Schools are an important and often overlooked area of divorce and complex issues can arise when parents don’t agree on where their child goes to school, who pays for what and who takes responsibility for picking up and dropping off at the gates.
With many good state schools oversubscribed parents may well be concerned that their children won’t get a good education if one partner has to move to another area where schools are not of the same standard.
There can also be disputes over who will continue to pay for a child’s education if one parent has always paid the lion’s share of fees at a fee-paying school.
In both case the arrangements are best made through a mediation process where parents can decide what is in the best interests of the child. This can mean decisions are made over affordability, for example if one parent can’t afford to pay school fees then the other may commit to pay a share of the costs.
This sort of arrangement may also apply to the purchase of school uniforms, equipment and school clubs throughout the school year.
When it comes to living arrangements, then the parent that has custody of the child will be the one who decides for practicality reasons where the child should attend school if they live in a particular catchment area and the only option is a state school.
These are just some of the issues surrounding a child’s schooling which may arise during divorce proceedings and if you need help with this or any other issues surrounding divorce, contact us today.