Background

The Principals and staff have been approached by friends, relatives and interested parties, requesting that we make available school places for refugees soon-to-arrive from Ukraine.

Position

For the Summer term 2022, the Principals are willing to offer places freely for such applicants; we wish to make clear that any longer term engagement is subject to review (with an explicit expectation that full fees will be paid in most cases). We will seek via the good offices of our staff, parents, friends, PTA volunteers, school outfitters and/or other sources to find uniform in the PTA vaults but other incidental costs should be met directly e.g. food, trips*.

*Funding

Incidental costs are substantial; from school transport to lunches, trips & activities, we know these will mount up. Claires Court makes no profit on its incidentals even in the best of years. We will look to raise support in these areas from a range of providers, from our own fundraising efforts this term, through our PTA should they wish, and wider charitable and/or commercial/private donations including from the host families to cover incidental costs.

Future placements

Claires Court’s experience with our various local authorities & public service providers is that children placed at Claires Court become invisible to such services. For September 2022, it is expected that any review would first check to see where best the local state sector can place such children, bearing in mind the issues of visibility, service provision, health visitors, welfare and social care. Claires Court has an excellent reputation for its provision, but every specialist service required to be bought in currently costs circa £100 per hour.

Application

The Principals will be open to applications via the Registrar, with fee waiver for this purpose, to join the school from supporting families in the knowledge we will do our best in the short term, and that we are willing to place circa 20 children in total, with the proviso also that we have the available physical capacity to manage such numbers in classrooms (1/2 per year group).

Scrutiny panel
Using independent adults, who have the time to bring, and interest & skills to bear, admissions will be managed by the Scrutiny panel to ensure placements are made in a careful and managed way, to ensure that the refugees’ interests and care are always kept to the fore. 

James Wilding

Academic Principal