Dear Parents/Carers,
Tuesday September 14th is just over a week away! It will mark a wonderful new beginning for each of our students as well as for the whole local community - not just the first day of a new term, but also the beginning of ‘Oasis School Westbury' and of its journey towards setting a new benchmark of excellence in education.
At the same time, conversations with the Department for Education towards ‘Oasis School Westbury' becoming ‘Oasis Academy Westbury' are going well. Yesterday (Saturday 4th) I had a very good phone conversation with Michael Gove, the Secretary of State of Education, who rang me and again committed himself and his team to working with us to achieve Academy status for the school as quickly as possible, either on, or before, September 2011. Until that moment, Oasis School Westbury will continue as a fee paying school, however, from the point that it becomes a new "Academy" it will become a free State funded school, with most of its funding coming directly from the Department for Education.
I am very aware that many of you have been concerned about fees. I am sorry that it has taken some time to be in a position to finalise these. This has simply been because of uncertainties that existed over the number of parents and carers who had ‘signed' up for their children to attend. However, we are now in a position to be able to confirm the situation.
As is well known, in its last year St. Ursula's School lost over £250,000. It was this that resulted in the trustees being forced to place the school into administration. Therefore, the challenge for Oasis, between now and September 2011, is to provide an excellent education for each of our students without running up a large deficit, as well as to begin to make improvements to the fabric of the building and grounds.
Running a balanced budget for the school is, of course, a combination of good cost control, achieving appropriate pupil numbers and a level of fees which creates viability. For this reason, Oasis School Westbury's fees for the academic year 2010-2011 will be based on a 25% increase from those charged by the previous school. We believe that this will enable us to balance the budget and provide an excellent education for each of our pupils. However, please read the notes below and come and discuss payment options with us if you would like to.
Primary fees
Reception: £2,460 per term, £7,380 per school year
Years 1&2: £2,460 per term, £7,380 per school year
Years 3&4: £2,525 per term, £7,575 per school year
Years 5&6: £2,675 per term, £8,025 per school year
Secondary fees
All Years: £3,725 per term, £11,175 per school year
The standard terms for fees are that payment is made on a termly basis within 14 days after the commencement of term. We expect a contractual commitment for a full term. We do however acknowledge that the significant rise in fees may be very difficult for some parents and carers to manage. We are therefore happy to offer monthly payment terms.
Should we be successful in recruiting a significantly higher number of students than are currently registered, the level of fees for the second and third terms can be adjusted downwards. Oasis is not involved in education to make money. Equally, if the school becomes an Academy before September 2011 fees will cease from that point.
A limited number of bursaries and fee reductions based on need are available in a similar manner to the way in which St Ursula's worked. If your child is returning to the school, all bursaries and fee reductions granted by St. Ursula's still apply. If your child is a new pupil and you would like to know about possible help with fees, please contact the school office.
Sibling discounts of 3% (per child) also remain if you have more than one child in the school.
As Oasis School Westbury becomes an Academy, which will happen either on, or before, September 2011, it will become state funded. Children already at the school at this point will be guaranteed a place in the new Academy.
In the event that Oasis School Westbury becomes a Primary only Academy (4-11), rather than an All-Through (4-16), Oasis guarantees 3 years continuance of secondary education to all its students from September 2010 - S eptember 2013.
We are happy to work alongside parents and carers as well as the wider community to seek other ways in which fees can be reduced, however the most important thing is that your child receives a quality education of which we can all be proud.
Once again, let me repeat that if any of the above poses financial concerns for you, please come and discuss them with us.
Yours faithfully,
Steve Chalke MBE
Oasis Founder
PS - We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible, next Saturday, September 11th for the clean-up party!
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