Election Promises

Mamie but is vat charged?

Out of interest I checked the provision for children with profound and complex special needs in one of the LAs I worked in. As far as I can see the LA special schools I knew well have continued to develop and flourish. The LA states that it will use independent specialist provision if places are not available in its schools.
It hardly needs saying that this is a subject that should not be the focus of political point scoring.

Mamie I was hoping someone who had worked in education could explain. Are you sure that special education is considered vat exempt? Do you have proof please?

There is a lot of wishful thinking on this thread.

Labour have had 14 years to make workable plans, now in power they are floundering like fish out of water. They are lazy and dictatorial and will be targeting those with not much further use to society, such as pensioners, the disabled, those who will not work and the less-able

They don`t care, all the time filling their own boots. Their own mps will be out of jobs in 5 years, on the scrapheap

ronib

What is happening to special needs pupils in private schools where parents can’t afford increased school fees? Does the local authority pay the bill if no alternative suitable State provision is available? Now that is an improvement if it happens.

As I understand it, those pupils will be exempt from VAT. Can you be more explicit about the range of learning difficulties / physical disabilities that you think might be better served in the private sector and why?

What is happening to special needs pupils in private schools where parents can’t afford increased school fees? Does the local authority pay the bill if no alternative suitable State provision is available? Now that is an improvement if it happens.

growstuff individual preferences are neither here nor there. The beast has a mind of its own.

Mollygo

FWIW
Our Pupil Premium is already well used for the children it’s intended to support, in a variety of ways.
Our before and after school clubs are paid for by the parents who use them.

In England schools are able to use Pupil Premium as they wish. Maybe it's different in Scotland. Some schools have decided it's an effective use of the funding to provide breakfast clubs - sometimes at no cost to the parents. It really depends on the circumstances of the school and the amount of funding received.

ronib

nanna8 Noddy and Big Ears look better than this pretend socialist government.

Is that because they're "socialist" or "pretend"?

Would you prefer a more or less socialist governement?

nanna8 Could you explain your comments please?

Just why do you think he's looking good and making sense?

I'm afraid his looking good and making sense has bypassed me.

IMO he's a shameless grifter and nothing has changed.

nanna8 Noddy and Big Ears look better than this pretend socialist government.

Nigel Farage’s mob are looking increasingly good. Labelling them far right is just silly desperation and makes people realise what a threat they are to the ‘establishment’ Watching different politicians in the UK, he is the only one who makes any sense just now.

Has anyone a solution for parents who struggle to find the fees for children in special needs at private schools? Do you think the State should be educating all children including special needs? Or does the State only have adequate resources for high iq special needs children?

Yes, it's a big plan.
I really hope it's carried through.

MissAdventure

That is worth repeating, it's not new, it's not for people who don't know how to cook or are too lazy to.

It's for anyone who needs to use it, usually because of work commitments.

The biggest difference will be that it’s free.

That is worth repeating, it's not new, it's not for people who don't know how to cook or are too lazy to.

It's for anyone who needs to use it, usually because of work commitments.

FWIW
Our Pupil Premium is already well used for the children it’s intended to support, in a variety of ways.
Our before and after school clubs are paid for by the parents who use them.

Mollygo

The school bursar I spoke to last night said there would likely be an enormous take up at her school.
She explained what they do now and what difficulties already exist and what would arise if the take up was as she expected or even if it only doubled.
Her concerns were the lack of detail about the plans, some of which I highlighted before.
Her opinion was that details like timing of the breakfast club, funding for staff, provision and storage of resources etc. should have been published alongside the proposal.

For our bursar here in the NW, details like starting time-at the same time or later than preschool club, and again, provision and storage were top of the list.

I expect that's why there's going to be a trial area. Hopefully, any glitches can be ironed out before being introduced nationally. As I've said a couple of times already, some schools already run breakfast clubs - and have for years. I was on the committee of a breakfast/after school club 20 years ago. Pupil Premium funding is often used and there are other funding streams.

Every journey starts with one small step, as the nauseating, misty, internet pictures show us.

This government has been in place 3 months. Of course the plans for breakfast clubs in every school aren’t yet established.

ronib - I suspect those of us you choose to lecture about not all children having an equal start in life have had greater direct work and life experience than you have in this area.

It’s just new, and seems insurmountable though, she will work through it and make it happen, the same as they have done here, where I imagine there are exactly the same issues. I’m sure the details will follow, there’s almost a whole school year before it has to be offered.

The school bursar I spoke to last night said there would likely be an enormous take up at her school.
She explained what they do now and what difficulties already exist and what would arise if the take up was as she expected or even if it only doubled.
Her concerns were the lack of detail about the plans, some of which I highlighted before.
Her opinion was that details like timing of the breakfast club, funding for staff, provision and storage of resources etc. should have been published alongside the proposal.

For our bursar here in the NW, details like starting time-at the same time or later than preschool club, and again, provision and storage were top of the list.

I’m glad it’s not though MissAdventure, I never liked milk, and warm school milk tasting of turnips was double yuck. Toast and orange juice is much nicer!

It's much like the bottle of milk that children used to get.
It didn't depend on how poor you were, or what home you came from.

Margaret Thatcher (milk snatcher) was much maligned for doing away with it.

Mollygo

Casdon

Mollygo why are you measuring a promise against a shopping list of elements that haven’t been promised?
I agree. The vague words level playing field or equal opportunities sound good, but don’t actually promise anything IMO.

What do you think they mean? Is it simply the removal of private education?

I’ve spent time reading all the waffle on here about level playing fields.
I don’t believe it’s possible, so I have just pointed out what it would need to truly make it level. (Without the ability to level the parents.)
Do you believe the money acquiring strategies they are planning really make it possible to have a level playing field?
It seems a bit strange to me to promise breakfast clubs (good idea) free to all primary children, even those whose parents (like the better off pensioners) can well afford to give their children breakfast.

It’s a jigsaw puzzle of elements to create equality of access and take up for everybody, and my take on it is that you have to start somewhere or it is completely overwhelming. At the most basic level, which is all some schools in Wales currently offer, is a breakfast club only, starting at 8.20am, funding is given to the school to employ staff and for the food, if they demonstrate there is a demand, and the amount dependent on uptake. It’s not compulsory, but I read that 96% of schools offer at least that as a minimum. It’s a modest service but a building block. I’d rather sustainable long term modest changes than a promise that is undeliverable.