or a cry baby should be sacked - and probably would be.

I've just remembered something told to me by a friend who was 17 at the end of WW2 - 1945/7. They were so desperate for teachers, they were taking unqualified people, so she became a teacher. What's new?

anniebach What do you think private teachers should be registered to do?

They should already be registered as self-employed, even if they have a full-time teaching job. They don't have the turnover to be VAT registered.

If a parent is concerned about a tutor not declaring income, they should ask for a receipt and report them to HMRC, just as they should with anybody who provides a service.

What kind of registration did you have in mind? If you mean professional registration, that still wouldn't mean that they would declare all their earnings.

Are you in wind-up mode Beammeupscottie or did you just get out of bed on the wrong side?

Jalima Yes, they have.

There is a scheme to put ex-sevicemen and women into schools, to fast-track them.
I don't think they last very long.

getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/specialist-training-options/troops-to-teachers

Bu surely HE is not about cramming facts into a child. I would have thought the opposite, as if I home educated anyone I would take them out and about - learning as you do things. Socially losing out is a moot point - they probably won't pick up "bad ways" but would, I suppose, not have large friendship groups. I think it could work well with large families - all learning together. Remember the Brontes were HM and they did pretty well.
This has made me think of Wackford Sqeers in Nicholas Nickelby who believed in a practical form of education.

"Spell winder and then go out and clean em"

I heard about that some time ago. It's pinched from a US programme. Not sure it would work. The idea was that a soldier would bring discipline into the class room. Still not sure how they would cope when a 10year old told them to "Fuck off"

Which is why I asked Annie what she knew about VAT, daphne.
Even if a teacher did only private tutoring, s/he would not reach VAT levels for self employment. Annie should know that if she deals with VAT.

£49 an hour for a 40 hour week 52 weeks a year to make it worthwhile going over the VAT threshold.
How many parents pay that for tuition?

Avoiding paying vat us the same as avoiding income tax Jen, do you not read replies to your question?